The last two years have been a whirlwind for us as a company and naturally for our team members and partners as well. That being said, you haven't heard as much from us on our blog and until recently our social channels were quieter than normal. 

With an extremely busy 2021 and first half of 2022 it's been a lot of fun and a lot of work. So midway through June, the team embarked on a one day retreat for fun and relaxation. 

No work, just good times with our team. It was a blast. We encourage you all to to also engage your teams in such outings. We're extremely thankful we get to engage with so many customers in helping them to appreciate their team members. Thank you for your business and support over the last two years. 

Did you know that we have Food Truck Rallies in 4 different locations? Every month we host a Rally in Riverview, Lakeland and Plant City. We also offer a Rally in Fishhawk once every quarter!

2020 is even more exciting because all of our Food Truck Rallies are themed! Here’s the list of our themes for the first half of the year:

• January – Break Your Resolution
• February – Celebrate your true love… CHOCOLATE!
• March – Suicide & Mental Health Awareness/Prevention - Portion of our sales will be donated back to a local nonprofit
• April – Wing Fest
• May – Cheese Fest
• June – Summer Cookout (BBQ/Summer Grilling)

As always, be sure that you’re following us on social media where we will be hosting fun giveaways and sharing all the latest news. Cheers!

Can you believe it?! The holidays are here already and 2019 is quickly coming to an end!

We just wanted to take a moment to thank each one of you (both our clients and food truck family) for all the support that you have shown us. We have had the opportunity to work with some truly amazing people and we are so excited to see what 2020 brings.

Happy Holidays from our team to yours!

What draws people to rallies and different food truck events? It’s the food of course! Most importantly, it’s the variety. As the food truck industry continues to grow, there is a need to expand into different culinary genres in order to offer an even more diverse and original variety of dishes!

We are constantly researching and monitoring what cuisine options are working and what is not. We wanted to share our findings to help your truck become a contributing partner in the growth of the food truck scene here in Tampa!

Here are the top 10 Food Trucks that the Tampa Bay Area needs to see more of:

• Middle Eastern
• Wings
• Indian
• Chinese
• Thai
• Mexican
• Seafood
• Churros
• Empanadas
• Poke Bowl

Here are the top 3 that are already saturated in the market:

• BBQ
• Shaved/Italian ice
• Cheesesteaks

You can go anywhere to get average food, and that’s why we suggest branching out of your comfort zone and trying something new. Tampa is exploding with diversity and flavor, and that’s what is performing best right now! The trucks we work with are a collection of different local eateries that reflect their favorite family recipes as well as new, fun trends that are happening in the foodie world.

If you ever need help or consulting starting your brand, you can check out our seminar on how to start a food truck or even engage us to develop your branding down to truck name and menu items. Our Chief Eating Officer, Michael Blasco has been in the food truck scene since 2011. For a full list of our services, click here.

Looking for some inspiration on how to best recognize your employees’ hard work? Ask yourself one question: what’s the best way to warm their hearts?

By filling their stomachs of course! Employee appreciation parties and events are a great way to increase morale by reducing stress, giving everyone a chance to get to know each other outside of the traditional context, and fostering a happier company culture and sense of community. Whether you are looking to hold an event on site or at a different location, corporate events are a surefire way to boost employee morale and spirit. As you plan your next event think about some of the following themed parties:

1. Host a food tasting
   
   What's the best way to expose your employees to new food they haven’t tried before? A food tasting! Eliminate order envy by allowing everyone to sample a variety of offerings, instead of settling on a singular meal. Food trucks have the ability to serve a selection of appetizers/small plates or half meals, with a specific amount budgeted out per person. This gives your employees the option of trying multiple menu items without breaking the bank. Food tastings can be themed, for example a tasting of world cuisines, or maybe even just one cuisine with different types of food ranging from small savory bites to desserts from a particular region.
   
   

2. Sports watch party (football, baseball, soccer)
   
   Invite your employees to bring their favorite jerseys for a sports themed night. Events may be planned to take place the same date or time as a local football or baseball game, or just as a “spirit day.” Research some trivia and post it around the office while you have food trucks outside to cook up some game day grub. Popular food truck cuisines for sports events include fries, hamburgers, grilled cheese, cheesesteaks, hot dogs, and more! Another optional add-on is to set up ice buckets for beer or hire bar service. Tampa Bay Food Trucks can provide this service!
   
   

3. Throw a desserts-only bash
   
   Donuts, ice cream, milkshakes, churros, Italian ice, cheesecake on a stick, cupcakes, and the list goes on. Whether you choose to display a wall of donuts (one of our clients used powdered and regular donuts on a peg wall to make a “50” to celebrate 50 years of business), order directly from the trucks, or set up a buffet of different delicacies, you can’t go wrong with dessert. Food trucks bring a unique experience and desserts are freshly prepared on the spot. Bringing in local street food is a sweet surprise, and ups the ante from a traditional potluck.
   
