Romeoville Students Learn About Food Trucks

Submitted by Valley View School District 365U

Photo: Lukancic 8th graders await their turn to check out the behind-the-scenes operations of the Toasty Cheese food truck. Officials from the gourmet grilled cheese operation visited with Family and Consumer Sciences classes at the Romeoville middle school Thursday.

Following a classroom assignment in which they created a plan to operate their own food trucks, 8th graders in Lukancic Middle School’s Family and Consumer Sciences classes heard first-hand about actual food truck operations from a “mobile eatery” operator Thursday.

“We saw our opportunity because the suburban market was relatively untouched,” Toasty Cheese food truck Director of Catering Caitlin Ritzema told Allison Kucharski’s FACS2 students. “There are only about 30 food trucks based in the suburbs. Therefore we have a lot of places we can visit.”

Ritzema provided an inside look at what it takes to operate the privately-held company that employs anywhere from 12 to 30 people (depending on the time of the year) and operates two food trucks as well as a commercial kitchen in suburban Chicago.

Ritzema detailed the gourmet grilled cheese company’s marketing strategy which relies heavily on social media.

“We found Facebook was our most popular social media market,” she said, adding Toasty Cheese also uses Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. “This is how the word gets out.”

To be successful, she said, you need to be unique and make sure people know your brand. Positive interactions with customers are critical.

Teamwork is key as well.

“We have lots of moving parts. Every single role is essential,” Ritzema said. “We want to make sure our team is fun and interacts with people because they’re on display. In most kitchens, the cook is closed off. You don’t get to see them. In a food truck, you see everyone in the kitchen.”

Students also learned that health department regulations require restaurant and food trucks to make their food in a commercial kitchen.

“You can’t do that in your house and then roll out your truck,” she said.

Following her presentation, students toured the Toasty Cheese food truck which was on site serving its 12 signature sandwiches, six different types of French fries, two soups and desserts to staff at both Lukancic and Beverly Skoff Elementary School.