Editor’s Note: Quotes provided by Anibal Ramos from Tacos Wey 561 have been translated from Spanish to English for clarity purposes.

Food trucks around the United States have been on the rise for the past 5 years. According to a study from the IBIS World, which provides industry research worldwide, food trucks have seen a 15.9% increase since 2019, with over 58,063 businesses around the U.S. 

In the state of Florida, these businesses have grown in popularity, with many appearing around the Boca Raton and Delray Beach area. The University Press spoke with four local food trucks around Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton community. 

Cheffrey Eats, Boca Raton 

Voted the best burgers in South Florida in 2024 by the Sun Sentinel, Cheffrey Eats offers unique burgers and tasty wings, developing weekly and monthly specialty dishes such as October’s “PB&J wings,” and December’s Tostone Bunned Burger, “The 305.” 

The truck is situated outside of the Barrel of Monks brewery located a quick ten minute drive from FAU’s Boca Raton campus in between Clint Moore Road and Congress Avenue. After opening in 2016, the truck found success in providing a unique twist to classic bar foods, such as wings and burgers, creating items that can only be found at their location.

Jeffrey Lemmerman, the owner of the business, shared that the idea for the food truck came after working as an executive chef in various restaurants around the South Florida region. 

“I worked at a couple kitchens throughout the years, and I wanted to start my own business, and the only way I could afford to do so was with a food truck,” he said.

In 2023, the truck was featured in an episode of Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” which highlights popular food vendors around the U.S. Fieri tried Cheffrey’s “Barnyard Burger,” which he said in the episode was “R-rated for Ridiculous,” a phrase he uses for some of the best dishes he tries. 

Lemmerman believes that one of the most difficult parts about opening a food truck was building a clientele.

“When you open a food truck and you’re traveling, it is very hard to build a business because of the lack of consistency because you are driving around everywhere,” he said. 

From their menu, Lemmerman recommends that anyone new to his work should try the French Onion burger.

“It’s what we are known for, it’s what dubbed us the best burgers in South Florida. So if you’re coming here, I recommend getting it — it’ll be the best burger of your life,” he said.

Tacos Wey 561, Boca Raton 

Having opened their first mobile location in March of 2021, Tacos Wey 561 is a street taco chain with locations in east and west Boca, West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. Their closest storefront is located inside of the Mobil Mart right outside of the Glades road entrance to FAU’s Boca Raton campus — a short two minute drive away from campus. 

The business’s food truck location is located right off Yamato Road in Boca Raton, 15 minutes away from FAU’s Boca Raton Campus.

Anibal Ramos has worked at Tacos Wey 561’s food truck for the past three years. He shares that all locations of the chain offer authentic Mexican street food, including their specialty, “Quesatacos,” a corn tortilla filled with cheese and meat of your choice which is offered for $4 a piece. 

Ramos explains that his favorite part about working for Tacos Wey 561 has been serving his community. 

“What I am the most proud of is to be able to cook and to provide a pleasurable experience for guests — seeing them happy to enjoy their meals,” he said. 

Although Tacos Wey 561 offers a wide range of authentic Mexican plates, Ramos says that he recommends the burritos and the “Gorditas,” a Mexican corn cake filled with meat, cheese and other customizable ingredients which is offered for $4.50.

Tacos Wey 561 also offers tacos, for $3.50 a piece, burritos for $13.50, and quesadillas for $15. For drinks, the truck offers Jarritos, Mexican sodas that come in flavors like mandarin, lime, fruit punch, horchata, an authentic Mexican drink made from milk, sugar, and drained rice, topped with cinnamon, and Agua de Jamaica, or hibiscus tea, all for $3.50 each.

The Picnic, Delray Beach 

Situated six minutes from Delray Beach and 25 minutes from campus, The Picnic is a standalone food truck that offers a wide variety of options for “trendy” food lovers. 

From tacos to paninis, The Picnic focuses on providing a unique food truck experience to guests, offering seating options as well as delivery and pick-up. 

Daniel Herrera, longtime employee and main cook at The Picnic, shares his favorite part about working on a food truck.

“We can move around and we can go literally anywhere, so that’s the best part of working on a food truck,” he said.

The Picnic also offers a latin twist to some of their dishes, offering tacos, guava and cheese tequeño and chicharron, which is latin style pork belly. 

Herrera recommends that new customers try their four most popular dishes, sharing a specified order of his recommendations.

“I would have to say the paninis, the burritos, the quesadillas and then the tacos — in that order,” he said. 

Items on the menu range from $6.99 for their corn on the cob topped with Mexican cream, Monterey jack cheese, queso fresco, and chili tajin, to $13.99 for their set of three grilled steak tacos served with fresh cilantro, onions, and aji, a latin hot sauce, on the side. 

After being with The Picnic for two and a half years, Herrera feels that the best part about working for The Picnic has been his ability to reach a variety of customers and fulfill their orders. 

Twisted Hippie Kitchen, Boca Raton and Delray Beach

After working in food service for eight years, Bailey Tchell decided to open up his own business, Twisted Hippie Kitchen, a food truck that offers a variety of seafood and gourmet style bar food, from lobster rolls to onion rings. Mitchell shares that starting up the Twisted Hippie came out of his love for cooking. 

“I’ve been cooking for other people for eight years now, and I wanted to do something I’ve always loved and I decided to open up a food truck,” he said.

Mitchell shares that running a food truck has allowed him the freedom to move his business however he wants.

“The luxury of being able to go where I want and being able to book whatever events I want when I want,” he said.

Although the truck doesn’t have a consistent location, it is always within the Boca Raton or Delray Beach area, which they share through weekly Instagram posts with a schedule of their stops. 

Twisted Hippie offers dishes from burgers and fries to lobster and crab rolls, which Mitchell hopes appeals to a wider variety of people.

For new and “untwisted” hippies, Mitchell recommends the “Far-Out” lobster rolls, which are topped with buttery garlic drizzle and served with fries or chips of your choosing. The roll, which is sold for $23, is on the pricier side of the Twisted Hippie’s menu. Burgers on the other hand are offered anywhere from $12-$15, and Mitchell’s specialty, “The Hendrix,” chicken sandwich for $17.

Gabriela Quintero is the Student Life Editor for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, you can contact Quintero at [email protected]