The Great Food Truck Race
| The Great Food Truck Race | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Tyler Florence |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 45[1] (list of episodes) |
| Production company(s) | RelativityREAL |
| Release | |
| Original network | Food Network |
The Great Food Truck Race is a reality television series that originally aired on August 15, 2010, on Food Network, with Tyler Florence as the host.[2] It features competing food trucks. The fourth season premiered on August 18, 2013.[3] The fifth season began on August 17, 2014. The show was renewed for a sixth season, which started airing on August 23, 2015.[4]
Rules
Initially seven specialty food trucks, compete against each other for the next six weeks in different cities. In the following seasons eight food trucks compete over seven weeks in different cities. The competition started for season one in Los Angeles, for the second season it started in Malibu, CA, the third season the race started in Long Beach, CA, and the fourth season begins at the Hollywood Sign, but in both of the latter cases, the start of the selling was not there. The trucks move through a series of cities across the country, ending on the east coast. Season one ended in New York, NY, season two ended in Miami Beach, FL, season three ended in Boston, MA, Portland, ME and Lubec, ME, and season four ended in Washington D.C.. The goal each week is for the trucks to win by having the highest sales total. The food truck that makes the least money is eliminated, and must return home, while the remaining trucks advance to the next city. In addition, the winning truck owners may earn a trip or other prizes.[5] The winner of the final competition wins $50,000 ($100,000 in season two, $50,000 and their own truck in season three, four and five).
In season one, each team faced a Truck Stop challenge in every city. The challenge consisted of a cooking competition with some unique twist such as adding chili peppers or using a limited selection of utensils. The winner often gained a significant advantage over their competitors who were also typically punished.
In the following seasons, the Truck Stops did not start until the second week. Additionally, each week contains a Speed Bump, which unlike the Truck Stop was not a competition, but rather a random penalty for all teams. For example, in the season 2 premiere, all trucks were not allowed to use propane for a portion of the competition.
In the first two seasons of the Great Food Truck Race, the competitors had already been operating food trucks in their respective cities. In the following seasons, food trucks were provided to novices who have dreamt of owning and operating a food truck. In some cases, it was because their own restaurant business had failed due to bad economy or natural disasters.
Season 1: 2010
Truck Teams
There are seven truck teams competing in the race:[6] Each truck team consists of a driver and two crew, who will staff the truck, and are responsible for cooking, shopping, orders and publicity.
Austin Daily Press - This team from Austin, TX serves hot grilled sandwiches wrapped in a piece of newspaper from The Onion. In episode three in Fort Worth, TX, they set up on a little league baseball field and donated 15% of their profits (~$200) to the little league. Had they kept the donation, they would have placed third. Austin Daily Press was eliminated in week four in New Orleans, LA. They had the third-greatest amount in raw sales, but were passed by Spencer on the Go's $500 they won in the Truck Stop challenge.
Crepes Bonaparte - From Fullerton, CA, this team serves Parisian-style crepes. Crepes Bonaparte was eliminated in week three in Fort Worth, TX after a bad decision on their location cost them customers. They earned the fourth-greatest amount of money in raw sales, but were defeated by Grill 'Em All in the Truck Stop Challenge, in which they placed second. If they had won the Truck Stop, they would have been pushed into first for the round.
Grill 'Em All - With a name and logo inspired by the Metallica album "Kill 'Em All", this Los Angeles team serves gourmet hamburgers. Grill 'Em All narrowly escaped elimination three times, courtesy of the Nana Queens' unexpected fryer problems and winning two Truck Stops. Despite all the problems experienced in the competition, they narrowly made it into the final, eventually taking first place and winning the $50,000 grand prize against Nom Nom.
Nana Queens - Banana pudding and chicken wings are the specialty of this team from Compton, CA, which attracts people by dressing Rick up in a banana costume. The Nana Queens were eliminated in week one in San Diego, CA stemming from fryer issues that caused them to lose an entire day and having to pay a $300 appearance fee at a festival. The Nana Queens had earned $740 before their fee payment.
Nom Nom Truck - This team from Los Angeles serves Vietnamese sandwiches and tacos. Nom Nom's strategy primarily focuses on partnering with local businesses of each city. In spite of having never won a Truck Stop until week six, they won the first five consecutive weeks in a row, earning them a spot in the final two against Grill 'Em All. However, they narrowly lost the final stop to Grill 'Em All.
Ragin' Cajun - Cajun food is the specialty of this team, which hails from Lafayette, LA. Ragin' Cajun was eliminated in week two in Santa Fe, NM after a failure to properly promote themselves. They attempted unsuccessfully to poach off Nom Nom's business, then lost the challenge for immunity.
Spencer on the Go - This team from San Francisco serves French cuisine, going so far as to set up a folding table so patrons can enjoy a sit-down dining experience. Spencer on the Go was eliminated in week five in Jonesborough, TN, losing out to Grill 'Em All by $37.
Truck Stops
The "Truck Stop" is an early challenge that gives the advantage to one truck in the main elimination challenge.
Week 1: Starting place is in San Diego rather than in Los Angeles.
