Auburn University has grown its fleet of campus food truck to 10 with the addition of three new vehicles this fall.
As reported by The Auburn Plainsman, the 10 food trucks will be spread across campus, with eight of the vehicles having rotated locations and two having fixed, permanent locations. Of the 10 trucks, seven have been featured as campus food trucks in the past. The latest addition to the fleet sees local concept Crepe Myrtle, along with national brands Steak ‘n Shake and Starbucks added to the mix.
After closing its brick-and-mortar location, the Crepe Myrtle Cafe moved its operations to a food truck, and as a result can now better serve the student population at Auburn. The cafe was already a student favorite, so the addition of a food truck was a natural fit.
“We knew this was a favorite of students,” said Glenn Loughridge, director of Tiger Dining, in a Plainsman interview. “That’s always a great starting place. If we know students already like something, that’s an easy decision.”
The Crepe Myrtle truck is one of the eight rotating trucks and will be open weekdays from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Auburn will also have food trucks from national chains Starbucks and Steak ‘n Shake on campus this fall. The Steak ‘n Shake truck will serve as a stop-gap while the brick-and-mortar location at Auburn undergoes renovation. The truck is temporary and will be removed once the permanent location is reopened.
Tiger Dining’s relationship with the new Starbucks food truck, however, is a bit more permanent. The truck is one of four in existence and will be located on the Roosevelt Concourse.
“We don’t have a coffee program in that area,” Loughridge said in a Plainsman interview. “That’s kind of an underserved area in general. We’d like to designate a spot for it.”
Starbucks will now be a permanent fixture among the university’s food trucks, following Tiger Dining’s purchase of the vehicle. “We felt like this is something students use every day,” Loughridge said. “The Starbucks truck was probably less than 10% of what it would have cost to build a location that could do the same type of volume.”
Loughridge is open to the Starbucks truck being rotated to various locations as Tiger Dining evolves its services on campus. The truck will feature nearly the full menu found at regular locations, including pastries and signature Starbucks drinks.