   

4. Throw down Oktoberfest style
   
   Pair this fest with food trucks who can produce German food such as kielbasa. Think cuisine such as bratwurst, pretzels, sauerkraut, french fries, brisket, and/or meatballs. You can create your own beer garden (biergarten!) on site, or take a field trip to a local brewery. We have partnerships with several local breweries, and can arrange to have the food truck meet you on site. If you’re looking to avoid alcohol, serve root beer or craft sodas instead with custom labels to enjoy with your meal.
   
   

5. Take a trip to the diner with retro milkshakes and burgers
   
   Find some poodle skirts and leather jackets at the thrift store - because we’re heading back in time to the 50’s! Serve Coca Cola in glass bottles, and set up an area with a projector to play an old movie, drive-in style. Really get your employees in the retro mindset by playing intermission snack bar commercials so they have time to refill their drinks and grab some additional food. You can even step up your party’s game with a DJ (or mobile DJ Truck) and a dance floor (which you can find at many businesses for rent including here). Really want to invest in this theme? Hire some guys and girls to serve on roller skates!
   
   

6. Have an 80’s themed party
   
   Ask your employees to dress up in their craziest outfits for this day. Hand out fingerless mesh gloves, and have a bucket of glow sticks at the ready. This is another great party to set up a photo booth area with props such as PacMen, logos (MTV, ATARI), and Rubik’s cube images on sticks for people to hold up. Utilize bright neon balloons, VHS tapes and cassettes from the thrift store, party lighting, and slinkies to hang from the ceiling as decorations. This is another event where the mobile DJ truck comes in handy - prepare with a list of your favorite 80’s hits. Seek out some vintage games like PacMan and Space Invaders for entertainment for those who are a bit shy about busting out dance moves.
   
   

7. Breakfast for dinner
   
   Breakfast food is too tasty to be limited to mornings only! Switch up a traditional catering with donuts, crepes, waffles, yogurt parfaits, chocolate covered strawberries, and/or mini quiches. These events are best held in open air, or in an area with abundant natural lighting. Service options can include ordering and serving directly from a food truck, having employees grab their food in a buffet line, or having butler service.
   
   

8. Chuckwagon Hoedown
   
   Grab some bandanas, and tell your employees to bring their cowboy boots because we’re having a hoedown! Get a BBQ and/or a burger truck (a “chuckwagon!”) to serve your crew. Menu options can include baked beans, macaroni and cheese, fries, burgers, hot dogs, green beans, corn bread, pound cake, lemonade, corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw, the list goes on! For dessert, serve up some pies, and chocolate chip cookies to complement the country-style spread. For venues, consider parks, campgrounds, or local farmland as a nice backdrop and change of scenery. Check out YouTube for some line dancing tutorials or hire someone to teach your employees to dance along to the music!
   
   

Open Fire Grilled Brazilian is headed by Chef Cesar, a world renown meat consultant for Brazilian style foods. Chef Cesar was born and raised in South Brazil. As a young boy Cesar would help his family on the farm butchering cattle and preparing the meat to be cooked. Soon he found himself working at the largest Brazilian Steakhouse Porcao at the young age of 19 and deemed the title "Master Meat Chef" where he was given the responsibility of consulting. With this position he went on to consult and start several Brazilian steakhouses in places like Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany.

Fast forward to 10 years later Cesar was offered to come to the United States by Porcao and open the first Brazilian steakhouse in Miami, Florida. Chef Cesar soon went on to expand the business into places such as New York, Arizona, Missouri, and up into Canada. Chef Cesar has over 30 years of experience and runs Open Fire Grilled Brazilian as a means to share his talented gifts with the communities of the Tampa Bay area and beyond. Chef Cesar's success inspired him to open his own business - Open Fire Grilled Brazilian. This talented food truck has been roaming the streets since 2013, and its mission is to bring authentic Brazilian style food to you to create an unforgettable experience of flavors. Chef Cesar works with his partner and wife Christina to bring grilled meats to the streets of Tampa. Christina has a strong marketing and sales background making the two’s partnership a strong and powerful one. You can often times find her working the truck as a cashier or creating relationships with the truck's clients and customers.

When it comes to the menu of Open Fire Grilled Brazilian they bring the meat to the table. This Brazilian truck boasts tender meats such as chicken breast, sirloin steak, filet mignon, pork, alongside vegetarian options. Meals are served with traditional white rice, black beans, farofa (yucca flour, bacon, and herbs), and a vinaigrette (onion, garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, oil, herbs, and a dash of tabasco). The meats and veggies are skewered and grilled to perfection dependent on how you would like your meat cooked. Open Fire Grilled Brazilian also offers grilled sweet plantains, and Brazilian sodas. Steak is Chef Caesars's specialty. Something that makes this food truck stand out amongst the others is how the food is prepared. Open Fire Grilled Brazilian doesn't fry a single thing on their truck and every dish is grilled and made to order. Christina and Chef Cesar decided to call Tampa home because of its up and coming business feel, and strong food truck fans and foodies in the area. Open Fire Grilled Brazillian operates out of Clearwater, but frequents the Tampa Bay area.