It’s tricky to figure out how many food trucks are operating in Blount County. However, just the city of Maryville reports more than 35 are permitted to operate within city limits. There could be many more in the county.
But in 2024, when AJ Jenkins started telling his wife, Cristie, sons Jayden, 17, Caleb, 18, and Isaiah, 25, that he dreamed of starting a barbecue food truck, instead of thinking he was crazy, they jumped on board.
This was in spite of knowing that many studies suggest most food truck businesses fail in the first year.
Of course, they had been eating his barbecue for years and understood that food that good should be shared with others and that AJ had a better-than-average chance of success.
Caleb thinks he understands why barbecue is different from any other kind of food: “You put a little bit more heart into cooking barbecue,” he said as he lit the fire in the first of two smokers as the sun rose Friday morning.
But getting a food truck business started required more than a history of making good food.
There were the normal business requirements: limited liability corporation paperwork, business licenses, permits, insurance, a point-of-sale system and social media setup. But they also had to buy a specialized barbecue food truck from a company in Georgia that focuses on serving food truck businesses nationwide.
Another surprise was how high the fees are for setting up at events. Cristie said event fees range from $150 to $700 per event, which makes it even harder to break even.
But the biggest surprise was how little profit they could get from high-priced brisket.
“You try to shoot for 25 to 30 percent on food costs,” AJ said. “But with brisket it’s more like 50 percent.”
What’s their biggest week-to-week challenge?
“Knowing how much to bring for each event,” Cristie said. “And you’re never going to know. You have to guess and hope that people will show up.”
But they do have a rule of thumb.
“We’ll usually go through two briskets a day,” AJ said. “We’ve had one brisket and ran out, but did three and didn’t sell enough. Two seems to be the magic number.”
But a whole 15-pound packer brisket can cost anywhere from $80 to $120 each from the processor.
Food costs are not the only overhead. There is debt payment on the trailer, which can cost anywhere from $85,000 to $200,000 for a fully equipped, custom-fitted truck or trailer. Despite these challenges, AJ and Cristie admit business is getting better every month.
“(AJ’s) the best we’ve eaten,” said Greenback native George Tipton as he waited for his food Saturday at Pope’s Nursery.
This relationship with his customers is payment enough for AJ.
“They’ve become friends — almost like family,” AJ said. “We look forward to seeing them every time. They get excited about it; we get excited about seeing them.”
