From Steak ‘n Shake to Noodle Fun, there always seems to be a food truck for students at any given concourse intersection
The placement of food trucks is not mere coincidence, but rather due to intensive research and student feedback that Tiger Dining receives.
Glenn Loughridge, director of Tiger Dining, said it’s an intricate process figuring out how to organize the food trucks from week to week.
Tiger Dining tries to place food trucks in places with higher traffic, such as on Thach Concourse and in front of Tichenor Hall. This provides students an easy and quick way to get food in between classes that is not too far out of their way.
“Places like Thach and Tichenor are high-traffic spots,” Loughridge said. “The Roosevelt concourse, as well. Those are the most popular spots for a food truck operator.”
All the food trucks circulate to different spots on campus except for Steak ‘n Shake and Starbucks.
Loughridge said that Auburn University owns the Starbucks truck, meaning that it will always be in the same spot near the Science Building.
However, Loughridge added that Steak ‘n Shake is a leased truck that will be given back when the permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant is put in the Student Center.
Steak ‘n Shake is currently in a food truck because Tiger Dining is waiting until they have the manpower to build the permanent location in the Student Center. The plan is for it to take Papa John’s place.
When bringing new food trucks on campus, the food truck owner typically comes to Tiger Dining first. Then, Tiger Dining decides whether or not the truck offers what they are missing at the University.
“We can find someone that fits a need, we plug them in, and then we have an instant restaurant for students,” Loughridge said. “Food trucks have such a friendly environment since it is outdoors, and we know our students typically are out on the concourse and in that general area.”
Loughridge believes that food trucks are a great way to try new things and that they offer a wide variety of food to students.
He also added that Tiger Dining takes student suggestions into consideration.
“We’re constantly talking to students,” Loughridge said. “My job, and one of the things I really enjoy, is talking to students and hearing their opinions on things. I also talk to the dining director for SGA, who I interact with a lot.”
In fact, the Crepe Myrtle Cafe and the Amsterdam Cafe trucks were brought onto campus based on student suggestion.
According to Loughridge, the food trucks bring in about $11,000 to $12,000 each day in sales, which is about 10 percent of the total revenue on campus.
“Based on revenue, our most popular food truck is Amsterdam Cafe, but by numbers, Steak ‘n Shake is the most popular,” Loughridge said. “However, none of our food trucks are doing poorly. All of them are doing very well this year.”
Loughridge believes that there is always room to improve what they offer for students since there is always new food rising in popularity that could satisfy students more.
“Being able to find ways to serve students and give them the most normal experience is such a cool thing we get to do at Tiger Dining,” Loughridge said. “We’re here to take care of students, and we want them to walk in here if they are having trouble so that we can help them.”
If a student has any questions or concerns, the Tiger Dining office is located in Suite 1203 in the Student Center. Tiger Dining also posts every Monday where each food truck will be throughout the week.
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