Haitian food trucks take off across America

Every small business owner hopes for a moment of recognition to launch their business into the stratosphere. Food truck owners are no different. They wait for likes on social media, a positive review from the local newspaper, or a meal eaten by a performer and his opening act. 

This is why comedians Trevor Noah and Will Sylvince dropping by the Bon Fritay Haitian food truck so delighted its owners, Dafney Tales-Lafortune and her husband, Andre, in March. Their truck makes the rounds in the  Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill areas of North Carolina.

When Tales-Lafortune saw the comedians would be in the area, she direct-messaged Sylvince. 

“‘Hey, I’m a big fan. You’re a Haitian. We got Haitian food. We need to feed you,’” she remembers writing. “So if you’re interested, please call.’” 

“Sure enough, he did!”

Food trucks serving Haitian cuisine have followed the popular explosion of mobile fast food in general.

Mobile cuisine, everything from baked goods to fried zucchini, are changing the way Americans eat out and the types of food Amerians consume. 

More than 32,000 food trucks found across the United States are serving a myriad of culturally-based foods — successfully — according to IBISWorld, an industry research firm. The industry’s revenue increased 13.3% to $2.2 billion from 2018 to 2023, while employees increased similarly in number  with more than 54,000 employed, the researchers found.

That desire to find new and unique foods is part of the food truck success story, with 47% of U.S. consumers saying they eat street food because it offers flavors and cuisines not available in traditional restaurants, according to a 2016 Statista report.

And Haitian cuisine, according to numerous food truck owners interviewed, is one type of cuisine attracting customers and followers, who are not just Haitian.

The diverse population of North Carolina’s Research Triangle area, for example, has hit over 2 million.

However, only a few hundred residents are of Haitian ancestry, according to Zip Atlas, though this may be due to a census undercount.

The March visit to Bon Fritay was the first time that Noah, born in South Africa, ate Haitian food. It happened after Tales-Lafortune sent Sylvince a menu. He, Noah and two colleagues then went to the truck after a performance and enjoyed diri djon djon and other Haitian delicacies. The fried fish was the star, Tales-Lafortune noted.

“People are just excited to try this food because it’s just so new to North Carolina,” she said about Noah and local residents. “That part of it has been a blessing because we haven’t had to struggle to find a customer base.” 

Food trucks’ rapid growth draws Haitian entrepreneurs 

Food trucks are one of the fastest growing segments of the food service industry, according to Gitnux, a market research website. The niche attracts various types of entrepreneurs, with 38% owned by immigrants and 30% by women. Neither formal or higher education are required to own and operate a truck.  

Food truck owners make between $24,000 and $153,000 per year, according to ToastTab, a financial services company for the food service industry.

Reggie Desamour, owner of Caribbean Taste in Appleton, Wis., started his food truck in 2019 after a career in radiology. Like other food truck owners, he had a few challenges. At first, people didn’t know what the menu items were. Then, the pandemic made it really hard to find supplies. And, as his business grew, he needed more employees.  

But in 2022, Desamour expanded it into a brick and mortar space with an outdoor patio and stage area. It’s called Area 509, riffing on Haiti’s country code. He rents the space, hosts Haitian celebrations around Flag Day and Ouanaminthe Fest and has branched out to include international activities like Octoberfest.

Desamour, too, relies on a small community of Haitian-food devotees within Appleton, 90-minutes north of urbanized Milwaukee and Madison. Its total population of 75,000 is mostly white. Many of Desamour’s customers enjoy his secret recipe for mac n’cheese.

And like his colleagues in the industry, he has used social media to announce pop-up locations, events and new menu offerings — a characteristic that has generally contributed to the industry’s rapid growth.

Starting up a food truck 

To start a food truck isn’t cheap but significantly less expensive than a brick and mortar restaurant. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported in Food Truck Nation that food truck startups average $50,000 to $100,000 with an average of $28,276 to purchase required permits. Most locales also require a business license, truck registration, a food-service license and a constant meeting of health and safety standards. 

Denver, Indianapolis and Philadelphia are cities where efforts to obtain permits and licenses were the simplest, with Denver requiring only 10. Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Boston were the most complex with Boston requiring 32, according to the Chamber’s report.

Local regulations for an already busy entrepreneur may slow the industry’s growth by creating high barriers to entry, the business organization warns. 

And there are other efforts required.

 “The physical demand was something we had to build up to,” Tales-Lafortune said, acknowledging other food truck challenges. “Plus, [Haitian] cuisine is so complex and how it’s prepared is way more time consuming than your average burger truck.” 

Roody Salvator, owner of Makaya Caterers, was proud of his many five-star reviews on Google and acknowledged the difficulties he had starting up in Salt Lake City, where the Haitian population is around 500, according to ZipAtlas. 

“Not a lot of people in Utah are, what I would call, adventurous,” said Salvator, who came to Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the Latter Day Saints, the religion he was introduced to by Haitian missionaries.

Ninety percent of his food truck and catering clientele are non-Haitian, he said. But the people who have ventured out of their comfort zones to try his cooking, have repeatedly returned over the six years he’s been in business.

Salvator’s objective is to have a restaurant. He’s developed menu items to which he added his Haitian influence, like his breakfast burrito, which is a hot seller. Were he to have more clients who were more daring in their food choices, he recognizes he’d already be cooking in a brick and mortar location. 

Family influences drive decisions

Many owners acknowledge family influences, specifically their mothers, on deciding to make a living from Haitian food. 

“My mother insisted we all know how to cook,” said Salvator.

So did Desamour’s mother, who ensured her daughters and sons learned how to both cook and clean.

Same with André Lafortune, who was formerly in the medical industry. His mother, Anna, has even said to him, he’s surpassed her in his cooking, Tales-Lafortune said. 

Nahika Hillery, owner of Kreyòl Korner in Austin, gave credit to both her parents. They threw a lot of parties when she and her siblings were younger, working side by side. Her mom did the cooking and her dad, the hosting, entertaining, mixing drinks and playing music. 

Hillery was born in Massachusetts but named her food truck, Straight Otta Okap, for the Haitian city, Cap-Haitien, from which her parents hail.

Facing fierce competition 

Food trucks compete against each other, restaurants and even grocery stores. It’s the reason so many owners diversify their businesses as soon as possible.

After a good five-year run with the food truck, Hillery expanded to Cook Unity, a nation-wide platform through which chefs offer fresh, fully-cooked meals delivered to their clients’ homes. As the platform’s first Haitian chef, she set up kitchens to serve the states of Washington, Georgia and Texas, training personnel to cook her recipes for delivery to clients’ front doors.

Hillery continues to offer corporate and special occasion catering, keeps the food truck side of her business alive, pushes into authoring food blogs and participates in cooking competitions whenever possible.

“I would love to teach how to make traditional Haitian staples, but also [teach] kitchen foundations, and how to shop for your kitchen, how to organize your kitchen and so forth,” Hillery said, a former medical industry and education professional. 

“The food truck was definitely the stepping stone to everything else I’m doing,” she said. “This was more like a passion for me, a passion project that turned into a career choice.”