SWFL potato-infused food truck owners relish quick success

If you spot a red-and-black food truck reminiscent of a 1970s International Harvester in Southwest Florida, get ready for a unique dining experience. 

Jonathon Simpson and Hunter Busch launched their Taterz food truck about seven months ago with potatoes the star of their menu.

“We went with it because the potato is so versatile,” says Simpson, 31. “We do so many different types of cuisines with it, and we decided to hit the market with something that was unique in town.”

After Simpson and Busch, 33, purchased the eye-catching trailer a year and a half ago, they developed their spuds-centric focus by researching and testing what other food trucks in the area were serving. The business partners invested about $25,000 into starting their Fort Myers–based food truck operation.

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Customers can choose a baked potato, mashed potatoes or tater tots as their base, then load it up with everything from fried chicken, cheese, bacon, corn, and gravy to blackened shrimp, lump crab and scampi butter. There’s just one thing the truck doesn’t do.

“Everybody in town does a barbecue-style baked potato,” says Simpson. “I love barbecue potatoes too, but we don’t offer it on our truck because everybody else already does. We wanted to show, hey, you can do anything else with a baked potato; you don’t just have to put barbecue on top of it.”

Taterz has been growing a following through appearances around the Lee County region at communities like Babcock Ranch, area breweries and private events throughout Southwest Florida. The truck’s Facebook and Instagram pages let folks know where it will be next.

“We opened up right as Season was ending, but our first month was great and we have had some really fun events,” says Simpson. “We’ve also made some new regulars that now seek us out. Since we have opened, we have sold more than $20,000, but it has come with a lot of learning. Not all venues and gigs are worth opening our window for, which has cost us.”

Both Simpson and Busch are putting their past restaurant experience to use with their new venture. Busch has been a kitchen manager for Southwest Florida restaurants like Three Fishermen Seafood Restaurant and Pinchers. Simpson started in the restaurant industry at age 16 and has worked at Red-n-Margie’s as a bar back, dishwasher, and back-of-house staff; cooked at places like Perkins, Bob Evans, and Pinchers; and worked as a sous chef at Ariani Ristorante Italiano in Cape Coral. He later moved into front-of-house roles after having a family. 

“It just feels really good to be able to take some of my culinary skills and put it out there and produce food relatively quickly that people can enjoy,” says Simpson. “We wanted to make sure we gave good bang for the buck, and I feel that’s what we do.”

Operating a new food truck isn’t without challenges. It can get pretty hot inside; Simpson says it was about 125 degrees in the truck during a recent event. “But we were just doing it, staying busy and staying hydrated,” he says.

It’s also a small space in which to operate, so liking your coworkers is key. “I'm glad to have Hunter as a partner,” says Simpson. “In the food truck business, you have to have a good team, and we’re able to run our truck with just two people…We can keep the food moving and cooking as long as it’s a good system that we have set up.”

That system includes plenty of prep work and shopping before serving customers and requires good time management and organizational skills. “It’s not just oh, go in the truck and cook the food,” says Simpson. Selling out is always a good thing, but it’s better to do that toward the end of an event than too early in the day. 

Simpson and Busch also opted for a menu that doesn’t overwhelm customers. “We keep our menu relatively small, so we don’t have people trying to guess out of 25 items what they’re going to get,” says Simpson. “We offer eight items on the truck; it keeps it simple and keeps our flow going quicker.”

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Taterz is currently a part-time business for the two. Simpson also bartends at Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill and Busch works for a plumbing company. But they hope to grow the business and help bring others into the industry.

“I do hope that in the future, we can make it bigger,” says Simpson. “My goal when I wrote the business plan was to hopefully get another trailer to expand to where I can bring other people who want to get into the food truck industry up and maybe help them.”

He knows it’s a leap that’s not without risks, but he and Busch are learning as they go along and are willing to share their experience with others. “For anybody who wants to get into the food truck industry, don’t be scared,” says Simpson. “Just do the research and stick to it. There’s going to be some hard days, but just push through it. At the end of the day, you’re doing it for yourself and you’re building a brand.

“Getting into the market is hard, but we’ve been able to book ourselves out for the next two months with almost three gigs a week every week,” he continues. “There’s potential for more people to come into the market, just as long as they’re offering something unique and have good customer service. It’s a fun little business to get into in this area.”