A Food Truck Forward Weekend in Kansas City 

Kansas City is probably best known for its barbeque. It would be fair to assume that Kansas City has nothing else to offer given the amount of chatter and enthusiasm the city has for BBQ. In fact, Kansas City has quite a lot to offer and has been voted one of the best Midwest Cities to visit. From music to art to architecture – Kansas City is sure to surprise and impress! KC is an eclectic mix of jazz clubs, boutique hotels, museums, and delicious restaurants that reach far beyond just BBQ. You’ll come to find that Kansas City is anything but a drive-by city. Remember the streetcar is 100% free and completes a 2-mile route through the city’s downtown, including the entertainment, arts, and hotel districts. It runs every 10 to 15 minutes, seven days a week. 

Friday – All about the music: 

While jazz was born in New Orleans, Kansas city likes to say that it grew up here. It was here that jazz evolved from a big-band style to more of a musical improvisation. In 2017, it was designated a Creative City by UNESCO for its contributions to music. 

Your first stop after arriving in the city on a Friday afternoon is to The American Jazz Museum in the historic 18th and Vine district of Kansas City. The museum strives to preserve and celebrate the history of American jazz music. There are exhibits dedicated to the greats: Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and more.

After you’ve thoroughly enjoyed your trip to the museum head over to the nearby memorial commemorating the legendary jazz artist Charlie “Bird” Parker. He was a major part of the Kansas City jazz scene and culture. If you’ve worked up an appetite, go grab lunch and a drink at one of the many restaurants in the 18th and Vine district including Smaxx, Soiree, and Kansas City Juke House. 

Next, head over to Friday Night Sound Bites: KC Groove Therapy. The event is held every Friday from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The Public market has live music and local food trucks on a rotating basis out on their patio every Friday night. Local bands switch every week and will help locals and visitors alike relax as you move into the weekend. To top it all off, admission is free! 

Saturday – all about the food and drinks: 

We would encourage you to sleep on your Saturday morning. Whenever you are good and ready, head about 25 minutes outside of the city to KC Wine Co. This boutique winery and vineyard serves up Food Trucks & Fun every Saturday from 12-9pm. There is live music in the evenings, tours of the winery and vineyard, wine tastings, and yard games!

And what could be better than… drumroll please… many many food trucks! From KC favorites, including multiple BBQ vendors to cajun food, Korean fusion and much much more – you’ll be muching and sipping to your heart’s content in the most scenic of settings all day long! 

Sunday – All about the art: 

We recommend starting your day off around 9:00 am with your favorite morning beverage and pastry from one of the many boutique coffee shops in Country Club Plaza. The Plaza is known for being home to some of the best galleries, architecture, and art in the city. While walking through the Plaza area, make sure to stop along the way to admire the many fountains and mosaics. Fun fact – Kansas City is second to Rome for its number of fountains per capita. The Plaza area also houses two of the city’s best museums. 

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art not only has free admission every day, but also has a massive collection of art from all over the world, including a rotation of unique and visually stunning exhibits. The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art greets you with a four-story spider statue out front. It is a more intimate collection of modern sculptures, paintings, films, and installations. Pick your choice between one of the two museums and enjoy some of the best art in the Midwest.

Then, head over to historic Pendleton Heights, minutes from Downtown KC. From 11 am – 4 pm Art Garden KC, a free weekly festival, showcases works from multi-talented Kansas City artists. There are Food Trucks (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), local Brews, free activities for adults and children, and live art demos. 

End the day at Union Station. Today, Union Station still serves Amtrak trains, but it also houses classic restaurants like Pierpont’s and Harvey’s, live entertainment at City Stage Theater, a planetarium, a science center, and more. While visiting, be sure to also check out the massive chandeliers, 95-foot ceiling, and six-foot-wide-clock in the Grand Hall.

Whether you are in Kansas City or one of Truckster’s other 12 cities, make sure to check the app often to find a delicious food truck near you. From event catering to a quick lunch – Food Trucks can fit just about every need, and Truckster is here to make it easy.

From warm weather year round, white sand beaches, and a tropical feel to rich culture, historical significance, and the lap of luxury – Miami has something to offer all couples searching for the wedding venue of their dreams. One unique feature to the Miami wedding scene is a venue that allows you to choose your own vendors is pretty hard to come by. For brides and grooms looking for a unique experience with personal touches, open vendor venues are a perfect option. Whether you’ve found the perfect florist, DJ, or caterer (we’d like to recommend food trucks for a super cool culinary celebration) – these venues allow you to work with whoever you want to accomplish your bridal vision

Wedding season is quickly approaching! wether you got engaged on Valentine’s day or are a few years out from planning your special day these venues offer the best the rocky mountain has to offer (including the option to have food trucks)!

Bread Bar

• Bread Bar is the venue of your Tumblr aesthetic dreams! An hour away from Denver, this quaint venue is an operational bar in Silver Plume, CO that is available to host events. Perfect for intimate celebrations, guests can entertain on the back porch or elect for a tent rental on the property for a sit down dinner. You can’t beat this ambiance!
  • Photo cred Darla Dines

Freight 

• If you love history and rustic charm, Freight is the venue for you! This train depot was built in 1884 in Leadville, CO and has since been updated into a wedding venue that is pet friendly – yep, your pups can join the festivities! With gorgeous mountain views only steps away, Freight embodies everything you love about small mountain towns!
  • Photo cred Freight

Piney River Ranch

• Dreaming of a picturesque lakefront mountain backdrop for your wedding? Ding ding! Piney River Ranch is the winner for you! Nestled outside of Vail, CO, this breathtaking ranch is a fairy-tale location for your mountain wedding! And maybe you’ll be as lucky as us, and have a moose attend your event!
  • Photo cred Piney River Ranch

