July 8, 2010

CHEESEBURGERS TO GO

By Kara LaPoint
klapoint@rgj.com

If location is a key to business success, why not move with the crowd?

For Terry Pastorius, manager of Aloha on Wheels, the ability to do so is just one of several benefits he sees with his mobile burger truck.

And it's just one element enabling the business venture to succeed against much bigger -- and more grounded -- competitors.

Aloha on Wheels is an affiliate of Reno's Cheeseburger Island Style restaurant on South Virginia Street along with seven other Cheeseburger restaurants in Hawaii and Las Vegas.

But it is a unique experience, Pastorius said, both for his customers and himself.

"It's just different every day," he said. "When I heard about the idea, it was music to my ears."

Having worked in the restaurant business for 25 years, Pastorius said it's a nice change of pace to be outside, see new people and build closer relationships with customers.

Pastorius takes pride in the personable experience offered by his full-service mobile food truck, noting that his six-person restaurant team knows its many repeat customers by name. He said he thinks that's part of what makes the restaurant special.

Another is convenience, Pastorius said.

"People can walk up and be out of here in four or five minutes with a hot, fresh lunch," he said.

But that doesn't mean the burgers aren't quality, Pastorius said.

While other mobile food trucks cook food in the morning and serve it from a heating unit throughout the day, he said Aloha on Wheels is equipped with a full kitchen where food is cooked to order.

"We like to consider ourselves the elite of the mobile food trucks," he said.

The restaurant offers a variety of burgers, from the Black and Blue to the Shroom and Swiss and, of course, the Island Style. It also features regular and sweet potato fries, onion rings and sandwiches.

Pastorius said he takes great pride in the quality of his burgers, adding, "Once you try it, you're going to be back."

That was true for customers Cavour Claybool and Jerrod Motsinger as they made their second visit to Aloha on Wheels on Wednesday.

Claybool said the restaurant is convenient because it's on the way to his job. But it also has good food at decent prices, he said as he ordered the Black and Blue burger.

Motsinger said he preferred his burger Island Style.

Customers who aren't in a hurry can chose to stay and eat at one of the island-style tables on the truck's front lawn -- the lawn that surrounds Ferguson Enterprises' parking lot on Rock Boulevard.

Pastorius said he picked the location because it's an industrial area without many other food options and with a good view from the road.

But if business slows down, he can always pack up and move. In fact, he does so each weekend to Wingfield Park in downtown Reno to serve a different crowd.

"It's fun being mobile," Pastorius said.

Last weekend, he and his team toted the burger truck to Graeagle, Calif., to serve up to 700 a day for the Fourth of July holiday.

That's an advantage, said Robert Kaskie, executive vice president of Cheeseburger restaurants.

"It's nice to (be able) to serve other customers," he said, adding he wants to continue moving the truck to cater private events.

He also said he hopes to expand the mobile truck business, adding another truck in Reno, Hawaii and Las Vegas.

Pastorius said he, too, hopes to expand, but he's in no hurry.

"We're just getting started," he said, "but it will come."

His goal is to consistently serve 100 people per day.

"When people come back the next day and say, 'Thank you, that was the biggest burger I ever had,' that really gives you goose bumps," he said.

Additional Facts
Aloha on wheels
Monday through Friday: 1095 S. Rock Blvd., Reno, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Wingfield Park
Prices:

Burgers: from $5 to $7.50
Hot dogs/sandwiches: from $4 to $5.50
All entrees include fries, sweet potato fries or onion rings

Online: www.cheeseburgernation.com