Just this morning we learned of a new truck on the road that’s affiliated with a big chain: Queso Quest presented by Qdoba. How did we learn of it? A barrage of furious calls and e-mails.

So, the Qdoba truck. It’s called the Queso Quest. They have a local Chicago improv guy named Joey Dundale acting as the face of the truck. Who approached whom to do this? It would be really cool if this guy was a queso connoisseur and wanted his own queso truck and found a way to have it financed by the chain in exchange for slapping their logo on some stuff; win-win -win. However, it looks like Qdoba just paid a sweet actor to promote their brand as usual (there is no mention of queso on any of the actors’ social presences), but instead of being on a billboard he’s live and on wheels. They have a video that shows Joey being presented with the wheels and someone showing him the stocked product, but they left out the explanation of who Joey is, why queso, why Joey, and why a truck? Is Joey a long-time employee of Qdoba? Did he win a queso fanatic contest? We are left with more questions than answers even after seeing their introduction video:

 

Nothing against Joey (truly), readers seem to like him (even though they poke fun at the fact that he pronounced the “s” in Illinois in the above video); Qdoba is the one that’s going about this all wrong. I agree. The Queso Quest’s map-heavy website doesn’t say anything about their truck menu nor show you where the truck will be, instead it shows you where Qdoba brick-and-mortar locations are and where the truck has stopped in the past. Not too useful for a food truck, very useful to push traffic to brick-and-mortar stops. So, their goals are obvious and down right offensive to some.

My issue with this is bigger than one truck or one company: what this underscores for me is that Chicago’s legislation is leaving a gaping hole of opportunity in the Chicago market for these (largely unwanted) chain trucks while they squander local culinary talent and keep their trucks at bay. Most food truck freaks appreciate the homemade, chef-level cuisine, not just the convenience of the truck. It’s about reconnecting with food and where it comes from, instead of just eating food because it’s nearby. Find me a corporate truck that’s driven by the CEO of the company (or even the corporate chef) and then we can talk seriously about chain trucks. Or, better yet, I’ll steer you towards the Macy’s Culinary Council’s travelling Food Truck A Go-Go: though it was sponsored by a chain seemingly irrelevant to food trucks, they bridged the gap and made it relevant while also connecting food truck freaks with the chefs responsible for the food they were noshing on.

If the city would alter legislation to allow trucks to cook, our talented chefs could hit the road. Given the choice between patronizing a creative truck run by local talent and a chain truck, guess which one people will choose?

While many are criticizing these corporate trucks now, somehow I think we’ll change our tune a little bit (and that’s not a hyperbole; I only forsee a subtle change in attitude) come the bitter winters, especially for those of us without restaurants nearby. There is only 1 place to grab a quick bite to eat within a 3 block radius of my workplace in the West Loop. In the winter, that feels a bit more like a 3 mile radius. So, I will welcome any food truck at anytime to rescue me from the monotony of my lunch hour.

While having corporate trucks hitting the road might serve as gateway trucks the the more mainstream market (later introducing them to our more “hardcore” trucks), that could eventually lead to having effect that big box stores had on ma’ and pa’ stores: dissolution. I know, I know, that may seem a bit histrionic, however it is an option and a possible reason for tweets like this one:

Is Qdoba yummy? Yes. Are there enough street corners and diners in Chicago for them to join our fleets? Yes. Do I expect them to be welcomed with open arms to the food truck scene? We shall see. Based on reader feedback, many people think some small changes they could make would do them worlds of good. Here’s my challenge to you, Qdoba: get an executive on board and deliver me some queso. If you do that, I’ll give you a few tips about how to play game more nicely and share with you comments from community members (who have explicitly said it’s okay to share their thoughts).

What do you think about this truck? Like? Not a fan? Indifferent? Share in the comments area below!

NOTE: We do not speak for the entire community. These thoughts are our own with a sprinkling of  comments from Chicago-area food truck freaks who have expressed their thoughts to us directly.

UPDATE: @QuesoJoey responded to our article. When we assured him that no one is against him (the person), but it’s the corporate stuff that’s not sitting well, the response got even weirder. Not sure about you, but this further solidifies for us that this is a giant corporate flop and not an innocent young guy who just wants to put cheese on stuff. We’re not hating, we’re just calling a spade a spade, Qdoba.

