We sat down for a Q&A with Daniel Shemtob, who started one of the coolest trucks we know, The Lime Truck before it was “cool.” He shared his secrets with us–not only about being a great food truck and small business owner, but also about making an impact on our communities. Along with many awards, The Lime Truck recently won The Great Food Truck Race: All Stars on Food Network!
Check out the interview below (Answers have been edited for length and clarity).
Roaming Hunger: Hey Daniel! It’s been a minute since we caught up! What have you been up to these days? What are you currently cooking up?
Daniel Shemtob: Well any small business owner during the pandemic definitely had to choose their battles, and we weren’t without that by any means. We had to close a few of our businesses, including our fast-casual brick-and-mortar restaurant, and focus on what we could do and what was working. We doubled down on The Lime Truck and my new shoe company Snibbs, which I’ll tell you about in a second (including the $50 discount I’m offering to food trucks).
But over the course of the pandemic, we were able to help so many people and now it feels like we’re hitting our stride–I’m proud of that resilience, you know?
RH: Definitely. So how did you start The Lime Truck?
Daniel: In June 2010, the week before my 21st birthday, I opened up my food truck, The Lime Truck, for business. Mind you, I had absolutely no idea how to run a food truck. I remember our first day near a park in Irvine, CA. We got an order for a panini, which we used to serve. Then we realized we had no clue how to turn on the grill!
We had to call the guy who sold us the truck to ask him how, which obviously was with propane, which we didn’t have. When we went to get some, we lost our keys and had to hotwire the truck. That day was an absolute mess, but I think our enthusiasm carried us through. Our first customer ended up being a regular!
These days, my favorite part about having a food truck is that the service is unmatched. I love that you’re interacting with the customer even in the kitchen, which you don’t really have in restaurants. The other thing I love is that the customer base is badass! They are fun and super adventurous.
RH: We know the how now, but what about the why–why did you start The Lime Truck and was there anyone in particular who really encouraged you?
Daniel: Entrepreneurship is in my blood. The Persian Jewish culture I grew up in is very business oriented. And my mom always encouraged me to follow my interest–she was my biggest supporter. In fact, my Myers Briggs personality type is the entrepreneur!
I was one of those kids that always had some side hustle as far back as I can remember. So The Lime Truck was started after my first business failed.
Probably the funniest story I have about encouragement is that one time a friend and I went to go see the Kogi truck when it came to Orange County. That truck truly is legendary. At the time, I had been fantasizing about starting my food truck, so I went for it and asked the ultimate food truck aficionado, Roy Choi, for his advice. He was super enthusiastic and encouraging, saying, “Dude, you gotta do it! Don’t wait! It’s the best job ever. It’s seriously so fun.”
It was clear that this was a community and industry built upon helping one another. That was a movement I wanted to be a part of because I love making an impact and using my success to help others.
RH: Obviously, a huge part of a food truck or any food business is the food itself! Where did you learn to cook?
Daniel: You might cringe at this, but I learned everything on the truck itself. In the early days, we decided we wanted to cater to a lunch crowd with paninis and salads, but we also did late nights where we went wild creating new menu items with great ingredients. Over time, we figured out that the late-night menu was what customers loved.
After we got the menu down, we realized we needed to deliver on consistency. We’ve since nailed that down, of course. But it definitely created hype and made customers loyal. Gotta keep it fresh.
RH: That brings us to the name–The Lime Truck! How do you name a food truck?
Daniel: Menus are menus, so think about the mood and ambiance you’re trying to transport your customers to. Sometimes what you’re working with is just a parking lot, so design and branding matter.
The name came to us because we wanted something bright, fun, clean, and zesty. It was at the beginning of the gourmet food truck movement in Southern California when we started the business, and back then the term “food truck” had a bad connotation. We wanted to focus on the “gourmet” part and create something that seemed fresh and clean. The name has aged really well, which I’m proud of. Also bright lime green is so recognizable! People remember us.
RH: How did you promote the truck? What advice do you have for marketing a food truck business?
Daniel: It started with parking somewhere close to a lot of foot traffic. For us, that was UC Irvine. My advice is to get gutsy and creative. You don’t start a food truck just to follow the rules. I remember I used to literally pass out samples of our food in a Trader Joe’s. I got kicked out so many times. Try to find a built-in audience, like a big office complex with no cafeteria. Social media is also your best friend. When we started, the landscape was a little different, with mainly Twitter and Facebook. Now, you should make TikToks!
RH: Any more advice you can impart for someone looking to start a food truck today?
Daniel: Ooh, my advice is kind of simple. But don’t confuse simple with easy. My technical advice is that you’ve gotta figure out how to get catering clients. If you don’t have that, you’re going to have to redo your business plan. In fact, The Lime Truck is now almost only focused on catering.
As for my thought-provoking advice, dial in your brand and menu to be cohesive and unique to the marketplace. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something new, but you have to do it so well you start building a cult following.
And don’t forget about your company culture. It may be just you and a couple of family members at first, but if you can’t pass on your enthusiasm and mindset to employees, you’ll struggle as you grow. Try to create a business that thrives even when you’re not there.
RH: How do you connect with the communities that you’re serving with your businesses?
Daniel: For us, it looks like a lot of fundraising. I lost my mom and grandmother to breast cancer, so that’s a really big priority for me. We donate to the American Breast Cancer Foundation, but also to Not Just October, the Coral Reef Alliance, ASPCA, and more.
We’re also launching a series of micro-grants of up to $500 for people in the food industry. For someone living paycheck to paycheck, an expense of a few hundred dollars can really derail them for more than a year. It’s really important to me as someone who has “made it” in the food industry to give back. If our job is feeding our communities, we should also be feeding one another.
RH: Ok, so we are really dying to hear about Snibbs!
Daniel: I’m so glad! So the idea came to me because I was on my feet every day at my restaurants and on the food truck. My back pain was so bad on certain days I couldn’t even show up to work.
As for after-work engagements, I felt really silly showing up places in my ugly, beaten-down work shoes. As I began to do some research I realized there was a huge margin for improvement! So I designed a shoe specifically for the food industry. They are functional, easy on the back, and look great. I found an incredible orthopedic surgeon to help me design them and Snibbs was born!
This is where the plot thickens. We started the company and got our supply right before the whole world shut down in 2020. With everything closed we started taking The Lime Truck to places where we were needed, mainly hospitals and care centers. We soon realized that the hospitality and healthcare industries have similar needs. We gave away food and Snibbs to our frontline workers. It ended up being a form of grassroots marketing–we sold out of 6,000 pairs in 60 days.
At its core, Snibbs is a shoe brand made for the food industry by someone who grew up in the food industry. And those roots are specifically the food truck industry. For me, it’s less about the profits and more about making a positive impact on the community I love.
So anyone who owns a food truck, or works on a food truck, can go to Snibbs right now and get a $50 discount. Also–I’ve gotta add that I recommend the Spacecloud model.
—
Author: This interview was conducted and edited by Greta Gooding.
