As a cooperative pilot project hosted by the Presidential Committee on Young Generation (PCYG), the project was brought to life through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hyundai, Coffine Gurunaru, GENESIS BBQ and the three aforementioned universities.
The teams participating in the Campus Food Truck Project were carefully selected through evaluations by the universities in April. Three groups were chosen, consisting of 10 students in total.With the MOU in action, Hyundai agreed to supply the vehicles needed for the food trucks, while Coffine Gurunaru and GENESIS BBQ each assisted students by educating them on business, recipes and other skills. The universities have contributed by providing free locations on campus for the food truck businesses. After completing their six-month specialized training and education from either Coffine Gurunaru or GENESIS BBQ, the selected teams started their businesses this September.
There are two types of food on the food truck teams’ menu. Both Yonsei and Sogang University’s teams sell churros and ji-pai, a Taiwanese style fried chicken cutlet. Konkuk University’s Food-ream The-Dream team, on the other hand, operates as a cafe, selling coffee and honey butter bread.
The Campus Food Truck Project celebrated its launch at Konkuk University’s Seoul campus on Sept. 3. The newly established food trucks were parked in a single file and gave free samples to students and other guests, including Konkuk University president Song Hee-young. The opening ceremony showcased the 10 Campus Food Truck Project participants from the three participating universities. Within the first hour of the ceremony, the 450 servings of snacks prepared by the members were all given out.
The snacks, varying from churros, honey butter bread, coffee and ji-pai received positive responses from the customers. Most of the menus are priced between 2,000 won to 4,000 won, not much different from average market price in Seoul.
“Considering that the truck is located on school grounds, my opinion is that the food should be cheaper,” said Cho Min-kyung, a freshman studying Business at Yonsei’s International Campus in Songdo. She mentioned the 2,500 won churros, which is considered an average price on the streets of Seoul. “However, I am very satisfied with their menu, as they sell things that are not easily available near our campus.”
In Konkuk University, a group of juniors and seniors from the Department of Environmental Engineering united to form Food-ream The-Dream.
“By operating a food truck, we wanted to experience something new, something that requires more independence and responsibility, unlike a typical part-time job,” said Kim Dong-chul, Jang Won-keun and Choi Seung-hoon of Food-ream The-Dream. “Also, at the same time, we wanted to enjoy the company of and interaction with our customers, who are all students just like us.”
Although there are currently only three food truck businesses in operation, more schools and trucks are to be authorized soon. As of now, 47 additional trucks have been approved to operate nation-wide, and the PCYG has confirmed its plans to annually recruit new teams for this project.
“We have been open for over three weeks now, and we are accumulating a number of regular customers,” said the members of Food-ream The-Dream. “If you find yourself at Konkuk University, how about a cup of coffee by the moonlit lake, feeling the autumn breeze?”
Son Young-chai
squares@ewhain.net