New York City has DessertTruck Works. Austin, Texas, has the Queso Monster Truck. Gainesville had Annabelle.
Cities all over the U.S. have become a part of the food truck trend, and while Gainesville residents had the last 10 months to enjoy the trend, that time is over.
Chow Now Food Truck, the mobile eatery also known as Annabelle, named after a long-time employee for White Apron Catering Company, officially closed today with parting words from owner Jules Gollner on Gainesville's Lunch Out Blog. In what she called an obituary, Gollner thanked her contributors for their continued support and announced that the Starke Bikefest, held Aug. 26-28, was the truck's last official lunch stop.
Gollner, who also owns White Apron Catering, cited many reasons for the close, including everything from parking and permit issues to a loss of customers due to the recession. She also emphasized putting more time into her catering business.
"She (Annabelle) was a lot of fun, I can tell you that," Gollner said. "She was a load of fun, but we cater also, and I love the catering. It really hit home with me, and I don't want to work everyday. I don't have to."
The truck made scheduled lunchtime visits around the city every week to locations such as the Northwest Industrial Park, Progress Corporate Park and Emerson Alumni Hall.
With a regular menu of salads, sandwiches and flatbreads as well as daily specials including dishes like jerk chicken, crab cakes and meatloaf, the truck made occasional visits to other locations as well. However, Gollner said she had difficulty reaching one of the largest consumer groups in Gainesville, the student population, because of university regulations.
Aramark, the UF food service provider, has complete oversight of all eating establishments on the campus, resulting in a ban of outside food vendors.
"Some of my clients work at the Sports Medicine Institute, and they asked me to come park there for lunch," Gollner said. "I was there two Thursdays and UF called me and said, ‘Jules, you know you're not allowed to park there.' I said, ‘I know, I'll go quietly.'"
Since then, the owner of the Chow Now Food Truck has steered clear of the college campus.
Gollner said she gave the food truck business her best shot, but Gainesville is too small of a city to keep up with the trend. After months of setbacks, she decided she'd had enough.
"I am very glad I did it," Gollner said. "She was a lot of fun to put together, and we had a lot of fun with her, but it's not worth the effort. You have to know when to pull the plug."
