In my previous review, Food Truck Thursday: The Food, I talked about all the great food that my friends and I ate. However, there was so much more to this event than the food.
Lots of people at Food Truck Thursday! The crowd got much thicker than this, but was never too overwhelming.
We thoroughly enjoyed the scene at Food Truck Thursday. Ethyl’s patio was a really comfortable setting in which to sprawl out with food and really good drinks. I ordered the Kush, a frozen lemonade and blueberry drink, and it was as pretty as it was delicious. I waited for my friends to arrive and watched people and trucks trickle into the parking lot. There were a lot of people who had arrived early too; maybe they read about all of the food going quickly too?
Ethyl’s
The staff at Ethyl’s was very attentive and equally as friendly. The patio was big enough to handle such a large crowd; the tables had plenty of space between one another so you weren’t clanking chairs with your neighbor. There were at least 4 servers who waited on us while we were there. However, as the event got rolling, it our drinks took longer and longer to get to our table after ordering. At one point, it took so long for the drink to arrive that it was on the house. Though the patio was well-staffed, it seems as though the bar wasn’t. We didn’t mind too much since we were not in any hurry, but it is something to consider if you’re trying to decide between grabbing a table on the patio or one of the high-tops in the middle of the trucks.
The Vibe
The music added to experience, really making it feel like a party. The families with kids seemed to be enjoying the event as much as the group of single stag smoking and swirling glasses of wine as they dined. The music got louder as the night went on. We had anticipated staying for only an hour, but found ourselves still hanging out come the end of the event. The trucks lingered too; they didn’t start to file out until around 9:15ish.
The Vendors
The vendors themselves were just as sociable. We were talking to the fun Haute Sausage guys, asking for recommendations and asking what was in certain things. At one point they even told me, step-by-step, exactly how to make their same potato chips at home. That was pretty sweet. The vendors seemed unaffected by the boisterous crowd and long lines awaiting their service, even when people asked questions or paid with credit card. Their customer service was impressive whether they had 2 or 20 people queued up for their food.
The reviews about food going fast were right; when we got up to get Round 2 of food, a lot of the vendors had sold out of several items. They all said that the items that run out first change every night, it just depends on the crowd’s taste that night. To me, that’s an indication that there aren’t any menu duds, so it may not be that crucial to arrive early unless you want a full selection or have your heart set on trying a certain food.
Our Experience
Food Truck Thursday exceded our expectations. It was a full-blown, well-rounded event. We definitely recommend getting there early if you plan to stay for a while or want the trucks’ full menus to be available to you, but if you can’t make it at 6:00 it is most certainly worth your while to come at any time. We’ll definitely be back again!
