A craze that has been popular for many years in larger cities is catching on in Warren County. The food truck or food trailer business is appealing to folks who want to grab a quick meal that is freshly prepared and usually reasonably priced.
Brian Curran was probably one of the first in this venue when he started selling hot dogs from a portable cart 12 years ago in downtown McMinnville. He opened his own place, the Dog House, for a time, and for the last few years has been selling his hot dogs at the Big Lots location in Northgate Shopping Center. The delicious Kosher beef hot dogs can also be purchased at the summer sessions of Main Street Live, at the Autumn Street Fair and at various real estate auctions.
“Nobody has anything like my hot dogs,” said Curran. “This has been a great business, a lot of fun visiting with folks in the community.”
Curran offers all the condiments to dress the dog, chili, cheese, jalapenos, sauerkraut, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. Customers can also add a drink and chips to their order. He is set up in front of Big Lots on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m., until 3 p.m.
Cindy’s Curbside food trailer is owned and operated by Cindy Payne, and serves a delicious Cuban sandwich, as well as burgers, tenderloin, reubens, hot dogs, chicken and steak sandwiches. She has several other items on the menu, but just recently added a chef salad to the roster.
“I know everyone doesn’t want to eat fried foods every day, so I thought salad would be a nice addition,” said Payne. “I’m open for suggestions if anyone wants me to try other things.”
“I’ve been here a year this March 17,” said Payne. “Some people said I wouldn’t make it, but it has worked out very well for me and has been productive.”
Payne is from Florida, and she has not enjoyed the weather conditions this winter, braving the ice, snow and rain in her trailer parked on the lot of Redmon Automotive.
“Jack has been so nice to me, letting me set up here at no charge,” said Payne. “I appreciate him so much, and try to feed them as needed.”
Regular customer Stephanie Henning praises Payne for her food for its delicious flavor and for the convenience.
“My husband loves the Cuban sandwich,” says Henning. “I work the night shift, and this place is close to home and is very easy to just drive up and take out.”
For those who don’t know what a Cuban sandwich consists of, Payne says it starts with a special Cuban bread she purchase in Murfreesboro. The bread is coated with mustard, followed by swiss cheese, ham, and a special marinated chopped tenderloin, then more mustard and pickles. It’s then heated in a sandwich press till it is golden grown.
Taqueria Albertos has been in operation for about five years, and its food truck is parked right beside the Short Stop Market on Smithville Hwy. 
They specialize in taco dishes, but also serve a lot of quesadillas and burritos from their truck. The family business is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday open until 11 p.m.
Customer Chris Hillis is a fan of the business, saying it is both convenient and delicious.
“This food is real food, not processed food,” said Hillis. “They chop everything fresh and cook it as ordered.”
Homemade barbecue is a popular food item in the food truck/trailer business, with at least three serving the area. Randy Glenn with Bad Boys Barbecue has been in the food service industry full time for three years, but worked part time for over five years.
“This started out as an event cart, providing good food at area functions,” said Glenn. “But after a while we decided to do it full time.”
His trailer is located at 305 Sparta Street beside Lil’ Joe’s Outdoors. Bad Boys Barbecue is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. He also caters a full menu to various functions.
He serves barbecue pork, pulled pork, brisket, pulled chicken, loaded nachos, stuffed potatoes, and ribs as a speciality item on occasion. He also provides a slate of side items consisting of potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw, fries and delicious key lime pie.
“Everything is homemade, with the exception of the pie,” said Glenn. “I do get that provided, but it is wonderful.”
Glenn gets his flavor from a blend of different woods, not using gas or electricity in any way to prepare the meats.
“I take pride in what I do. I don’t overextend and try to turn out a high-quality product,” said Glenn.
Randy and Paula Roller have been turning out delicious barbecue for several years through their catering business, but in 2010 started selling their product from a trailer in the Plaza Shopping Center. The trailer is closed right now, but will re-open later this month selling barbecue sandwiches, plates, stuffed potatoes, nachos and occasionally ribs and chicken.
“Everything we do is from scratch, all homemade,” said Paula.
They will be open on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Once the Farmers Market opens, they sell their delicious product there each Saturday. The Rollers can be reached at 931-668-4525.
“We started the trailer service after our customers wanted us to make it available at more convenient times,” said Paula. “We wanted to give our customers an economical way to enjoy our product.”
Another barbecue trailer, Pig on the Run, can be found in the parking lot of United Grocery Outlet on Chancery Street each Friday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. It is run by Garry Northcutt, an endeavor he started about 4 years ago when he retired.
In addition to pulled pork barbecue sandwiches, he sells the barbecue by the pound, as well as sides of ribs, which usually sell out quickly. Of course he has the usual side items as well as drinks and desserts.
Northcutt also visits craft fairs and auctions. He can be reached at 615-869-9991.