The student operators of CampusFoodTrucks (CFT) launched a Kickstarter campaign on Wednesday to try to raise $12,000 in order to buy the truck outright and stay in business.
If they do not reach their goal by May 12, it is likely that the food truck will close after this spring, the third year that the food truck has been in operation.
CFT is owned by Lee “Monty” Barker ’16, Ben Citrin ’16, Steve Borukhin ’14 and Eric Edelman ’13, but they rent the actual truck from Reade Brower P’13, its Rockland, Maine-based owner.
They currently pay $400 a month, which is covered by revenue from food sales.
However, as of mid-April, Brower has decided to sell the truck for $10,000, giving priority to CFT until the middle of May.
The Orient was unable to speak with Brower before print time about his motivations for selling.
The four owners of CFT, which sits in the Dayton parking lot behind Smith Union, attempted to winterize the food truck during the fall, but were unable to get it ready for the winter due to a fryer malfunction.
They have not been able to find a different, cheaper truck to buy in the area.
In an email to the Orient, Isaac Brower ’13, one of the original CFT founders and son of the truck’s owner, said that they did not face any financial issues while he was at Bowdoin.
The owners said that they had considered trying to buy the truck outright in the past, but the setback this winter made that impossible without outside help.
The College treats the CFT as an outside contractor and does not have an official relationship with the business beyond allowing it to operate on campus.
According to Director of Student Life and the Smith Union Allen Delong, the College will not help them cover the costs of buying the truck.
“We wish them luck, but they are entrepreneurs. They have beaten the odds so far, there is no doubt in my mind that they will beat the odds this time, but this is just another part of running a business,” said Delong, who acts as the administrative point person between CFT and the College.
The students have turned to Kickstarter in the hopes that fans and patrons of the food truck will help ensure its existence for years to come.
The Kickstarter campaign went up on the website on April 16 and the deadline for donations is May 12.
The Kickstarter goal of $12,000 includes $10,000 to buy the truck, and $2,000 for needed repairs.
As of the press time, the Kickstarter has 11 backers and has raised $450.
Kickstarter only collects the money from people who have pledged to donate once the goal of $12,000 is reached.
“I definitely support it. I would throw $10 or $15 towards it because there is really nothing to eat after Super Snacks and that’s annoying,” said Connor Moore ’17 of the Kickstarter.
Jacob Russell ’17 also spoke to the lack of alternatives for late night campus snacking, noting that he would also be willing to chip in $10 or $15.
“They’re doing God’s work,” Russell added.
The owners of CFT have offered up a variety of perks in exchange for various tiers of donations.
These prizes range from one free menu item and a CFT bumper sticker for a $20 pledge, to having an existing burger named after whoever pledges $200.
A pledge of $1,000 can get you one free menu item per night, while a pledge $2,500 guarantees you the opportunity to design CFT uniforms.
“We’re hoping that we’ll get a lot of donations from a lot of people at Bowdoin because we figure there have to be hundreds of people here that use the food truck, that know what the food truck is and would be willing to put in five or 10 to make sure that it’s around for next year,” said Barker.