Trading wheels for a stationary location

After just two years working the streets with his Greek Geek trailer, Seabrook turned his attention to The Olive Branch Bistro, a northeast Albuquerque restaurant that debuted in March.

More established examples include Safari Grill on the west side and Boiler Monkey Bistro - now on Mountain Road, but soon to be expanding into bigger downtown digs - and the trend seems to have accelerated in recent months, with several truck/trailer veterans setting up fixed locations.

While not quite a traditional restaurant, given the food court-like nature of the development, planting roots marked an evolution for the business.

Though adding a cafe has upped his expenses, including lease payments and salaries for four new staff, he is eager to keep growing with permanent locations.

Overheads may be lower than a regular restaurant, but mobile vendors remain subject to many of the same health and equipment standards, and have other challenges.

The climate became a little more difficult for food trucks with a new ordinance barring them from setting up on a city street within 75 feet of a regular restaurant.

Dave Sellers, program director at the Albuquerque-based Street Food Institute, said some food truck owners enter the business specifically for the freedom and flexibility it offers, but there is "definitely a solid percentage" of people for whom a restaurant is the ultimate goal.

Sellers, a chef who has had his own restaurant in Santa Fe, said food truck experience should ease the transition since the owners understand food costs, have refined their offerings and, ideally, have built a following.

Mason has had to tweak his menu for his cafe location, adding breakfast burritos and subtracting crepes, but he said the mobile business gave him a solid education in food costs and customer tastes.

[...] he said things have gone well otherwise in the restaurant's first month, with traffic steadily picking up and the relatively vast kitchen area providing the menu experimentation opportunities he and his partners were seeking.