High diesel prices are impacting Colorado food truck owners
The average cost for a gallon of diesel was up to $6.04 recently, which was down from a record high a little more than two weeks ago. Despite the slight dip, the high costs are still having a big impact on food truck operators.
Diesel is a significant part of the costs of owning a food truck. Some food trucks are run on diesel, while other food trucks are hauled by diesel trucks.
Machetes Gourmet, which opened in 2020, is known for its tortillas from scratch and 20-inch machetes.
"Technically it's a quesadilla, but we call it a machete. It's our culture in Mexico City," owner Jossy Flores told CBS Colorado.
Pain at the pump has led to headaches for her business.
"We feel so stressful," Flores said.
Like many, she pulls her food truck with a diesel truck. Johnny Rivera, who owns Johnny Boy Eatz, operates the same way as Flores. He started his business in 2021.
"These are Pueblo green chile spicy beef and cheese that we're frying right now," said Rivera, as he showed CBS Colorado his homemade Puerto Rican empanadas.
Generators that fuel the trucks also run on gas or diesel. Rising costs are now impacting owners' bottom lines. Rivera said, due to the high costs, he fills up the generator with gas now but used to use diesel.
"This year, it's definitely, I would say, almost tripled, but it's definitely doubled for sure the cost," Rivera said.
Fuel is a big part of Rivera's daily expenses too. He drives from Colorado Springs to Denver every day.
"I bring my business to Denver because this is where the money is at. We've cracked the code where we have our home recipes, and due to the flavor and the consistency and the culture behind the empanadas, we're able to charge what we charge," Rivera said. "But it's almost $300 to fill up three times a week. That's $900 a week minimum to fill up."
Food trucks are always on the go too.
"We use our truck for everything," Flores said. "We have to go to the stores and get everything. We have to drive everywhere to pick it up, every single item."
They're also traveling to different locations and events.
"Like the Pueblo Chile Festival, we went all the way down to Pueblo for the whole weekend, came right back up after the weekend," Rivera said. "So it is thousands of dollars every single month to operate Johnny Boy Eatz by pulling the food truck."
Food truck owners are hoping they don't have to drive up menu prices. For now, Johnny Boy Eatz is eating the costs.
"I just can't see myself raising the prices just because the cost of living is going up, just because the diesel is going up," Rivera said.
"We want to families and everyone to come and to enjoy our food," Flores said. "That's why we are not increasing price for right now. But, if it increases too much, I don't know what will do."
