Students who don’t want to walk across campus to the Winslow Dining Hall, the Thoroughbred Room or the food cart in the Business Building are going to have another option soon.
A food truck, like the ones seen on the Food Truck Race on Food Network, will be arriving to Murray State’s campus next semester.
Paula Amols, director of Dining Services and Racer hospitality, said she anticipates the truck will arrive by Spring Break.
“It will take three to four months to build, and we first have to go out to bid on it to manufacturers,” Amols said. “It might not be until sometime (this month) when the actual order is placed, and then we have to allow for the holidays and those are not very productive times of year.”
She said the staff at Dining Services is still working out the details of the menu, but she said it will serve food items students want, such as hamburgers and french fries and the menu will vary depending on the time of day.
“I expect lunch to be the main meal as it goes around campus, and we’ll want to start out with a relatively small menu until we work out all the kinks and gauge what the demand is,” Amols said. “We will probably have some sort of hot and cold sandwiches, fries, bottled beverages and if there’s enough refrigerated space, some of the Jasmine sushi.”
She said the truck will be a fully equipped mobile kitchen, but storage space is limited so they will use a small number of ingredients.
“We also expect to bring the truck to sporting events where there are currently no concessions, and University events like All-Campus Sing, Homecoming and Racer Week,” Amols said. “We will also test the demand early in the morning at locations where commuters arrive, and see if breakfast sandwiches prove to be popular.”
She said the food truck will accept flex dollars as well as credit cards, the new staff and faculty meal plan and cash.
The tentative name for the truck is “Pony Express”, and the truck will be wrapped in an appropriate graphic design, in the Racer blue and gold.
Amols said she wants to acknowledge all the support and help Dining Services has had on this project, from the staff at Public Safety, Information Technology, Transportation and Health and Safety.
The students who have heard word about the food truck have noted the idea is a good one and agree it will help save students time.
Amber Miller, senior from Owensboro, Ky., said she and her friends thinks a food delivery system would be very convenient.
“Food delivery systems are perfect for busy individuals who do not have time to shop every week,” Miller said. “Since these meals are easy to prepare, they definitely save us time.”
Story by Meghann Anderson, Assistant News Editor.