The Great Food Truck Race is back with new teams of rookies, each hoping to own their own mobile food business. At the foot of the Hollywood sign, Tyler greets the eight new teams, who are excited to begin the journey, which will be the longest one yet at more than 4,000 miles.
Introducing the Food Truck Teams
Competing this season are Boardwalk Breakfast Empire, The Frankfoota Truck, Philly's Finest Sambonis, Aloha Plate, Tikka Tikka Taco, The Slide Show, Bowled and Beautiful, and Murphy's Spud Truck. By the end of the cross-country race, only one team will win $50,000 in prize money and get to keep their food truck.
Unveiling the Dream
Before the race begins, the teams get to see their new specially designed trucks for the first time. Mo, Das and Ahren of The Slide Show, a food truck that specializes in sliders, can't wait to get inside. Tyler has stocked each truck with kitchen equipment — one less thing to worry about purchasing.
Something to Get You Going
Tyler hands out $250 toward buying paper goods, supplies, food and anything else the teams will need to operate their food trucks in the first week. The teams realize it will be a challenge to stay on budget and make the most out of the seed money.
Creating a Signature Worth Selling
For the first challenge, the teams will be starting in Beverly Hills — not Los Angeles, as many of them had assumed. But it won't be an easy sell: The teams will have to create a single signature dish and price it at $20 or more. As Tyler says, "The good news is some people in Beverly Hills are willing to pay $20 or more for a hamburger, but the bad news is they expect their money's worth out of that hamburger."
Dishing Out Success in a Bowl
While most of the teams are having trouble getting sales going in Beverly Hills, the ladies of Bowled and Beautiful have no problem at all dishing out their California cuisine. The location was ideal for their food truck concept, which combines fresh, flavorful and healthy ingredients in a single bowl.
On a Selling Spree
Finding a great spot to sell from, Erik and Joe of Philly's Finest Sambonis were surprised that people were willing to pay $20 for a Philly cheese steak, but they weren't complaining. The Frankfoota girls took up a spot next to them, hoping for similar success, but before they could get a groove going, Tyler called the teams with the first Speed Bump, which would move the teams to San Francisco. The catch was that the teams would leave one by one in 15-minute increments based on their profits so far.
Late to the Game
After Murphy's Spud Truck fell behind in Beverly Hills because of getting lost in the hills, Suellen, Nicole and James were determined not to let the same thing happen twice, so they planned better in San Francisco, buying their food and supplies quickly. But another problem would prevent them from selling on time again: lighting the pilot light of their griddle.
Calling All Customers
Adam from Aloha Plate makes use of a megaphone to draw in customers to buy his team's Hawaiian dishes. Luckily in San Francisco the teams were allowed to sell any dish they pleased, but they all had to do it at the SOMA Streatfood Park, which meant facing competition from their fellow teams as well as from the city's well-established food truck businesses.
Triumphant Tacos
Sam and Michael of Tikka Tikka Taco are glad to see a huge line forming for their Indian-fusion creations. Like Philly's Finest Sambonis, they don't seem to be having any problem at all bringing in customers.
Underdogs for Sale
After arriving in San Francisco in last place, 1 hour and 15 minutes behind the other teams, the girls of The Frankfoota Truck were determined to turn sales around. To draw in customers, Dana and Mirlinda put on a parade, walking around the park offering a dish they call, appropriately enough, The Underdog.
When the Selling Gets Slow
Nearing the end of the day in San Francisco, Joanne and Ilene of Boardwalk Breakfast Empire decide there's no reason to hold back, so they put in a final push. They venture out among the crowd to sell their remaining grilled sandwiches, even if it means stealing potential customers from the other teams.
Delivering the Final Results
Tyler explains that this was one of the most demanding opening weeks yet on the show. The good news is that the eight teams exceeded expectation, making a profit totaling more than $7,000. But the bad news is one team will have to leave the competition right on the spot.
First Place for Philly
Philly's Finest Sambonis comes in first with a total of $1,321, a testament to the team's consistency in both city locations. Their determination to win came through this week. As Erik says, "It's not an option for me to not take this truck home."
Murphy's Spud Leaves the Race
Murphy's Spud Truck came in $66 behind The Frankfoota Truck, putting them in last place. It was all because they weren't able to turn on the gas and cook their planned dish. As Tyler put it, "You guys just didn't try hard enough to get your propane flowing — it was one simple valve." With that, the team left the race and Nicole lamented not showing the world the food she could make. Read the team's exit interview on FN Dish.
More from The Great Food Truck Race
Get the latest on the race with exclusive behind-the-scenes content and exit interviews from the eliminated trucks on FN Dish.