Last week when we swung by the trucks in front of the Sears Tower, we noticed a new kid on the block: Culture, the Frozen Yogurt Society. We hadn’t seen this truck at any event, nor had anyone inquired about them, so we were pleasantly surprised to stumble across them. 

One thing we love about this truck is that they have a lot of goofy, fun toppings: Cap’n Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and gummy bears are just  a few. We love a truck with a sense of humor, and we love gummy bears in just about anything sweet, so this truck started out on our good side.

After seeing their weekly schedule, our absolute favorite thing about the truck is that they go beyond the standard stops. Of course they still make stops at the big high-rises, but they also pull over at intersections where no other truck has stopped (at least, on record in the past 3 months). Roughly half of their stops are ones that were new to our site, so those of us food truck freaks who aren’t in the immediate center of the city can have hope. Some of their stops are in Bronzeville, Bucktown, River North, River East, the Loop and the Gold Coast (among others).

Have you caught this truck? How was it? Tell us what you think on our Facebook Page wall- even leave a picture if you’ve got one!

Last week I saw that one of our newer trucks, The Adelita Truck, had some new menu items that sounded delish (quesadillas!). However, I was so swamped at work out in the West Loop that there was no time for me to walk or cab it to them. So, what did I do? I Zaarly’d it.

 

Zaarly is a new-ish start-up (in which Ashton Kutcher is an investor) that gets you what you want when you want it. It’s kind of like a real-time, reverse Craigslist: You post what you want and how much you’d pay for it. So, on Friday morning I posted a listing to see if someone would pick me up some food truck deliciousness. Sure enough, @zaarlyliz came to the rescue! At first, I thought @zaarlyliz was a Zaarly employee. It turns out she just really really likes to fulfill Zaarly listings.

So, if you ever can’t get that food truck monkey off your back, Zaarly it.

It’s no secret that Chicago has a lot of food trucks waiting in the wings in anticipation of a change in legislation, but we have several trucks that are going to roll with our current laws and serve up some delicious food. Here’s a few of them to keep an eye on:

Sweetie Cakes

Have you seen a super sweet pink polkadot truck on the streets this week (or at Waggin’ Wednesdays last night)? That’s Sweetie Cakes! They are a new “mobile pastry van” serving up lots of sweet goodness. Their maiden voyage was just last Friday! Website: TasteofSweetieCakes.com Twitter: @sweetiecakes

Lillie’s Q Meat Mobile

You know them for their Wicker Park barbeque restaurant, and they’ll soon be launching a food truck slated to start truckin’ shortly after labor day. You can get a sneak peak this Saturday at the Time Out Chicago Food Truck Social. Website: LilliesQ.com Twitter: @lqmeatmobile

Tamale Foodie

Promising a “unique tamale experience,” this food truck is planning to hit the road on Monday September 19th. Once permits have gone through, they’ll be serving you street side. Website: TamaleFoodie.com Twitter: @tamalefoodie

Samich Truck

You’ve heard whispers of them for months now, but it looks like the Samich Truck is gearing up to hit the streets very, very soon! Their truck is painted and their menu is full of lots of sandwiches and tortas. Twitter: @samichtruck

Get ready! This Saturday we get to experience two big food trends all in one: food trucks and pop-up restaurants. Time Out Chicago will be hosting an event called the Food Truck Social. A special line-up of chefs will be there to do their own mini pop-up restaurants (see lineup below). The festivities begin at noon this Saturday and go until 10 p.m., all at 700 N. Ashland.

Pop-Up Schedule:
Bill Kim of Urbanbelly and Belly Shack (noon-2 p.m.)
Michael Carlson of Schwa (2:30-4:30 p.m.)
Justin Large of Big Star (5-7 p.m.)
Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat (7:30-9:30 p.m.)

Several of our staple trucks will be present (Bergstein’s Deli, Flirty Cupcakes, Haute Sausage, Southern Mac, Starfruit Café, Sweet Miss Giving’s, Sweet Ride Chicago and Tamalespaceship) as well as some hard-to-find and stationary trucks (Hummingbird Kitchen, La Isla Café, Wagyu Wagon).

What’s the biggest draw for you: getting grub from our staple trucks, the chefs’ pop-up restaurants, or finally nailing down those hard-to-find trucks?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for more updates and exclusive info about Chicago food trucks!