The Good, the Bad, and the Juicy is not only a space for me to rave about the wonderful ins and outs of this city I call home, but as many of you know, it’s also a community bulletin board in which I express the good, the bad and the juicy about city-wide occurrences.
A while back I brought to your attention a story about the HEY CUPCAKE! (owner – Wes Hurt) family in Austin bringing a law suit to a Noblesville, Indiana cupcake trailer by the name of The Cupcake Camper. Apparently, HEY CUPCAKE! has decided to drop suit because The Cupcake Camper has met many of the requirements set forth by HEY CUPCAKE!. I have said it once and I will say it again. How dare HEY CUPCAKE! sue a cupcake trailer in Indiana. As if there were any possible way that the Inidana trailer was stealing their business. Who cares if it looks similar, HEY CUPCAKE! should have taken this as a compliment! It’s not possible for HEY CUPCAKE! to go national with their product because it’s overpriced and tastes like shit. It’s dried out and sold for $2.50 ea in a boring and sterile store front (the tourists go to the trailer, not the locals). Who do they think they are? Not only that, but I personally went in and asked them (very professionally, with letter in hand) for a donation to a community event…they did not even have the decency to call me back or write and decline my request. HEY CUPCAKE! sucks, people…don’t waste your time or your money. If you live in Austin and would like to express your feelings about this scum-hole, go ahead and feel free to contact Wes right here! Better yet, do like me and contact the The Cupcake Camper people and apologize for HEY CUPCAKE! I am fairly certain that the only thing Mr. Hurt accomplished was more business for the Indiana establishment, and less for his own. Way to go.
update: I went to the Cupcake Trailer’s facebook site, and it’s filled with Austin people expressing their disgust for HEY CUPCAKE! (FUN!). AND…sadly, the Indiana establishment has completely done away with their trailer. Ridiculous.
While we are on the subject of local food trailers and what not, I will bring you the lastest story that has come out of greed. Amy and Steve Simmons of Amy’s Ice Cream, and Tom Ramsey of Snappy Snacks are trying to tighten the leash on food trailer regulations which could ultimately put the trailers out of business. You see, while they are certified and regulated, many people open the trailers as a way to serve cheaper food (no overhead) to a wide arrange of customers. Bypassing “rent” (especially in this town), allows one to focus on the food at hand rather than how they are going to manage to attract customers and pay the bills.
One food trailer, Holy Cocao, responds here. Let’s also go ahead and mention that Amy’s Ice Cream is wonderful and I hate that I can no longer visit due to this episode, but most importantly, Amy’s is what it is today because the residents of this town have allowed it to become representative of who we are. We have embraced the idea and overpaid for ice cream for years. This is how they repay us? This town loves the food trailers. Walking around during SXSW this year, the food trailers were a topic amongst many. So popular indeed, that Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” came here to do a segment on this phenomenom… Now, I don’t know much about Snappy Snacks other than they have seen a decrease in business and they are not happy. Snappy Snack mobile vendors, commonly referred to as The Roach Coach, are most seen around construction sites and manual labor hangouts feeding these men and women that get up before any other restaurants are open. They are most definitely NOT feeding the same crowds that visit the majority of the stationary trailers. I can guarantee you that the Snappy Snacks vending vehicle does not include gourmet doughnuts, cuban sandwhiches, fresh kebabs, or a chicken cone! Anyways, I will not be going to Amy’s (shame), or purchasing any food from a Snappy Snacks trailer. Darn.
I will leave you with these two gems, but know that I will return to speak of the local bad bar antics! Hint: I can no longer go to Lala’s either. Sheesh, Austin, get your shit togethah!
Cheers to good eating and drinking,
GBJ
I was the head baker for the Cupcake Camper when all this happened, and the lawsuit and ensuing “deal” made between owners causes my boss to close the business, impromptu, on a random Wednesday afternoon with no prior notice. I had a tea infused cupcake line coming for summer and pie inspired flavors as well, but Hey Cupcake dashed it all. So yeah, thanks to two shotty business owners, people didn’t get to eat my tasty cupcakes anymore.