Design

Best Food Trucks of 2013

New to the competition, these epic foodservice rides reflect a hot trend

Published

11 years ago

September 24, 2013

Steve Aust Signs of the Times October 2013 Issue

FIRST PLACE

Fabricator
Gatorwraps Inc.
Ontario, CA
(909) 390-1020
www.gatorwraps.com

Designer
Juell Villarreal

Installers
Omar Paz
Armando Rodriguez

Client
Waff-N-Roll

I admit, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to waffles. I put them horizontally on a plate and spread butter
and pour syrup on top. If I’m feeling adventurous, I put blueberries in them. Period. But, apparently waffles have gained trendy status as anything from a fried-chicken sidekick to “bread” for panini-style sandwiches. Gatorwraps helped the proprietors of Waff-N-Roll, which offers waffles with fillings such as pulled pork and smoked turkey and havarti cheese, maximize sales with this rockin’ wrap, which Villarreal completed in Photoshop.

The wrap, which spans approximately 500 sq. ft. and includes 11 panels, was printed on a Mutoh ValueJet 1614 solvent-ink printer with 3M Controltac with Comply air-release media. SAI’s Flexi 10 RIP software ensured color fidelity. Felt-tipped, vinyl squeegees and torches helped Paz and Rodriguez get the food truck rolling.

SECOND PLACE

Fabricator
Gatorwraps
Designer
Juell Villarreal

Installers
Omar Paz
Armando Rodriguez

Client
Sexy Burger

Sexy sells, so they say. Burgers may not seem the ideal conduit for conjuring the powers of Eros … hmmm, Scarlett Johansson and Olivia Wilde sensually nibbling on the same quarter-pounder… OK, it works. Villarreal’s design departs from the skull art and fiery colors depicted on many such trucks, and the cool-blue and subtly gleaming purple add to the truck’s come-hither appeal as it rides the streets of Orange County, CA. The truck’s wrap was produced with 3M air-release media on the shop’s Mutoh ValueJet printer.

THIRD PLACE

Fabricator/Installer
Signfarm
Nokesville, VA
(703) 753-0899
www.signfarm.com

Designer
Scott E. Lewczak

Client
Crab Cab

Crab Cab only began serving lump-meat crab and shrimp sandwiches to seafood lovers in the Washington, D.C. area on July 8, and Lewczak’s playful wrap design will certainly help draw customers eager to eat and forget about the Capital City’s rancorous partisanship. He began the process by wiping the truck down with denatured alcohol and applying Primer 94 to areas that required more adhesion. He crafted his crustacean concept using Adobe Photoshop, and printed the wrap with 3M Controltac with Comply air-release material on a Mimaki JV3-160SP solvent-ink printer. To protect the wrap from the elements, he applied his proprietary, clearcoat mixture, and cured it to the RV’s surface with Infratech heat lamps.

HONORABLE MENTION

Fabricator
Corr Digital
St. Augustine, FL
(904) 940-8500
www.corrdigital.com

Designer
Brandon Clark

Installers
Chad Castro
Richard Vogel

Client
Alexis Montanez

Selling Price
$5,300

HONORABLE MENTION

Fabricator
Signs Now #365
Columbia, SC
(803) 376-4208
www.signsnow-columbiasc.com

Designer
Mathew John

Installer
Eric Scheper

Client
Pawley’s Front Porch

Selling Price
$4,500

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