'Hot, Fast, Cheap and Easy' in a Food Cart
Bella Bites Cafe will be serving area residents sometime this month, said owner Mike Hurst.
Photos
During a trip to Seattle, WA, Spotsylvania County resident Mike Hurst said he saw a line of people waiting to get a taste of fresh donuts that a guy was making under a tent and an idea popped in his head.
"He was busy the whole time I was there," Hurst said.
Hurst said he asked his wife, Katie, "Why can't we get a food truck?"
At the time, Hurst was commuting back and forth to Alexandria and the drive was started to pull him away from valuable time with his wife and their new baby, Isabella Rose.
Then while watching the Food Network, the couple watched an episode of The Great Food Truck Race and the rest is history.
"That sealed it for us," Hurst said. "It's the next phase of dining and eating."
Instead of buying an actual food truck, Hurst saved money by retrofitting a trailer into a mobile kitchen that he will pull with his truck. After 20 years in the restaurant business, Hurst said he was ready to go at it on his own.
"Everything is brand new and custom built and I can cater with it," he said. Two chefs who he want to high school with at T.C. Williams in Alexandria helped him with the menu and pricing.
Hurst said he wants the food to be fresh and as local as possible. He will offer chicken, pork, beef and shrimp spiedies, hamburger sliders, tacos and tostada taco salad, jerk salad, chicken, beef, pork and shrimp skewers, veggie burgers and a veggie skewer. He plans to purchase seafood from B&G Seafood and is seeking out local produce.
The business motto is, "Hot, Fast, Cheap and Easy, Good Food for Good People."
Hurst said he isn't sure he will immediately do business in Fredericksburg, citing the higher meals tax of 6 percent and the lower threshold for a business license than surrounding communities. For example, Spotsylvania County has a 4 percent meals tax and requires a business license only if the business has annual gross receipts over $200,000. Fredericksburg requires a business license for any business that has annual gross receipts above $50,000 to $200,000 at a rate of 20 cents per $100 of gross receipts over $50,000.
"I would love to stay local and build up a weekly clientele and then maybe on weekends venture out to different parts of the state," Hurst said.
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Debby Girvan
10:08 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The City of Fredericksburg requires a business license for any/all businesses operating within the city regardless of income.
Dan Telvock
10:14 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Debby, BPOL.
Debby Girvan
10:27 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Yes, BPOL tax applies to businesses generating over $50K but all businesses must purchase a business license to legally operat in the city- article implies businesses below threshold do not require licenses - see second to last paragraph.
Debby Girvan
10:31 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
And yes, meals tax in the city is getting too high- people do notice. Sales tax + meals tax in the Burg= 11%. NYC= 8.75%.
1Ronald
11:52 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Replace those big, big city owned SUVs with Ford Fiestas.invoiced at $12,700. Or Chevy Sonics. Save on tax dollars and make them go farther.
Arnold Smithson
12:04 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
I would guess the meals tax is a great way to make more money off the backs of the UMW students who probably eat out disproportionately compared to the amount of time they're here and how many of them they are. The best part is that most of them don't vote in Fredericksburg so they can be used as a political punching bag.
The meals tax is ridiculous and is something we should have been talking about in the last election. Too bad we got stuck on the arts and using consultants.
Gayle Price
12:53 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The Market Managers at both Fredericksburg City and Spotsylvania would be glad to put Mr. Hurst in contact with all the local vendors he would need to truly source his product locally. Email market manager@fredericksburgva.gov.
d
11:15 am on Friday, August 3, 2012
Before you venture into Fredericksburg with your food trailer , make sure that you contact the owner of Beach Fries , the city of Fredericksburg is not the place that you want to operate a business like yours stick to Stafford and Spotsy. or all your money will be spent fighting city hall.