Blackstone River Ranch

• Only forty minutes outside of Denver, Blackstone Rivers Ranch feels like a secluded paradise in Idaho Springs, CO. A charming outdoor area with a fire pit is steps away from the ceremony site next to a babbling brook. This quaint venue is a wonderful place to tie the knot – and dance the night away!
  • Photo cred Roe Photography

Velveteen

• The Velveteen is freshly opened so we have not had a chance to visit yet but this is maybe our most anticipated new venue in Colorado! While Salida, CO is known for its outdoor adventure culture, this hip new spot embodies retro vibes perfect for your mod intimate wedding or elopement after party! 
•  Photo cred velveteen

Top Of The Pines

• Top of the Pines offers perhaps the most stunning 360 degree views for an outdoor event. Close to Ouray, Ridgway, and Telluride, CO, this 175-acre wilderness open space features all the hiking activities your heart desires – and disc golf! Camp onsite or stay in town but this gorgeous space is a destination worth the trip.
  • Photo cred top of the pines

Mountain Wedding Garden

This charming Crested Butte venue is a romantic option for laid-back couples. If you want the sweetest ceremony garden with breathtaking views of the Elk Mountains, Mountain Wedding Garden is your first  wedding choice!

La Joya Dulce

• Dreaming of a weekend wedding in Steamboat Springs, CO? La Joya Dulce is a scenic ranch with beautiful ceremony sites, rustic barn or modern pavilion reception areas, horses for photo ops, AND a 1939 Jaguar SS Convertible. 
  • Photo cred  la joya dulce

Three Peaks Ranch

• Three Peaks Ranch is the perfect blend of modern industrial space and scenic ranch vibes. With farmhouse cabins available, this Westcliffe, CO venue is a great option for a weekend wedding getaway! 
  • Photo cred three peaks ranch

You booked a food truck to cater your event, yay! But now you’re concerned that people may be stuck in line instead of mingling, dancing, enjoying overall merriment. Fear not! We have several tips on how to feed your guests faster and avoid lines at food truck catered events!

Limit the menu options

Limiting the menu can drastically reduce ticket times. Choose your favorite 2-5 menu items (or ask the truck which items they suggest) to cut down on the decision factor and help trucks expedite food faster. 

Buffet setup

Instead of a typical ordering service, have your truck set up a partial or full buffet of food options. This ensures fast service and also puts some of the work on the guests, which makes the time going through the buffet more entertaining than simply waiting to be served. If you’re looking for extra speedy service, you can consider a double-sided buffet as well.

Individually pre-packaged meals

This has become more common to adhere with various COVID restrictions and allows trucks to quickly pass out meals to guests. We recommend ordering a certain amount of each meal, or be prepared to purchase a few extra meals than number of guests attending so that one option doesn’t run out.

Control the flow of people

Send people for food in intervals to avoid a crowd overwhelming your truck all at once. 

Bonus tip : Use songs as table numbers and have guests approach the truck when their song is played! 

Add another truck

This will increase the cost, but could make the event run more smoothly and provide a variety of options to your guests.

Other questions about how to avoid lines at food truck catered events or other food trucks related questions? This is what we do. Contact us directly or submit a general catering request to get started

Think food truck catering means everyone is lined up, waiting for food? Think again! While that is an option, food trucks are well versed in catering experiences from sit down dinners to casual dance parties. Choose which service feels right for your celebration + your guests!

Food Truck Service

Guests go directly to the truck and order off the menu. Trucks have a variety of options and you can choose to offer their full menu or limited options. Expect guests to wait 5-15 minutes as food is prepared to order. This is best for a cocktail style of event and not a seated dinner.

Buffet

A beautiful display of food that can be set up in front of the food truck or on a table elsewhere at your event. This is the fastest service style for a catered event. This option is more difficult to control meal sizes, so expect a slightly higher cost per person. 

Family Style

This is less common for food trucks, but still an option with some truck concepts. Food will be served on large platters across tables for guests to serve themselves. Similar to buffets, expect a slightly higher cost per person to provide ample serving sizes for each table. Depending on the truck, there may be rental fees for dinnerware and serveware. 

Plated Dinner

This is a special request for most food trucks. This option has clear cut food costs but may include additional fees for server staffing and dinnerware rentals. Plated dinners are served as coursed meals and can create an elevated atmosphere.

Plated dinners will typically be the most expensive option, given the staff and training requirements to pull off such a sophisticated event. Many food truck owners have backgrounds in fine dining so this style will not be new to them

The number of guests attending, the amount of time for food service, the style of service, the cuisines you choose, your catering budget and the atmosphere you want to create all have an impact on how many trucks you should hire

Nobody likes a catfish – unless it’s deep-fried or Deleesa from the Circle. In 2017, dating app Bumble launched its photo verification feature to deter catfishing. To promote the new feature, Bumble took to the streets with a bright yellow food truck serving catfish themed dishes. 

Experiential marketing techniques are becoming increasingly popular as companies look for new, memorable ways to engage with their audience. And if it involves delicious food from a food truck, then definitely count us in!

You’re getting married, yay! You’ve started planning your big day and are already overwhelmed with the costs adding up. The biggest wedding day costs are the venue, the attire, the photographer, the decor, and ……the catering

Supply chain issues and hiring challenges are hot topics right now, but do you know how they affect food trucks? Food truck owners hoped for an easier year after 2020’s pandemic, but supply issues, food shortages, unpredictable gas availability and pricing, and hiring complications have led to a whole new set of challenges

Hello from the Truckster World Headquarters (aka our home office covered in paperwork, coffee mugs, and whiteboards with illegible scribbles)!

We are thrilled to announce our First Annual Summer Scavenger Hunt! Time to get out your treasure maps (ahem, Truckster apps) and channel your inner-Nicolas Cage