Samantha Martin Photo
The line to One Love Fusion Foods truck extends across Greer City Park last Thursday.
Samantha Martin Photo
Secondhand News performs under City Park's oak tree while families enjoy offerings from Food Trucks.
About the author: Samantha Martin is a senior at North Greenville University majoring in broadcast media with a minor in digital media.
It’s a classic combination – a night out on the town savoring a delicious meal and feasting your eyes on some kind of spectacle. The city of Greer and Commission of Public Works hosted a Food Truck Rollout last Thursday with five food trucks and entertainment by Secondhand News at Greer City Park
Popular trucks, including One Love Fusion Foods and Tacos & Bla bla bla, balanced some local gems including Aspens Shaved Ice and Abbott’s Frozen Custard. Nards Backyard BBQ offered traditional southern fare.
One Love Fusion Foods, from Gray Court, has been recognized among the top five food trucks in the upstate for the past four years in an Upstate media poll.
Don’t believe the hype? Let the crowd convince you – as One Love overshot its supply before the night was through.
“We love doing the Greer Food Truck Fest, we’ve done it before,” said owner and operator of One Love, James Linen. “This one we had last week was very successful. We actually ran out of food there, so that was pretty cool,”
One thing common among several of the food truck owners – they mentioned the call they felt to serve their community. “I was put here to do that – to serve. And I serve smiles,” said Natalie Smith, owner and operator of Aspen Shaved Ice. “Our motto is ‘Serving smiles by the mile.”’;
Smith’s business holds special meaning, as she started in 2016 after the birth of her micro preemie daughter, and the realization that a regular job just wasn’t in the cards. “She was very sick when she came home, and I was not able to work a regular job,” said Smith.
Big things are happening with Smith’s business, with a new truck, and rebranding in the works.
“I just purchased a new food truck as of yesterday, so we are about to launch another one,” said Smith. She is renaming the food truck Aspen’s Street Rewards and said she looks forward to someday working alongside her daughter.
Serving people is an admirable calling and Abbott’s Frozen Custard co-owner Mark Hopper said Greer supports its local businesses. “We moved to Greer in 2009, and one of the reasons we got involved in the business community is because we loved what the city has done with our downtown and the community feel,” said Hopper.
Greer is symbol of an up and coming “big little towns,” said Hopper, who is also a city councilman. “(It’s) a “small town feel with international opportunities.”
The truck owners all had another thing in common -- involvement in the community during the pandemic. “COVID wasn’t a blessing to any of us, but it has helped the food truck world – going to neighborhoods, doing events, bringing the community together is what it’s about,” said Smith.
The food truck industry was forecast for a 7.5% annualized growth to $1.2 billion over the five years to 2020, according to marketing research before the pandemic.
“I would say that if you have a good menu, a great idea and great work ethic, if all those things line up for you, then I say go for it,” said Linen.
• Samantha Martin is a senior at North Greenville University majoring in broadcast media with a minor in digital media.