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Rolling Indulgence ready to roll for real following The Great Food Truck Race

While the Dayton trio behind Rolling Indulgence didn't win the $50,000 first place prize in season 10 of The Great Food Truck Race, they are looking forward to launching their food truck in the next few weeks.

Travis Day, Drew Ballard and Jess Sarra purchase supplies during The Great Food Truck Race.

August 14, 2019 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

When the Rolling Indulgence food truck transformed from dream to reality for season 10 of The Great Food Truck Race, the aspiring team of Drew Ballard, Jess Sarra and Travis Day couldn't have been happier. They finally had their chance to put their skills to work in an actual food truck, courtesy of the Food Network.

And while they didn't win the $50,000 first place prize, as described in part one of this two-part series, the trio are nonetheless looking forward to launching their food truck in the next few weeks.

Jess Sarra and Drew Ballard prepare orders in their food truck.

"We found an investor who loves the Rolling Indulgence concept and who is willing to put their trust and funds in our hands," Ballard told Food Truck Operator. 

The three plan to keep their jobs at Carvers Steak & Chops in Dayton, Ohio, for the time being, subcontracting out the work on the truck. "The plan is to serve as much as possible," Ballard said. "We are keeping our day jobs for now, but if Rolling takes off, then our goal will be to work full time on our brand and dream."

"The truck came pre-built, was used for catering events prior, some equipment was pre-installed, and I added a lot," he said, not wishing to divulge financial information. The truck has a flat top grill, a fryer, a seven-foot cooler, two stoves, a four-burner stove, a freezer, shelves, two milkshake machines, a hood system, a three-compartment sink, a hand washing sink, a prep table, a cold well with a cutting board and a microwave oven. 

The regular menu will consist of burgers stuffed with butters, cheeses and blended seasonings; hand cut fries loaded with oils, herbs and cheeses; and milkshakes. There will also be a fine dining menu for private events.

Lessons learned on TV

The Great Food Truck Race taught the trio a great deal about operating a food truck.

From the first contest on the beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, they lived their food truck day in and day out, trying to outsell the other eight teams which were just as committed to making their food truck dream a reality. 

"We all had to learn from scratch," Day said. "It was extremely difficult."

The network matched each team with a truck from its fleet based on the teams' food truck presentations. The trucks were equally equipped with fryers, flat top grills, coolers and steam wells. There were no freezers, ovens or POS systems. The network provided graphic wraps to distinguish the trucks based on the team input. 

For the first three episodes, the competing trucks served customers on the same designated East Coast beaches. While they didn't have to scrounge for locations, these contests were challenging since all the trucks were competing at the same location.

"Those weeks were really tough for us," Ballard said regarding the first three episodes. "As a guest, you're looking at nine different brands sitting in front of you. It was brand versus brand. That was a valuable lesson for us because that's when we learned that we have to focus on our brand. We can't be confused on our menu. It was locking in a brand."

Menu adjustments

The original Rolling Indulgence concept was a 1950s diner with nine menu items — five entrees, three sides and two appetizers. But given the number of customers they had to serve in a limited time period, the team pared the menu to three items.

Once they began serving customers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the most popular item was the Monte Cristo sandwich, which they soon realized took too long to prepare. "It was so popular for us that we couldn't keep up on them at all," Ballard said. "We actually had to nix the Monte Cristo."

They replaced it with a funnel cake cup with fruit sauces inside which they could prepare and serve under three minutes. The dessert item sold for $8 or $9. "They were really successful," Ballard said. "The menu changed throughout the entire season of the show," he said. "We learned something new each day."

Week two took place at Hilton Head, South Carolina, a higher income area, so the team was able to raise the prices. Rolling Indulgence won third place that week.

Week three took them to Daytona, Florida. The public response was not strong, which required the team to go out to find customers. Fortunately, their persuasive skills were up to the task, and Rolling Indulgence won first place in Daytona. "It was because of the hustle and the determination," Ballard said.

In week four, in Tampa, the six remaining trucks were responsible for finding their own locations. This proved to be the most difficult part of the competition, Ballard said. It took of as many as 300 calls to get five or six "yeses." When soliciting locations, they were not permitted to mention that it was for the show.

"We weren't paying them anything or giving anything in return," Day said. "We literally had to teach ourselves what these cities (most popular places) were," Ballard said. They also had to get permits from local authorities.

Fort Myers, Florida, week five, brought them their best location — a brewery, which brought in 200 to 300 customers in a four-hour window. The brewery even promoted Rollinig Indulgence on its social media. "We literally never saw the end of our lines the whole time," Day said. Rolling Indulgence won second place.

Week six took them to Fort Lauderdale, a city with a lot of established food trucks. Finding locations proved difficult, but Rolling Indulgence made the cut.

Week seven was in Miami, which does not allow food trucks on public streets. The team fell $72 short of winning the right to continue in the competition.

While they didn't win the $50,000 first place prize, the experience reinforced their passion to make Rolling Indulgence a real business. The competition taught them a lot about menu planning, branding, soliciting locations and customer service

"This is such a neat and amazing industry we have and we want to build it as much as we can," Ballard said.

Pictures courtesy of The Food Network.
 

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.