Week 2: During the competition, teams must add chile peppers and make a new dish with it. A mystery shopper will taste all the chile dishes and will pick the best one. Winner receives immunity from elimination. Winner: Spencer on the Go
Week 3: During this competition, teams must butcher a quarter cow and make a new dish with it. Like week two, a mystery shopper will select which dish is the best one. Winner receives an expensive Texan Rodeo Buckle, which is estimated at $1,000, which is the amount that will be added towards their final tally. Winner: Grill 'Em All
Week 4: During this competition, teams were told to close early on the second night in order to wake up for the Truck Stop. At the Truck Stop each team is given 30 minutes to fillet a catfish and create a dish from it. A judge selects which truck created the best dish. Winner receives $500 toward their final tally, the other three teams must work together to fillet 700 lb. of catfish before they are allowed to start selling again. Winner: Spencer on the Go
Week 5: At a rustic farm, the teams must complete a five-course meal using frontier-era cooking utensils and supplies. A pair of judges determined who created the best overall meal. Winner receives a spot at a nearby truck show and access to thousands of potential clients; the other two teams must remain in Jonesborough and sell only to locals. Winner: Grill 'Em All
Week 6: During the race through all five New York boroughs and the rush to sell $500 at each location before moving on, Tyler calls the teams with a Truck Stop challenge that brings them back to Brooklyn where they have an hour to prepare the opposing team’s signature dish for judge Chef Nate Appleman (Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria). Chef Appleman awards the $500 bonus to the Nom Nom crew for their Asian-inspired burger which allows them to skip the Staten Island stop. Winner: Nom Nom[7]
Results
| Truck | Week 1 San Diego, CA | Week 2 Santa Fe, NM | Week 3 Fort Worth, TX | Week 4 New Orleans, LA | Week 5 Jonesborough, TN | Week 6 New York, NY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grill 'Em All | 6th ($632) | 3rd ($1,306) | 3rd ($1,776) | 2nd ($1,307) | 2nd ($2,763) | WINNERS |
| Nom Nom Truck | 1st ($1,078) | 1st ($3,045) | 1st ($2,390) | 1st ($2,103) | 1st ($3,117) | RUNNERS-UP |
| Spencer on the Go | 5th ($667) | 5th ($1,058) | 2nd ($2,096) | 3rd ($1,170) | 3rd ($2,726) | |
| Austin Daily Press | 3rd ($727) | 4th ($1,096) | 4th ($1,669) | 4th ($809) | ||
| Crepes Bonaparte | 2nd ($940) | 2nd ($1,717) | 5th ($1,465) | |||
| Ragin' Cajun | 4th ($706) | 6th ($745) | ||||
| Nana Queens | 7th ($440) | |||||
- Team that won The Great Food Truck Race.
- Team that won the Truck Stop for that week.
- Team that received the most money for that week.
- Team eliminated for that week.
Season 2: 2011
Truck Teams
Eight truck teams competed in the second season:[8]
Cafe Con Leche - (Van Nuys, CA) features Cuban cuisine and coffee. Cafe Con Leche was eliminated in week three in Denver, CO after they had to pay premium prices for supplies they received from a restaurant they partnered with. They lost out to the Seabirds by $87.
Devilicious - (San Diego, CA) specializes in what the crew describe as "twisted" comfort food. Devilicious was eliminated in week two in Salt Lake City, UT after a $1-off promotion cut deeply into their profits; they lost out to Roxy's Grilled Cheese by only $159.
Hodge Podge - (Cleveland, OH) serves "grab-bag" comfort food. Despite being in last place in week five, they were saved because Korilla BBQ was disqualified due to cheating. Hodge Podge advanced into the finale in Miami, battling The Lime Truck for the grand prize, but ultimately lost.
Korilla BBQ - (New York, NY) serves Korean grill and barbecue. Korilla BBQ was disqualified in week five in Memphis, TN after they were caught adding $2700 of their own money to the cash box. Their disqualification saved Hodge Podge, as Korilla had the third-highest sales of the week before they cheated.
The Lime Truck - (Orange County, CA) serves California beach cuisine that is ingredient-driven. The Lime Truck advanced into the finale in Miami, battling (and ultimately defeating) Hodge Podge for the grand prize.
Roxy's Grilled Cheese - (Boston, MA) features gourmet grilled cheese. Roxy's was eliminated in week six in Atlanta, GA; despite winning $1000 in the Truck Stop, they came up short by over $1300.
Seabirds - (Orange County, CA) features vegan food. The Seabirds were eliminated in week four in Manhattan, KS after slow service on their first day prevented them from taking advantage of the prime location they won in the Truck Stop.
Sky's Gourmet Tacos - (Los Angeles, CA) serves Mexican/soul fusion cuisine. Sky's Gourmet Tacos was eliminated in week one in Las Vegas, NV after experiencing a tire blowout that cost them an exclusive appearance at a festival, en route from Malibu.
Truck Stops
The "Truck Stop" is an early challenge that gives an advantage to one truck in the main elimination challenge.
Week 2: The trucks were required to make a dish using sausage that they made themselves and five ingredients from an ingredient table. The winning truck earned an additional $100, doubling their seed money to $200, and immunity from the Speed Bump. Winner: Hodge Podge
Week 3: The trucks were required to forage for wild mushrooms in the mountains outside Denver and create a dish featuring the local mushrooms. The winning truck earned an exclusive interview with the local ABC affiliate and $200 of seed money; the remaining trucks received no seed money at all. Winner: The Lime Truck
Week 4: The trucks were required to make a meal based on the local cuisine for $5 or less. The winning truck would be the only team allowed to park in Aggieville, a popular restaurant area near the university campus. Winner: Seabirds
Week 5: The trucks were required to butcher and prepare a 100-pound pig, and prepare a barbecue sauce to go along with their dish. The winning truck earned an additional $500, doubling their seed money to $1000. In addition, the winning truck was allowed to leave the Truck Stop immediately, while the other teams, as a punishment, had to butcher the remainder of the pork (including the winning truck's) to donate to a local food bank, before leaving. Winner: Roxy's Grilled Cheese
Week 6: The trucks had one hour to find both peaches and peanuts in downtown Atlanta, and to combine them with the ingredients in a random basket. A local chef judged who best used the peanuts and peaches. The winning truck received $1,000. Winner: Roxy's Grilled Cheese
Week 7: The trucks were required to venture out 5 miles into the Atlantic Ocean by boat and go fishing. They had 30 minutes to catch a fish and 30 minutes to prepare it. The winning truck received $1,500. Winner: The Lime Truck
Speed Bumps
A speed bump is a universal challenge that requires teams to handle a nasty twist in a creative way.
Week 1: The trucks were required to stop using propane with only six hours of the day left.
Week 2: The trucks were required to relocate at least one mile away from their current location.
Week 3: The trucks were required to be handled by only one truck member.
Week 4: The trucks were required to sell everything on their menus for less than $1.00
Week 5: The trucks were required to serve only vegetarian food.
