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[Tellemurius]

Could you imagine getting people to try eating scrambled eggs with chopsticks? Dohohohoho...

ol god i would get bad reviews just laughing at my customers for the feebleness of can't use a chopstick.

Oh, yeah, about the Mormon stuff. I'd stay away from Serpent imagery. How about replacing it with a dragon?

Im not chinese and the dragon is overused, also its a work in progress still (open for anything, hell ill give credit, name a item for yea, even give free meals if you happen to float by me)

[MaximumZero]

"Year of the Wheel"?

[Tellemurius]

"Year of the Wheel"?

wut? i hope my customers would realize i would be promoting the year cavemen discovered the wheel at least.

[Max White]

Couldn't you use a giant lizard? They are native to Japan, right?

[Tellemurius]

Couldn't you use a giant lizard? They are native to Japan, right?

In the region i guess, Marine Iguanas.

[klingon13524]

Let's combine all the ideas in the thread... Asian Bourbon breakfast chicken bagels, brought to you by year of the serpent dragon Marine.

[Tellemurius]

Let's combine all the ideas in the thread... Asian Bourbon breakfast chicken bagels, brought to you by year of the serpent dragon Marine.

i...... dunno........ what the hell can happen....... i could create the best meal....... or i destroy my taste buds......

[nenjin]

Given that you're in Utah, I don't know if rolling Asian Teppenyaki Grill or breakfast bagels is the best choice. I mean, you never know, there could always be an untapped market for stuff like that, but it seems more like Urban fare.

I'd think about a Southwest Breakfast Grille, at least to start with.

Ideally, it'd be fun to do anything that strikes you. Make your rolling restaurant have a monthly menu. But that requires making a name for yourself first, so you need to start with something that either a) really grabs people with its uniqueness or b) gives them what they already like better/faster than anyone else.

To me, rolling restaurants have to rise above burgers and hot dogs for me to risk them. (Unless they're like, gourmet about it where they make their own bread and sausage, or something.) So yeah. Southwest is not burgers and dogs, readily identifiable with people, easy to make, easy to spice up, can be culture blended and works with breakfast or dinner.

Anyways, good luck to you. My brother has been talking about starting a rolling restaurant for a while, I've always wanted him to try it. Also, remember your costs. It's tempting to buy really good ingredients so you put out really good food, but the cost can kill you. Which is what leads a lot of restaurants down the dark path of the Microwave and the Brand Name. Me, my family and most of my friends are all former or current line cooks, so I can empathize.

[Tellemurius]

Lol a rolling Microwave, i would be famous

[nenjin]

I look at this way. If a restaurant serves me a steak or a baked potato covered in Cheese Whiz, that's something I can make at home and don't really feel like paying any more than cost for.

If a restaurant serves me a steak or baked potato covered in a cheese sauce they made fresh that morning, from fresh cheese and dairy, that's something I'll pay labor on. Having worked in a lot of restaurants, you learn that a lot of what you're served is made from shit you buy at the grocery store.

[Tellemurius]

Indeed, maybe thats why chinese food is popular no white guy can make it right

[Sensei]

Make eggs/pancakes/french toast? All of those can be done pretty easy with a pan and a gas burner I think.

Alternatively, make burgers like everybody else. Distribute to customers via compressed air cannon.

...can you MIG weld? It would be a good idea to set up some fixtures for your grill and vehicle.

[Tellemurius]

I try to kill people with consuming good food not nailing them with a flying burger.

[nenjin]

Indeed, maybe thats why chinese food is popular no white guy can make it right

Mostly because people don't take the time to find the sauces and ingredients to seal the deal. They aren't going to buy fish sauce ect... to make Chinese for one night. Plus, Chinese food more than other food has some involved cooking processes. Not many western recipes call for stuff like steaming dumplings in cloth, nor do people have the patience to try it. Same way with stir fry. Real stir fry requires a pan and oil that's so hot it's almost burning. Not many people have a wok or the desire the cook that way. So they end up with saute instead of stir fry. Or pan-fried instead of deep-friend. (Since most people cooking at home aren't going to use half a quart of oil to cook one thing.)

My mom is like the master of taking a culture classic and trying to take short cuts. Like, if it calls for an ingredient and there's a western analog, it must be fine to substitute. It's not.

[RedKing]

Indeed, maybe thats why chinese food is popular no white guy can make it right

*Ahem*. 

My chao fan brings all the boys to the yard.


But seriously, you do need to consider the demographics. If you're in Salt Lake City or Provo, there's probably a decent Samoan population so Asian food is a possibility. If you're in a smaller town, it might be Whitey Whiteville. And yeah, ethnic food can be hilarious fail if the area's not cosmopolitan enough. When I was growing up (in semi-rural North Carolina in the 1980's), *spaghetti* was considered "ethnic". We had maybe two Mexican restaurants period and a handful of Italian places, and I think maybe one Chinese place.

But by the same token, it can also mean no competition. If you're the only gig in town for a certain type of food, and you're not exactly catering to world travellers, then they're not going to know if you're the real deal or not.

I like the suggestion nenjin made about seeing what's available in terms of fresh, local ingredients. The locovore movement is a big thing down here, and I think there's even some food trucks whose main selling point is "Most of our ingredients are local, we can tell you what farm the meat came from, the cheese, the milk, the eggs, etc." Some people are quite willing to pay a premium for that, and most people will tell you that it tastes better (even if that's just a psychological effect).

A breakfast truck with fresh fruit, omelets, pancakes, etc. and local ingredients could be a winning item. You could call it "Breakfast Elevated" (to play off the state slogan). If you're not above pandering, you could even certify items as "Mormon Kosher".