LA Times: Food Trucks and Cash-Strapped Schools Form Symbiotic Partnership

Photo by Laila Derakhshanian

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In a direct application of the dictionary definition of a "win-win", the Los Angeles Times reports that luxe loncheras and underfunded public schools have formed a mutually beneficial partnership. The trucks get to do business in a parking-lot sanctuary without being hassled by cops (not to mention businesses who don't want the competition), while the schools get a fund-raiser after a state mandate disallowed them from requiring students and parents to do it for them.

Rather than imposing a fee, the Times reports, schools ask that the trucks donate what they want, typically about $100 to $150 per truck. Fullerton High School, for instance, is reported to have raised $13,000 from four previous clustertrucks, the money from which will pay for more than half the cost of uniforms for the varsity football team.

Cited in the article is Orange County's Christian Murcia, owner of the Crepes Bonaparte and Brats Berlin trucks, who acts as the liaison between the schools and the catering trucks. He said that the list of schools who want in on the food-truck action is growing and he receives calls weekly.

This past weekend brought together five food trucks at Ladera Vista Junior High. And there are even more to come: Troy High School has an Oct. 26 fund-raiser, while Sunny Hills High has one set for Nov. 5.

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