Week 6: The lead chefs on each truck were sidelined, with their two remaining teammates having to man the truck. With approximately one hour left, they were allowed to return.
Week 7, Speed Bump 1: The teams had 5 minutes to grab whatever they needed off their trucks before they were towed. To get the truck back, they needed to make $200 from the food they had.
Week 7, Speed Bump 2: The teams were required to shut down for the rest of Day 2. For the first 2 hours of business the next day, the trucks only sold desserts.
Results
| Truck | Week 1 Las Vegas, NV | Week 2 Salt Lake City, UT | Week 3 Denver, CO | Week 4 Manhattan, KS | Week 5 Memphis, TN | Week 6 Atlanta, GA | Week 7 Miami Beach, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lime Truck | 1st ($3,145) | 4th ($3,281) | 1st ($6,919) | 4th ($2,768) | 2nd ($5,377)1 | 2nd ($8,447) | WINNERS |
| Hodge Podge | 3rd ($1,970) | 3rd ($3,646) | 3rd ($6,118) | 3rd ($2,880) | 4th ($4,961)2 | 1st ($8,937) | RUNNERS-UP |
| Roxy's Grilled Cheese | 7th ($1,177) | 6th ($3,006) | 4th ($5,316) | 2nd ($5,132) | 1st ($6,254) | 3rd ($7,121) | |
| Korilla BBQ | 2nd ($2,550) | 1st ($5,665) | 2nd ($6,831) | 1st ($5,245) | 3rd ($5,258)2 | ||
| Seabirds | 4th ($1,471) | 5th ($3,036) | 5th ($3,322) | 5th ($2,332) | |||
| Cafe Con Leche | 6th ($1,327) | 2nd ($3,709) | 6th ($3,235) | ||||
| Devilicious | 5th ($1,364) | 7th ($2,847) | |||||
| Sky's Gourmet Tacos | 8th ($943) | ||||||
- Team that won The Great Food Truck Race.
- Team that won the Truck Stop for that week.
- Team that earned the most money for that week.
- Team eliminated for that week.
^Note 1 : Independent of the Speed Bump, a local food blogger, "The Chubby Vegetarian," visited each truck. The truck that received the best review was granted immunity. The Lime Truck won immunity.
^Note 2 : Although Korilla had the third highest sales, they were disqualified for cheating when one of the team members added $2700 of their own money to the cash box.
Season 3: 2012
Truck Teams
This season, none of the eight teams own a food truck. Food Network designed each team's truck based on their proposed concept. The winning team will earn $50,000 and keep the truck. Eight truck teams are competing in the third season:
Barbie Babes is from Los Angeles, CA and serves traditional Australian barbecue. Barbie Babes was eliminated in week two in Flagstaff, AZ, after a mishap with an underpriced menu, that affected them greatly. They lost out to Momma's Grizzly Grub by $170 and were only eliminated because of the immunity Pop-A-Waffle received.
Coast of Atlanta is from Atlanta, GA and serves fresh local seafood. Coast of Atlanta was eliminated in week four in Fayetteville, AR, after three other trucks were parked at a thriving local farmer's market, and they were not allowed to park there. They lost out to Momma's Grizzly Grub by just $24.
Momma's Grizzly Grub is from Wasilla, AK and serves homestyle comfort food dishes. Momma's Grizzly Grub was penalized $250 in week four in Fayetteville, AR because they broke a streetlamp; they barely survived elimination as a result. Momma's Grizzly Grub was eliminated in week five in Nashville, TN after they parked at a cupcake shop and could not get any business; they had to scramble to find customers.
Nonna's Kitchenette is from Parsippany, NJ and features traditional Italian recipes passed down from their grandmothers. Nonna's Kitchenette was penalized $250 in week five in Nashville, TN after they accidentally hit somebody's car with their truck; however, they still ended up in second place. Nonna's Kitchenette made it all the way to the finale, winning the truck stop, but still coming up $103 short to Seoul Sausage.
Pizza Mike's is from Columbus, OH and serves pizza and Italian food. Pizza Mike's was eliminated in week three in Amarillo, TX, because of parking at a dog park temporarily for an event, only to be forced to remain in the park for the rest of the day with the day's speed bump, which made them lose customers.
Pop-A-Waffle is from Los Angeles, CA and creates waffles ranging from strawberry shortcake to fajitas. Pop-A-Waffle was eliminated in week six in Cleveland, OH, after a bad decision, with one hour left in the day, to park at a concert down the road, through traffic.
Seoul Sausage is from Los Angeles, CA and serves Korean-style burgers and kimchi-fried-rice-balls. Seoul Sausage made it to the finale and beat out Nonna's Kitchenette. They won $50,000 and got to keep their truck.
Under the Crust is from San Diego, CA and serves gourmet sweet and savory pies. Under the Crust was eliminated in week one in Los Angeles, CA after they could not park at L.A. Live and could not sell anything fast enough, once they parked on Hollywood Boulevard. After they were eliminated, Tyler Florence announced that Food Network would donate $5,000 to the American Cancer Society in honor of team member Hannah's deceased fiancé, Keith.
Truck Stops
The "Truck Stop" is an early challenge that gives an advantage to one truck in the main elimination challenge.
Week 2: The teams have to make a dish out of cactus and put it on their menu and be judged by a local judge, Beau MacMillan. The winner gets immunity. Winner: Pop-A-Waffle
Week 3: The teams have to include a ballpark special on their menu, an item that would be available at any stadium anywhere in the country, and are judged by stadium concessionaire, John Ciarrachi. The winning team earned $500 and a mysterious key, which turned out to be the key to unlock the boot that was put on their truck during the Speed Bump. Winner: Seoul Sausage
Week 4: The teams must create a breakfast item that included a secret ingredient: Pop-Tarts to be judged by an acclaimed teen chef, Jeremy Salamon. The winner receives a token, that is worth $750. Winner: Nonna's Kitchenette
Week 5: The teams must create a picnic basket, featuring their takes on classic Southern dishes. The winner earns $1,000 toward their till and the exclusive rights to serve 1,500 people at an event hosted by Joey + Rory. Winner: Pop-A-Waffle
Week 6: The teams must make a dish featuring an Ohio locally-grown beefsteak tomato, judged by Outback Steakhouse founder, J. Timothy Gannon. The winner gets $250 added to their till, and gets to sell for three hours, while the other teams have to shut down their trucks. Winner: Pop-A-Waffle
Week 7: The teams must make a "New England Style" dish featuring lobster. The winner gets $500 added to their till, and gets to move on to the next city, while the other team has to shuck 6 bushels (600 pounds) of clams. Winner: Nonna's Kitchenette
Speed Bumps
Week 1: With six hours left, the teams must all relocate to Hollywood Boulevard to compete against each other in a sell-off.
