5 street food meals shaking up dining
By Dana Moran on Sep. 23, 2016Binghamton University alumnus Sung Kim heard the word on street food long before arriving at the upstate New York campus. After growing up eating from street carts throughout New York City, he was surprised to find a lack of similar options at college—especially since many Binghamton students are from the tri-state area and enjoy similar cuisine.
After developing his take on a chicken over rice dish—a New York street staple—as well as some Korean recipes, Kim pitched the idea of a street food station to Binghamton President Harvey Stenger, then worked his way down the chain of command to partner with dining services and serve the dishes as a limited offering. The concept proved a smashing success—more than 300 plates were sold in the first three hours of availability—and in July, Chick-N-Bap debuted as a full station in the school’s MarketPlace, much to Binghamton students’ delight.
“We went to one meeting with the resident advisers over the summer, and told them Chick-N-Bap was coming on board six days a week,” says Tom LaSarso, retail dining director at Binghamton, who oversees the concept. “The whole room erupted—the entire campus was excited.”
With noncommercial diners clamoring for street eats, here's how five operations are filling that role across a wide variety of cuisines.
Cuisine: New York-inspired chicken-and-rice bowls
Chick-N-Bap
Binghamton University
Binghamton, N.Y.
Kim says authenticity is key to Chick-N-Bap’s success—but that’s not tied to any specific country’s cuisine. “Some people call it fusion—I wouldn’t say that,” he says. “It’s kind of the whole experience of New York.” Aluminum tub ware is sourced from the same vendors used at New York carts to enhance the visual experience.
LaSarso says the packaging and portability of street food are the keys to its success in a college setting. “Students can sit in the MarketPlace and eat, they can take it outside—they don’t have to be stationary,” he says. Kim agrees, adding that as a college student, a quick meal is second to none. “The beauty of street food is that it’s black and white—what you get and what you don’t get, you know that you’ll get to the counter, order and get out.”
Takeaway: Authentic street food doesn’t have to go completely global if diners feel a personal connection. LaSarso says Binghamton dining has always promoted Chick-N-Bap as an alumni-run business, and thinks students gravitate to the food in a unique way because of that.
Cuisine: Greek
DMC Midtown Marketplace
Detroit Medical Center
Aside from the street food frenzy, Detroit Medical Center's $8.2 million complex, which opened in March, also capitalizes on the food hall revitalization hitting cities from Atlanta to Chicago to Denver. The marketplace's Estia Greek Street Food stall is the second location for the Troy, Mich.-based restaurant, which features mains like gyro wraps and bowls, as well as a choice of four different spreads served with pita bread or chips as a snack. Bold, colorful callouts for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items help diners easily navigate the menu.
Takeaway: Street food is a great opportunity for operators to think about catering, too. Estia's original location requires a low minimum of 10 people for catering orders, and includes sweet dessert options as well as DIY gyro and salad bars.
Cuisine: International bowls
MPS Food Truck
Minneapolis Public Schools
With 300 students to serve in 15 minutes at Minneapolis high schools, it made zero sense for the MPS Food Truck to cook meals on-site. But that limitation opened a door of opportunity for Bertrand Weber, the district’s director of culinary and nutrition services, to build on a successful street food concept: premade bowls. Partnering with local restaurants, he’s able to serve students combinations like chicken curry and a Caribbean bowl with vegetables and brown rice.
Takeaway: Street food is all about the delivery method, which can make all the difference in whether diners choose to eat at a particular concept. “[The truck] captures kids who otherwise would hop in their car and drive off [for lunch],” Weber says.
Cuisine: Peruvian
Estacion Inka
University of Wisconsin at Madison
Madison, Wis.
While it's just across the street from UMW's campus, Estacion Inka, which opened in February, has its eye squarely set on students, owner Lucas Daniel Rodriguez tells the Wisconsin State Journal. Dishes like empanadas and sandwiches reflect his own college days in Peru, he says, where he also appreciated access to speedy, cheap meals. "That's why I'm focusing on food that could be faster, good quality and at a very good price point," he told the State Journal. Capitalizing on the late-night daypart, Estacion Inka is open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to catch the college crowd on their way home.
Takeaway: While authenticity can be key when it comes to international cuisine, Rodriguez also plays to the Wisconsin crowd by offering a hot dog and hamburger with Peruvian rocoto and huacatay sauce.
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Mamnoon Street
Amazon's Doppler building
Seattle
Eight new restaurants opened in the retail giant's downtown Seattle building last winter, including a taqueria (Bar Noroeste), burger joint (Great State Burgers) and Japanese spot (Marination). Capitalizing on the success from its original location, Mamnoon, offshoot Mamnoon Street serves dishes beyond the expected pita wraps, including lahm bi ajin (meat pie with ground lamb, pomegranate molasses and herb salad) and jibneh (a cheesy bread concoction with pickled turnips, tomato and olives).
Takeaway: Shake things up with a special. Armenian-style chicken wings and happy-hour tater tots have shown up among Mamnoon Street's limited-time offerings.