Grease trucks
The Grease Trucks are a group of truck-based food vendors located on the College Avenue campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They are known for serving, among other things, "Fat Sandwiches", a sub roll containing an ensemble of ingredients such as burgers, cheese, chicken fingers, French fries, mozzarella sticks, gyro meat, bacon, etc.
In August 2004, Maxim Magazine named the "Fat Darrell," a sandwich invented by a student named Darrell Butler and commonly served by these trucks, the top sandwich in the nation.[1] The Grease Trucks have become an integral part of campus culture, serving as a meeting and hangout spot. The Grease Trucks were named the number one post game activity in the country by Sports Illustrated On Campus in 2005, in spite of being on the other side of the river from Rutgers Stadium.
History
Starting in the early 1980s, food trucks licensed by the city of New Brunswick parked along College Avenue, most clustered near Voorhees Mall, where there is a high concentration of classroom buildings on the campus. A few were as far north as Brower Commons, about a quarter mile away (thus competing with eateries in the student center and dining hall). Students and visitors alike could obtain a quick, hot, inexpensive meal during events and between classes. The trucks became known as "the Grease Trucks" due to the popularity of fried foods served. A nearby Somerset Street greasy spoon restaurant, "Greasy Tony's", closed by eminent domain in the early 1990s, was part of the local popularity of food-related "grease"-based names of the time.
Since fresh food was prepared on the trucks, they required power for refrigeration, and therefore either idled or ran gasoline generators. In the early 1990s, in an effort to reduce the noise, pollution, and visual blight along College Avenue, as the trucks obstructed the view of Voorhees Mall, the trucks were prohibited from parking along the thoroughfare, and Rutgers provided a corner of a faculty parking lot (#8) across the street. The vendors were put under contract with the university, which provided the trucks with space and electricity. Some trucks were open during the day, and others in the evening, with a couple of hours of overlap around dinner time. The trucks would rotate positions within the lot monthly, so that no one vendor would receive a competitive advantage based on location.
At the time of the move, the university planned for a courtyard setting in the lot with benches and tables to create a friendly, aesthetic environment, but none of these plans came to fruition for nearly twenty years. The Grease Trucks, coincidentally located next to Union Street, the home of the majority of Rutgers' fraternity and sorority houses, were originally open 24 hours a day at this location, and shortly after the local bars closed would become a site for many hungry customers and a sort of after-party. The parking lot became strewn with garbage, and there were complaints of frequent fighting, noise and public urination. A closing time of 3 A.M. was mandated in 1996 to coincide with the bar closings, and two years later was changed to 2 A.M., when the bar closing time was altered by the city.
In the early 2000s several trucks were bought out and consolidated to a single fixed food trailer ("The Scarlet Shack") which is at the center of the remaining trucks, as seen in the photograph above. Phone and internet orders, acceptance of credit cards and the Rutgers University food card (Knight Express) are features which have been added over the years, as well as an ATM.
There are similar food trucks at Rutgers' and NJIT's Newark campus. Four are located on Warren street. The variety of food offered by the trucks at this campus is expanding. The future of the New Brunswick Grease Trucks is uncertain as Rutgers' master plan includes a building at the location of lot 8.
Grease Truck cuisine
Typical grill fare is available at the Grease Trucks, but most popular are the "fat" sandwiches composed of permutations of fried foods, beef, cheese, pork roll, fried eggs, chicken, and various condiments. They supposedly originated in the 1970s when a local restaurant served a sandwich called the "Fat Cat," consisting of two cheeseburgers, French fries, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and ketchup, all combined, on a bun. The Grease Trucks are also notable for offering many types of Mediterranean food, such as gyros, falafel, hummus, on pita. Also occasionally or formerly available were baba ghanouj, grape leaves, mjudara, and spinach pies. These choices came about because many of the vendors had come from Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon and Egypt. These home-made healthier options were welcome for those not desiring the large number of calories which accompany fried foods. Other commonly available items include eggs, soup, gum, chips, cookies, muffins, and even home-made rice krispies treats. As some trucks are open in the morning, breakfast grill items and bagels are also often available.
Fat sandwich popularity and naming controversy
In addition to the Fat Cat, other fat sandwiches served by the Grease Trucks through their early history were the "Fat Moon," "Fat Koko," and "Fat Sam."
The "Fat Cat" would remain the #1 selling fat sandwich until 1997 when a student named Darrell W. Butler created the "Fat Darrell," consisting of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, French fries, and marinara sauce.[2] Butler says in his own words, as reported in USA Today: "Like the typical college student, I was pretty much broke. I had been craving chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and French fries all week long but I knew that I didn't have enough money to buy all three. I talked the guy behind the counter into putting them all onto a piece of bread for me. I guess it sounded like a good idea because the next 10 or so people all asked for the same thing."[3] Since the creation of the "Fat Darrell," dozens of additional Fat Sandwich combinations have been composed, mostly by customer suggestions. Seemingly every combination of these ingredients are available in variously named "fat" sandwiches, including multiple vegetarian options. Fat sandwiches, as popularized at the Grease Trucks, are now also available throughout the many short-order eateries and pizza places in and around New Brunswick.
Sandwiches with colorful names such as the "Fat Balls," "Fat Dyke," "Fat Fucking Drunk," "Fat Philipino," [sic] "Fat Bastard," "Fat Fellatio," and "Fat Bitch" were deemed offensive by Rutgers, and in 2005 the vendors agreed to change the names on the posted menus to maintain their contracts to do business on Rutgers property.[4] Some students expressed outrage at the university's censorship, but others defended the logic behind the request for name changes. [5]
In popular culture
The Grease Trucks were the featured location in episode 19 of Man v. Food season 2. Host Adam Richmond attempted the "Fat Sandwich Challenge" at the R.U. Hungry? truck, in which eating five fat sandwiches in 45 minutes allows you to name a new sandwich on the menu, but he was able to finish only 4 1/2 in the time frame.