Week 2: The trucks were required to serve only vegan food.
Week 3: The trucks were given boots on their wheels and were immobilized for the whole day. ( Except Seoul Sausage because when they won the truck stop in week 3 they got a key to unlock the boot )
Week 4: The teams were required to close their doors for the rest of the day, and start selling at 1:00 AM that night.
Week 5: The teams were required to have two members sit out while their other teammates trained culinary students to do their jobs.
Week 6: The teams were required to close their doors and sell on foot from a hot dog cart until 6:00 PM.
Week 7: When the teams got to Lubec, they were required to sell everything for under $2.
Results
| Truck | Week 1 Los Angeles, CA | Week 2 Flagstaff, AZ | Week 3 Amarillo, TX | Week 4 Fayetteville, AR | Week 5 Nashville, TN | Week 6 Cleveland, OH | Week 7 Boston, MA, Portland, ME & Lubec, ME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul Sausage | 1st ($1,896) | 1st ($2,330) | 1st ($4,561) | 2nd ($2,907) | 3rd ($2,297) | 1st ($5,202) | WINNERS ($6,670) |
| Nonna's Kitchenette | 3rd ($983) | 3rd ($1,410) | 3rd ($3,661) | 1st ($3,005) | 2nd ($2,321)4 | 2nd ($4,292) | RUNNERS-UP ($6,570) |
| Pop-A-Waffle | 6th ($654) | 7th ($745)1 | 4th ($3,575) | 3rd ($1,936) | 1st ($3,173) | 3rd ($3,408) | |
| Momma's Grizzly Grub | 4th ($916) | 5th2 | 2nd ($3,911) | 4th ($1,842)3 | 4th ($1,919) | ||
| Coast of Atlanta | 5th ($802) | 4th ($1,280) | 5th ($3,176) | 5th ($1,818) | |||
| Pizza Mike's | 2nd ($1,284) | 2nd ($2,157) | 6th ($2,764) | ||||
| Barbie Babes | 7th ($531) | 6th12 | |||||
| Under the Crust | 8th ($195) | ||||||
- Team that won The Great Food Truck Race.
- Team that won the Truck Stop for that week.
- Team that earned the most money for that week.
- Team eliminated for that week.
^Note 1 : Even though Pop-A-Waffle came in last place, they won immunity in the Truck Stop Challenge, and Barbie Babes were the ones who were sent home.
^Note 2 : Dollar amounts were not announced, but the host said that the Momma's Grizzly Grub total exceeded Barbie Babes by $170.
^Note 3 : Momma's Grizzly Grub would have finished in 3rd place, but $250 was removed from their till to pay the insurance deductible for a destroyed city streetlamp.
^Note 4 : Nonna's Kitchenette had $250 removed from their till to pay the insurance deductible for hitting a car.
Season 4: 2013
Truck Teams
This season, like the previous season, none of the eight teams own a food truck. Food Network designed each team's truck based on their proposed concept. The winning team will earn $50,000 and keep the truck. Eight truck teams are competing in the fourth season:
Aloha Plate is from Los Angeles, CA, Maui and Oahu, HI and serves classic Hawaiian plate lunches.After making it to the finale, Aloha plate beat Tikka Tikka Taco and won The Great Food Truck Race.
Boardwalk Breakfast Empire is from Sea Bright, NJ and serves comfort food with a breakfast twist. Boardwalk Breakfast Empire was eliminated in week two in Portland, Oregon after narrowly missing out on winning the $500 truck stop. If they had won, they would have been pushed into fourth for the round; instead, they lost to The Frankfoota Truck by $72.
Bowled and Beautiful is from Los Angeles, CA and creates California style bowls. Bowled and Beautiful was eliminated in week four in Rapid City, South Dakota after a poor location choice on the first day of sales ending up putting them behind on day two. They weren't able to place in the Truck Stop and narrowly lost to Philly's Finest Sambonis.
The Frankfoota Truck is from New York City, NY and serves uniquely topped hot dogs. The Frankfoota Truck was eliminated in week three in Pocatello, Idaho after poor location decisions cost them customers and they were penalized $50 for selling outside the city limits.
Murphy's Spud Truck is from Los Angeles, CA and serves gourmet stuffed potatoes with an Irish twist. Murphy's Spud Truck was eliminated in week one in San Francisco after failing to properly get their propane working in time to sell their initial dish.
Philly's Finest Sambonis is from Philadelphia, PA and serves Philly cheesesteaks and sandwiches known as sambonis. After making it to the final three Philly was eliminated because of poor sales in Chicago and losing the Truck Stop to Aloha Plate.
The Slide Show is from Los Angeles, CA and serves sliders of every kind. The Slide Show was eliminated in week five in Saint Paul, Minnesota after failing to complete either Truck Stop and finished $1,076 behind Philly's Finest Sambonis.
Tikka Tikka Taco is from St. Louis, MO and serves modern Indian tacos. Tikka made it to the final 2 but lost by more than $3,000 to Aloha Plate.
Truck Stops
The "Truck Stop" is an early challenge that gives an advantage to one truck in the main elimination challenge.
