BY: Danielle Lynch
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Rick VanNewkirk stumbled across the food truck business by accident.
“My brother-in-law wanted to invest in something and decided on food trucks,” said VanNewkirk, the owner of Curbies Catering Carts, Inc. “He financed (the truck), and I said I’ll try it.”
VanNewkirk, a Boothwyn, Delaware County resident, said the food truck has been in West Chester for the past three years. For 25 years he had worked for a heating and air conditioning business and bought the food truck from his brother-in-law last year.
VanNewkirk said his truck, located on South Church Street between University and Rosedale avenues, is open for business during the school year. During the summer months, he does construction and excavating work.
“I like the social aspect,” VanNewkirk said of his food truck work. “I get to know a lot of people and become friends with them. I’ve met people on campus from all around the world – it’s really interesting.”
VanNewkirk said he enjoys seeing people’s reactions when they purchase his food, such as the cheese fries. He said his specialty dish is breakfast because customers can purchase it at any time of the day. “I like to see [the customers’] smiling faces,” he said.
Curbies is open from 7:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 to 2 p.m. on Friday during the school year. His wife, Kathy, stops by to help out during the busy hours of the day, which is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
VanNewkirk said it’s not difficult to work in a tiny space. The most difficult thing, he said, is working during the winter months because he has to keep the food warm.
Josh Taylor, a West Chester University student, said he enjoys buying food from Curbies. He said the food truck reminds him of a diner because he gets “food with a personal touch.”
“I like it because I can get a good cup of regular coffee,” he said. “They give me good food.”
After getting his order, Taylor thanked VanNewkirk and told him he’d stop by again soon.
Across the street at Alexander’s Lunch Box, the owner, Arife Yilmaz, said she enjoys interacting with her customers. Yilmaz, an Upper Darby native who was born in Turkey, has owned the food truck for about two years.
Yilmaz said the food truck has been in West Chester for about 20 years; she took it over when the former owner moved to Texas. Similar to VanNewkirk, Yilmaz said she wasn’t bothered by the small working space, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The interior is “suitable for two people,” said Samantha Biguers, a West Chester University student and employee at Alexander’s Lunch Box. “It’s not that bad.”
Near Alexander’s Lunch Truck is a coffee truck known as Grateful Beans. The truck has been in West Chester for about 14 years and is affiliated with Fennario Coffee & Tobacco shop, located in the 100 block of North Church Street in town.
"We’re definitely not like Starbucks,” said Brendan Greene, one of the employees at Grateful Beans. “Our coffee is sold at fair-trade which separates us from Starbucks.”
Greene, a West Chester resident, said the majority of the organic coffee at his truck is from Mexico. The truck also sells Colombian, Brazilian and Guatemalan blends. It’s open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The truck offers a lot of specialty espresso drinks and also sells muffins and other baked goods.
Similar to the owners and employees at the other food trucks in town, Greene said he wasn’t bothered by the tiny workplace. The downside, he said, is working in cold weather.
“It’s easier to work in a small space,” he said. “It’s easy to keep clean. It’s so nice and small and we love our customers.”
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