“Oh yeah, I’ve heard about that food truck!”
When I first started working with Shobi’s Table in 2020, folks would ask me what I did for a living and when I tried to explain it, they had no idea what I was talking about. When we would serve lunch, almost everyone who came to the truck would be a first time customer and we would have to give the whole spiel about what it means to be pay-as-you-can, and what we were all about. It felt like we were always explaining ourselves and just trying to get our name out there.
In the past year or so, I have noticed a real difference. When we drive through Saint Paul, people we don’t know wave at the truck (we honk and wave back no matter what!) and when I tell folks where I work, I often get a nod of recognition and a gentle, “oh yeah, I heard about that food truck.” To be fair, those that recognize the name may be part of the greater St Paul Lutheran community who has known about us for a while, but the word is definitely spreading.
Most amazing to me is what’s been happening at the truck this summer. Our numbers are growing almost faster than we can keep up with! One of our “slower” sites where we are used to serving 40 for lunch has increased to 70-80 each serving day. Our busiest site has increased from a consistent 75 each week to over 100! In our planning for 2024, we anticipated serving 200 meals a week, but we are already averaging over 300 meals per week in June. Even more interesting is that most of the faces are familiar, and they are inviting their friends and family to the table. They are customers, becoming regulars, becoming part of the Shobi’s Table community.
One of my favorite things about working a lunch shift at the truck is when I have the chance to welcome a new customer. I see a new face in the crowd and I ask them if they’ve eaten with us before and how they heard about us. I carefully explain what we do and how the pay-as-you-can model works and let them know about our other serving sites. There is a moment when they realize they can eat with us four times a week if they need to. I can feel the relief and gratitude that comes over them when they understand that they don’t have to worry quite as much about making ends meet this week. The burden of figuring out what to do about food this week has been lifted. I love to welcome them, reassure them, and share our abundant table with them.
This is why we do this work! It is God’s Love Made Edible.
Daniele
Development Associate