Week 2: The teams have to create all of their dishes out of a local delicacy, geoduck. They then must put them on their menu and sell $200 worth. As teams meet the $200 threshold, they are required to race to Council Crest Park to find a token. The first team to retrieve the token wins $500 toward their till. Winner: Bowled and Beautiful
Week 3: The teams are required to go dig up their own potatoes and then reopen their trucks as a potato truck. After selling $750 worth of food with their potato menus, the teams race to the City Creek Trailhead for the chance to win one of three tokens that will add to their till; one large token worth $500, one medium token worth $250, and one small token worth $50. Winner: Bowled and Beautiful, 1st Runner Up: Aloha Plate, 2nd Runner Up: Philly's Finest Sambonis
Week 4: The teams are required to go the Wild Idea Buffalo Company, one by one by 15 minutes increments based on how much money they had made the day before, to spend 15 minutes butchering their own quarter rack of buffalo. Aloha Plate was the first team to get going, followed by The Slide Show, Tikka Tikka Taco, Bowled and Beautiful, and lastly, Philly's Finest Sambonis. After selling $1,500 of worth of food with their buffalo menus, the teams race to Vista Point for the chance to win one of the three tokens to add to their till: one large token worth $750, one medium token worth $500, and one small token worth $250. Winner: Aloha Plate, 1st Runner Up: Tikka Tikka Taco, 2nd Runner Up: The Slide Show
Week 5, Truck Stop 1: The teams must serve all of their menu items on a stick, but they must sell $1,500 worth of food by 8PM. As teams complete the Truck Stop, they must race to Stone Arch Bridge for the chance to win one of the two tokens to add to their till: one large token worth $750 and one small token worth $250. However, no team completes the challenge.
Week 5, Truck Stop 2: The teams must create a special dish on their menu out of Spam. After selling $500 worth of food with their Spam menus, the teams race to the Peace Officers Memorial at the Minnesota State Capitol. The first team to arrive wins immunity and the other teams that complete the challenge by 8:30PM win $500 toward their till. Immunity Winner: Aloha Plate, $500 Winners: Tikka Tikka Taco, Philly's Finest Sambonis
Week 6, Truck Stop 1: The teams have to create their own deep dish Chicago-style pizza using a portable wood-fired oven to be judged by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The winning team receives a prize of a proclamation from the Mayor and earns $1,000 toward their till. Winner: Tikka Tikka Taco
Week 6, Truck Stop 2: The teams are required to add a sixth item to their menu, an authentic Chicago-style hot beef Polish sausage sandwich for $7 each, which are the same ones Mike Ditka sells in his restaurant. After selling 300 sausage sandwiches, the teams race to Mike Ditka's restaurant. The first team to arrive wins a five-hour head start to the next city: Annapolis, Maryland. Winner: Tikka Tikka Taco
Week 7: The teams travel to Kent Island, Maryland, where they are required to haul their own crab and create an original crab dish. The winning team receives $1,500 toward their till. Winner: Aloha Plate
Speed Bumps
Week 1: The trucks were required to close down and head to San Francisco, but in 15 minute increments based on how much money they earned in Beverly Hills.
Week 2: The trucks were required to go their entire first day without restocking their supplies.
Week 3: The teams were required to remove all items containing starch from their trucks and donate them.
Week 4: The teams were required to only have two people in their food truck while mobilized, and with each team's car being towed, they were required to find new ways to get to their locations while restocking their trucks with only $50 of seed money. At the end of the day, each team had $100 taken out of their till to get their car back.
Week 5: The teams were required to move from Minneapolis to Saint Paul.
Week 6: The teams were required to keep a minimum of five dishes on their menu for the rest of the race.
Week 7: The teams were required to each add a special dish to their menu that honored the other team. Tikka Tikka Taco was required to add a Teriyaki burger to their menu, while Aloha Plate was required to add chicken tikka tacos with yogurt sauce. Both must be priced at $10, and if they sell 50 specials before the race ends, they will earn an extra $1,000 to their till.
Results
| Truck | Week 1 Beverly Hills, CA & San Francisco, CA | Week 2 Portland, OR | Week 3 Pocatello, ID | Week 4 Rapid City, SD | Week 5 Minneapolis, MN & St. Paul, MN | Week 6 Chicago, IL5 | Week 7 Annapolis, MD | Week 8 Arlington, VA & Washington, D.C. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aloha Plate | 5th ($812) | 1st ($2,505) | 2nd ($2,744)1 | 1st ($6,841) | 1st ($4,550) | N/A | 2nd ($8,562) | WINNERS ($14,850) | |
| Tikka Tikka Taco | 3rd ($1,160) | 3rd ($1,219) | 3rd ($2,339) | 3rd ($5,865) | 2nd ($4,549) | N/A | 1st ($9,129) | RUNNERS-UP ($11,774) | |
| Philly's Finest Sambonis | 1st ($1,321) | 5th ($961) | 5th ($1,912)3 | 4th ($3,800) | 3rd ($3,084)4 | N/A | 3rd ($5,685) | ||
| The Slide Show | 4th ($860) | 4th ($1,121) | 4th ($2,004) | 2nd ($6,199) | 4th ($2,008) | ||||
| Bowled and Beautiful | 2nd ($1,284) | 2nd ($1,662) | 1st ($3,643) | 5th ($3,678) | |||||
| The Frankfoota Truck | 7th ($486) | 6th ($727) | 6th ($1,668)2 | ||||||
| Boardwalk Breakfast Empire | 6th ($723) | 7th ($655) | |||||||
| Murphy's Spud Truck | 8th ($420) | ||||||||
- Team that won The Great Food Truck Race.
- Team that won the Truck Stop for that week.
- Team that earned the most money for that week.
- Team eliminated for that week.
^Note 1 : Aloha Plate had $150 removed from their till for being outside of Pocatello city limits for three hours.
^Note 2 : The Frankfoota Truck had $50 removed from their till for being outside of Pocatello city limits for one hour.
^Note 3 : Philly's Finest Sambonis would have finished in 3rd place, but $500 was removed from their till to pay the insurance deductible for hitting a sign.
