New Tacoma food trucks: Arnold’s Happy Days and Curbside Urban Cuisine
Just in time for this sunny stretch of weather we’re (allegedly) about to get — brand new food trucks. Take a look at what’s happening with restaurants on wheels around Tacoma.
ARNOLD’S HAPPY DAYS BURGER TRUCK
Info: arnoldshappydays.com.
A retro-themed burger truck called Arnold’s Happy Days will debut with a ’50s theme party at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday (April 18-19) at Tacoma Alliance Church, 2401 S. Orchard St., Tacoma. The party starts at 11, burgers will be served from noon to 2 p.m.
The burger truck is operated by Donna Gross and her fiance, David Arnold, for whom the truck is named. They’ve both had long careers in the food industry, but this is their first restaurant, mobile or otherwise. They’ll keep their day jobs for now and operate the truck on a part-time basis.
They’ll appear the first Saturday of every month at Griot’s Garage, but also will pop up at festivals, such as Taste of Tacoma and the July 19 Wright Park mobile food meetup.
The truck menu is burger-centered with single and double burgers with or without cheese, and a vegetarian burger. They’ll also feature specialty burgers, including the house burger made with barbecue sauce, bacon, deep fried onions, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. The menu also includes fries, a hot dog and soup made by Arnold.
Burgers are built on buns from Franz Bakery and dressed with leaf iceberg lettuce, American cheese and Thousand Island dressing “with a tweak.” Gross described their burgers as old-fashioned roadside stand burgers.
CURBSIDE URBAN CUISINE
Info: Facebook
Curbside Urban Cuisine, the food truck from the culinary arts students at Bates Community College, had a short opening before spring break and plans to open for business full time Monday (April 20) at the college’s south campus on 78th Street.
The truck’s opening coincides with a two-quarter program at Bates that will train fledgling chefs to operate a mobile food business. Students will make and serve the food.
Food truck instructor Richard Houle described a menu in the $5-$6 range with a burger, pulled pork sandwich, chicken wrap and specials list that mobile food service students will help design. Houle said students will graduate from the two-month Bates program with all the knowledge they need to open their own trucks.
The truck will serve from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.
Follow the truck’s progress at twitter.com/batescurbside.
IT’S ALL GOOD COFFEE DELIVERY
Info: Facebook or itsallgoodcoffeedelivery.com
This one’s not new, but worth mentioning. For about a year, Shawn and Angie Foote have operated their It’s All Good coffee delivery truck. Said Shawn via email, “We serve coffee drinks (carrying almost any flavor you can think of) as well as fresh fruit smoothies made with mostly organic ingredients. We offer snacks, sodas, kombucha, water and tea. We have a regular route Monday through Friday and do events on weekends. The route takes the truck on a loop from Fife, Puyallup, Spanaway to Tacoma.”
READ MORE ABOUT FOOD TRUCKS:
Find my guide to all of the South Sound’s food trucks here.
Read about new trucks The Galley and Hometown Dogs here.
Lumpia World, the truck, is expanding to another stationary restaurant.
This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 5:36 PM with the headline "New Tacoma food trucks: Arnold’s Happy Days and Curbside Urban Cuisine ."