International Speedway last year for its' inaugural year with the hope to draw music fans to a centralized location from up and down the east coast. Now with creating such a festival event planners also had to consider how they would feed these festival goers. Red Frog event planners didn't just look at using their own vendors, they looked at sourcing local food businesses as well. Imagine how surprised UD grad, Leigh Ann Tona was when Red Frog contacted her to join the food vending forces at Firefly during its first year, when she officially had not even opened for business.
One may wonder how such a thing happens, well in the age of technology, the old saying that "word of mouth" can be your best advertisement was surely proven true. You see, word was already spreading by mouth and virally about the successful business plan that Tona had entered into a competition, which won her the start up money for her business. Discover in this Q & A how Tona's innovative plan grabbed the attention of Red Frog event planners and landed her food truck a vending spot at Firefly Music Festival.
Q-What made you want to open your own food business? Where did the idea of a food truck come from?
Leigh Ann- I had always worked in the food industry whether it be ice cream stores, cafes, or small scale restaurants so when I was a senior at UD, I did "I Don't Give a Fork" as my business plan project because of my restaurant past. I figured it would be easier to plan out a food cart than a full scale restaurant. My best friend had previously worked on a food truck in Boston and I thought it was the coolest thing ever...so I wanted to give it a try. A few months into doing the project, I entered the business plan competition and won, so I used the money won to start the business!
Q-Is it true you were approached by Red Frog to be a local vendor at Firefly last year, even prior to you having your business license?
Leigh Ann- Yep! I had done so much work for school with "I Don't Give a Fork" and had already been in the paper and online articles a few times (for the competition and otherwise) so when someone in Delaware "Googled" food cart/truck, I was the first one to pop up, even though I hadn't opened yet. That is how the person from Red Frog found me, but unfortunately, I wasn't anywhere near ready to be a vendor at Firefly at that point.
Q-Did you have a game plan of attack for Firefly? How did you prepare for the expected numbers at Firefly?
Leigh Ann- For Firefly, my team and I came up with numbers for how many we thought we could serve per hour at our busiest and guessed from there. We had a lot of excel spreadsheets! We didn't know what to expect at all as far as the crowd goes so it was a huge guessing game. We rented a 27' freezer truck that we basically just PACKED with food and just hoped we sold it based on our estimates.
Q-Your food truck is covered with UD swag, I know that you are a UD alumna, but does this swag draw customers? and have you had any customers offer you swag in exchange for food (i.e. like a autographed 'Flacco' jersey?)
Leigh Ann- I wish someone would offer me an autographed jersey!!! But no, no trade offers yet.
Q-My husband and I are both paleo/primal dieters, but knew going to an event like this our options would be limited, so we were prepared to venture from our diet for a meal here and there. We tried "The Vermonter" which we both loved, but wondered if you ever considered making a paleo/gluten-free option for customers (substituting bread with lettuce leaves or portabella mushrooms?)
Leigh Ann- I would love to offer that kind of food, however my least popular sandwiches are the most healthy (from my regular daily menu). I don't see that being really popular since many (most) of my customers are blue collar workers just looking for a burger or a cheesesteak.
Q-Did you surpass your expectations for Firefly?
Leigh Ann- We came short of our expectations as far as what we grossed however the entire experience was far better than what I was expecting. We had a BLAST and I can't wait to do it again. Additionally, all of the other food trucks/carts in our area came short of their goals as well, so we were all in the same boat.
Q-Are you planning on vending Firefly next year?
Leigh Ann- YES!
Q-Do you know if there is any possibility that Red Frog will allow food truck vendors in the actual festival site (not just by the Hub stage). We could have used another tasty sandwich, but the thought of walking in and out of the checkpoint was slightly discouraging?
Leigh Ann- I heard there was food in the main area but am not sure exactly what was offered...I think Grotto might have been an option? We were pretty busy the entire weekend, so I don't think moving to the main festival would change anything for us except be (potentially) more stressful.
Q-Where can people find your food truck the rest of the year?
Leigh Ann- My food truck is located at 616 South College Avenue, Newark, DE in the Delaware Tire Center parking lot! Monday through Friday 8am-3:30pm and on weekends I'm all over the place. I try to update my Facebook page as much as possible to keep people informed of where I'll be.
Q-You just rounded out two festival weekends, do you have any other festivals lined up for this summer?
Leigh Ann- I am a vendor at the School of Rock event in Wilmington on August 3rd which is a collection of 30 or so local bands playing to raise money for the School of Rock in Wilmington. After that it will mainly be football games in the fall, and then I have a wedding I'm doing in October too, which I'm really excited about!
We really wanted to try the famous Mac and Cheesesteak sandwich Tona had on her menu, but decided it would put us over the edge, but we easily understood why it was the most popular choice. Tona also offered the "Zella" (basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, and crunchy red peppers) and the "Green" (grilled zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and lemon garlic hummus). So if you are looking for a delightful alternative to "fast food", a fun place to grab lunch with your bestie or have never ordered food from a food truck, I urge you to stop by 616 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware and treat yourself. If you aren't in the area, but are planning to attend Firefly for its 3rd year, then make sure you stop by "I Don't Give a Fork" food truck and refuel yourself!
Special shout out to Katy Lamborn O'Connell for telling me to be on the look out for "I Don't Give a Fork's" food truck @ Firefly Music Festival and putting me in touch with Leigh Ann Tona. UD outta be super proud of these Fightin' Blue Hen alumnae! Here is a fun challenge for Firefly goers next year, get a UD football jersey signed by all members of one of the headlining bands to add to the swag on the food truck!
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