^Note 4 : Philly's Finest Sambonis had $120 removed from their till to pay for loaves of bread they ordered, but didn't pick up from the store.
^Note 5 : Week 6 did not feature the elimination of a team, but the third place team was instead eliminated at the start of week 7's leg.
Season 5: 2014
Truck Teams
Like the previous season, none of the eight teams own a food truck. Food Network designed each team's truck based on their proposed concept. The winning team will earn $50,000 and keep the truck. Eight truck teams are competing in the fifth season:
Beach Cruiser is from Venice, CA and serves authentic, fresh California cuisine dishes. Beach Cruiser was eliminated in week five in St. Louis, Missouri after charging only $5 for tacos and narrowly losing the Truck Stop to Lone Star Chuck Wagon.
Chatty Chicken is from Chattanooga, TN and serves fried chicken with sweet tea sauce and southern dishes. Chatty Chicken was eliminated in week one in Venice, CA after initially failing to purchase enough oil to deep-fry their chicken and then losing time having to double-back to their truck twice while buying more.
Let There Be Bacon is from Cleveland, OH and serves bacon-inspired dishes. Let There Be Bacon was eliminated in week six in Mobile, Alabama after spending an excess amount of time prepping and taking more than two hours to open their truck for business.
Lone Star Chuck Wagon is from Houston, TX and serves BBQ, Tex-Mex, and much more. Lone Star Chuck Wagon were eliminated in the finale in Key West, Florida after their loss in the Truck Stop gave them only half the seed money The Middle Feast earned. Lone Star Chuck Wagon ran out of ingredients and were not able to restock, losing business and ultimately the race to The Middle Feast.
Madres Mexican Meals is from Norwalk, CA and serves authentic Mexican dishes. Madres Mexican Meals was eliminated in week four in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma after a poor location choice led to lagging sales and clogging their meat grinder so they couldn't make enough burgers to compete in the Truck Stop.
Military Moms is from Fort Drum, NY and is made of moms whose husbands or sons are deployed in military. They serve comfort food. Military Moms was eliminated in week three in Austin, Texas after picking a bad location and not pushing sales. They were beaten by Madres Mexican Meals by only $6, after Madres won $100 in the Truck stop truck swap.
The Middle Feast is from Los Angeles, CA and serves Middle Eastern food dishes. After seven weeks and more than 4,000 miles, The Middle Feast won season five of The Great Food Truck Race, beating out runners-up Lone Star Chuck Wagon by $700.
The Gourmet Graduates is from Providence, RI and, true to their name, are recent graduates from culinary school. They serve cafeteria food with a gourmet twist. The Gourmet Graduates were eliminated in week two in Tucson, Arizona for being unable to market their team very well and for their overconfidence for choosing to not sell during their last hours.
Truck Stops
The "Truck Stop" is an early challenge that gives an advantage to one truck in the main elimination challenge.
Week 1: The teams are required to serve their best dish to the operators of Cousins Maine Lobster, often regarded as the best food truck in Los Angeles. The two operators, Sabin and Jim, pick their top three favorites; the first place team gets an extra $500 in their till, the second place team gets an extra $200, and the third place team gets $100. Winner: Madres Mexican Meals, 1st Runner Up: Beach Cruiser, 2nd Runner Up: Gourmet Graduates
Week 2: The teams are required to add a Sonoran hot dog as a fourth menu item, and cannot sell anything else until they shop and put the hot dog on the menu. The team that sells the most Sonoran hot dogs is awarded $500 toward their till, the second-highest seller gets $250, and third place gets $100. Winner: Beach Cruiser, 1st Runner Up: Military Moms, 2nd Runner Up: The Middle Feast
Week 3: The trucks must switch trucks with their assigned partners for a portion of day two, and cook only the opponent's menu; but into their own cash till. Lone Star swapped with Military Moms, Let There Be Bacon swapped with Middle Feast, and Beach Cruiser swapped with Madres. The team selling the most of their opponent's food will earn $500 toward their till, second gets $250, and third gets $100. Winner: Let There be Bacon, 1st Runner Up: Beach Cruiser, 2nd Runners Up: The Middle Feast and Madres Mexican Meals
Week 4: The trucks must only sell fried onion burgers for the rest of the day. They received fresh ingredients from a local burger joint. The first team to sell 50 burgers gets $500 and the second team gets $250. Winner: Beach Cruiser, Runner Up: The Middle Feast
Week 5: On the first day, Tyler visited each of the trucks and said they all needed improvement, so they were asked to make their new best dish on the second day. The winner gets whatever they made so far, doubled. Winner: Lone Star Chuck Wagon with $5,000
Week 6: The teams had to make a brunch dish which was bought by a secret shopper and judged by Tyler. The best two dishes (Let There Be Bacon and Lone Star Chuck Wagon) got to compete a Gulf Seafood dish. The winner gets $1,000 toward their till. Winner: Let There Be Bacon
Week 7: The teams had to create a dish using Everglades-inspired ingredients of alligator and frog's legs from Captain Gerald's House, judged by Tyler. The winning dish got their seed money for the final two days doubled (from $184.50 to $369). Winner: The Middle Feast
Speed Bumps
Week 1: The teams have to move from Santa Barbara, CA to Venice Beach, CA.
Week 2, Speed Bump 1: The teams must move from their current locations and move to a local folk festival, where an entire street has been blocked off and all trucks will sell adjacent to each other.
Week 2, Speed Bump 2: The teams are required to create a jingle within a 30-minute timeframe, and then perform in front of a large crowd at the previously-mentioned folk festival.
Week 3: The teams must relocate to a dating event until 7 p.m. and sell to participants.
Week 4: The teams are required to shut down and reopen in 15 minutes of increments in the order that they opened to start selling. They opened in this order: Madres Mexican Meals, Lone Star Chuck Wagon, Middle Feast, Let There Be Bacon, and lastly, Beach Cruiser. As a reward for opening first, Madres was never required to close.
Week 5: The teams are given no seed money to start with, so they have to make their money by selling toasted raviolis.
Week 6: The teams had to estimate 100 pounds of shrimp. Whoever got closest got it for free. The other teams could purchase it with seed money.
Week 7: In Naples, the teams had to sell pre-given ingredients and their seed money was the difference split.
Topics
In Season 5, the teams went into a "food-truck boot camp". Each week has a different topic.
Week 1: Branding the Truck
Week 2: Marketing
Week 3: Partnerships
Week 4: Time Management
Week 5: Food Quality
Week 6: Local Ingredients
Week 7: All of the Above: Marketing and Branding in the commercial, Partnerships in selling for their seed money, Local Ingredients in the Truck Stop, and Time Management and Food Quality in their final city.
Results
| Truck | Week 1 Santa Barbara, CA & Venice, CA | Week 2 Tucson, AZ | Week 3 Austin, TX | Week 4 Oklahoma City, OK | Week 5 St. Louis, MO | Week 6 Mobile, AL | Week 76 Tampa, FL, Bonita Springs, FL, Naples, FL, Alligator Alley, Key West, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Middle Feast | 4th ($764) | 6th1 | 2nd ($2,248) | 1st ($6,220) | 3rd5 | 1st ($10,058) | WINNERS |
| Lone Star Chuck Wagon | 1st ($1,511) | 2nd ($3,238) | 4th ($1,724) | 4th ($4,646) | 1st ($10,418) | 2nd ($7,742) | RUNNERS-UP |
| Let There Be Bacon | 7th ($337) | 4th ($2,376) | 3rd ($2,175) | 3rd ($5,072) | 2nd ($5,056) | 3rd ($7,160) | |
| Beach Cruiser | 2nd ($1,319) | 1st ($3,685) | 1st ($2,808) | 2nd ($5,580) | 4th5 | ||
| Madres Mexican Meals | 3rd ($1,221) | 5th ($2,290) | 5th2 | 5th4 | |||
| Military Moms | 5th ($591) | 3rd ($2,716) | 6th23 | ||||
| The Gourmet Graduates | 6th ($517) | 7th1 | |||||
| Chatty Chicken | 8th ($277) | ||||||
- Team that won The Great Food Truck Race.
- Team that won the Truck Stop for that week.
- Team that earned the most money for that week.
- Team eliminated for that week.
^Note 1 : Dollar amounts went unannounced for The Middle Feast and The Gourmet Graduates in Week 2; however, Tyler Florence announced the differential between the two teams was $184. Keese said after the top 2 were announced that they "didn't even break $2,000".
^Note 2 : Dollar amounts went unannounced for Madres Mexican Meals and Military Moms in Week 3; however Florence announced that the difference was only $6.
^Note 3 : The Military Moms briefly mentioned counting "over $1000" before the show moved to the final results scene. Florence announced that their weekly earnings would be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.
^Note 4 : Dollar amounts for Madres Mexican Meals were not announced.
^Note 5 : Dollar amounts for Middle Feast and Beach Cruiser were not announced, but they were separated by $160.
^Note 6 : Although they visited 5 cities, they only sold in 2. They arrived in Tampa, recorded a commercial in Bonita Springs, sold to make their seed money in Naples, had the Truck Stop in Alligator Alley, Florida, and sold for two days in Key West.
Season 6: 2015
Truck Teams
In this season, all of the teams are professional food truck operators.[9] The winning team will earn $50,000 for their businesses. Seven truck teams are competing in the sixth season:
Diso's Italian Sandwich Society is from New York City, NY and serves fresh, quality Italian sandwiches. They were eliminated week 2 in Sedona, AZ for not being able to sell enough sausage dishes.
GD Bro Truck is from Orange County, CA and serves gourmet burgers and fries. They were eliminated week 5 in Tulsa, OK for not attracting enough costumers with their roadside attraction.
Pho Nomenal Dumplings is from Raleigh, NC and serves dumplings, pho, and sloppy joes. Despite their truck's engine failure, which forced them to rent a new one, they ended up winning the season and became the first all-girl team to win.
Postcards is from Los Angeles, CA and serves soul food. They were eliminated week 4 in Amarillo, TX for taking too long to prep, which cost them 2 hours.
Spice It Up is from Phoenix, AZ and serves international dishes. They were eliminated week 3 in Santa Fe, NM for not buying enough food, and having to close with 4 hours to go.
The Guava Tree Truck is from Dallas, TX and serves Cuban food. They were eliminated week 1 in Lake Havasu City, AZ because their generator blew, which delayed them from selling.
Waffle Love is from Provo, UT and serves waffle dishes. They became the runner-up for this season.
Truck Stops
The "Truck Stop" is an early challenge that gives an advantage to one truck in the main elimination challenge.
Week 1: The teams had to serve their twist on fish and chips. First team to get to 20 orders received an additional $500 for their till. Winner: Diso's Italian Sandwich Society
Week 2: The teams had to sell rattlesnake rabbit sausage dishes using pink jeeps as their food trucks. At 2pm that day, the competition ended, and they had to pay $100 for the sausage. Profits from selling the sausage dishes would be doubled. "Winner:" Spice It Up
Week 3: The teams had to create a dish using local peppers and other ingredients from the Santa Fe area. The winner would get $1000 for their till. Winner: Postcards
Week 4: This episode's truck stop had several parts to it. The teams were only given $50 of seed money, having to earn the rest by eating The Big Texan Steak Dinner Challenge: 72 oz of steak, a salad, a baked potato, three fried shrimp, and a dinner roll. Teams were given $50 if they ate all the sides and $200 if they finished the entire steak in 20 minutes. The first to finish was Pho-Nomenal Dumplings, followed by GD Bro, and Waffle Love. They received an extra $250 each. Postcards did not finish 11 oz of their steak and therefore only earned $150 for the steak and $50 for the sides. There were two additional contests. They had to create an extra steak dish to sell. The team that sold the most steak dishes would win an extra $500. Winner: GD Bro. The second contest was the steak dish was secretly judged by Bobby Lee, an owner of one of the biggest steak restaurants in Amarillo. The best steak dish also won an extra $500. Winner: Pho-Nomenal Dumplings.
Week 5: At a car show in Tulsa, the teams had 20 minutes to pitch a special dish to the attendees. Then each club member utilized a $25 chip to buy their preferred meal. Winner: Waffle Love.
Week 6: This final truck stop took place in St. Louis, MO. The teams were given chicken, ground beef, and pork steak and 90 minutes to create winning dishes for each. Judges were from Adam's Smokehouse in St. Louis. The winner got to sell 30 fewer dishes in Chicago, IL. Winner: Pho-Nomenal Dumplings.
Speed Bumps
Week 1: The teams had to close their doors by 8 p.m.
Week 2: None. There was an early quick fire challenge instead which consisted of the teams competing to get the most in sales from their signature dish. The winner got an hour advantage the next day.
Week 3, First Speed Bump: The teams were forced to go to the grocery store an hour before closing and get all of the food for their trucks for the entire weekend. They were not allowed to grocery shop again even if they sold out.
Week 3, Second Speed Bump: The teams were given spots next to each other at the Santa Fe Railyard Farmers Market and were required to stay until the farmers market closed.
Week 4: The teams were told that two of their team members had to go shopping for new supplies for 30 minutes while the last team member continued to run the food truck by themselves.
Week 5: The teams had their cell phones taken away from them and were required to have roadside attractions to market their trucks instead of utilizing social media.
Week 6: In Springfield, Illinois, the two teams were only allowed to collect $5 bills as the form of payment, requiring all dishes to be priced at either $5, $10, or $15. The final stop was in Chicago, Illinois. The final challenge was to sell 50 dishes customized to each neighborhood in Chinatown, Little Italy, and Greektown. After selling all 150 dishes (120 dishes in Pho Nomenal Dumplings' case), they had to be first across the finish line at Buckingham Fountain.
Results
| Truck | Week 1 Santa Monica Pier, CA & Lake Havasu City, AZ | Week 2 Flagstaff, AZ | Week 3 Santa Fe, NM | Week 4 Amarillo, TX | Week 5 Tulsa, OK | Week 6 St. Louis, MO, Springfield, IL, Chicago, IL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pho-Nomenal Dumplings | 6th ($2,318) | 5th2 | 3rd ($4,658) | 3rd ($12,310) | 2nd ($5,107) | WINNERS 6 | ||
| Waffle Love | 1st ($4,977) | 2nd ($4,864) | 1st ($5,017) | 2nd ($12,673) | 1st ($5,150) | RUNNERS-UP | ||
| GD Bro Truck | 3rd ($3,103) | 3rd ($3,470) | 4th ($4,654) | 1st ($13,124) | 3rd 5 | |||
| Postcards | 2nd ($3,215) | 4th ($3,209) | 2nd ($4,688)3 | 4th (~$9,893)4 | ||||
| Spice It Up | 5th ($2,643) | 1st ($5,279) | 5th ($4,574) | |||||
| Diso's Italian Sandwich Society | 4th ($2,955) | 6th2 | ||||||
| The Guava Tree Truck | 7th1 | |||||||
- Team that won The Great Food Truck Race.
- Team that won the Truck Stop for that week.
- Team that earned the most money for that week.
- Team eliminated for that week.
^Note 1 : Dollar amounts went unannounced for The Guava Tree Truck in week 1
^Note 2 : Dollar amounts went unannounced for Diso's Italian Sandwich Society and Pho Nomenal Dumplings in Week 2; however, Tyler Florence announced the differential between the two teams was $15.
^Note 3 : Would have been 1st place, but they incurred a $500 total fine for hitting a parked car to cover the deductible and for not taking ownership of the accident.
^Note 4 : Final amount for Postcards was not mentioned. However, Tyler did mention that this was the most revenue from all the food trucks garnered on any episode of this series with an amount of $48,000.
^Note 5 : Final amount for GD Bro was not mentioned.
^Note 6 : Pho-Nomenal Dumplings won despite having parked and sold their 50 Greektown plates two blocks away from the designated Greektown boundaries. They were required to go back and sell another 50 plates within the designated Greektown boundaries.
Season 7: 2016
Truck Teams
In this season, There are six teams and all of the teams are food trucking families. The Winners were Grilled Cheese All-Stars.
| Truck | Members | Hometown | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|
| BigMista's Fatty Wagon | Eric Lara Phyllis Strawder Neil Strawder | Long Beach, California | BBQ/Southern |
| Carretto Siciliano | Angelo Giaimo Paola Guadagnino Vinny Guadagnino | Staten Island, New York | Italian |
| Fortune Cooking | Julie Hill-Lin Tom Lin Tiffany Webster | Milford, Michigan Denver, Colorado | Asian Fusion |
| Grilled Cheese All-Stars (Winners) | Bryce Adams Charlie Kalish Michael Kalish | San Francisco, California San Diego, California | Grilled cheese |
| Lei-Away Leidies | Carey Ofahengaue Autumn Prescott Summer Prescott | Provo, Utah Laie, Hawaii | Hawaiian |
| Sweet Southern Soul | Tiffany Ermon Tikia Travis Kizzma Snoddy | Chicago, Illinois Atlanta, Georgia | Southern-soul comfort food |
See also
References
- ↑ "The Great Food Truck Race Episodes". Television Food Network G.P. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ↑ "Tyler Florence Interview". Tvsquad.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ↑ ""The Great Food Truck Race" Hits the Road with Fresh Cast of Food Truck Hopefuls and Landmark-Filled, Longest Route in Series History". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- ↑ "The Great Food Truck Race returns". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ Eells, Josh (August 8, 2010). "Food (Truck) Fight: Putting Griddle to the Metal". The New York Times.
- ↑ foodnetwork.com The Great Food Truck Race Team Bios
- ↑ Food Network website The Great Food Truck Race - Episode Archive
- ↑ "Looking For Food Trucks article". lookingforfoodtrucks.com. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
- ↑ "Host Tyler Florence on Season 6 of The Great Food Truck Race". Foodnetwork.com. Retrieved August 31, 2015.