• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Write
  • Intern
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact

The Austinot

Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.

  • Things To Do
    • Things To Do This Weekend
    • Things To Do This Week
    • Things To Do This Weekend With Kids
  • Discoveries
    • Austinot Loves
    • Activities
    • Day Trips
    • Local Business
  • Food & Drink
    • Food
    • Drink
  • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Theatre
  • Culture
    • Arts
    • History
    • Museums
  • Et Cetera
    • Non-Profits
    • Podcast
    • Archives

Successful Food Truck Owners Fueled by Friendly Competition

September 4, 2015 by Andrew Chase Leave a Comment

Chi'Lantro Food Truck

A look at the Chi’Lantro food truck in Austin

I’m new to this whole food truck thing. The Boston idiot in me always ignorantly associated food trucks with low-quality, 2 AM sausage carts one accidentally staggered upon amidst a night of heavy drinking. Since moving to Austin, I stand corrected.

I now associate food trucks with magical, utopian dreams filled with unicorns and happiness. Seriously though, I’d approximate that food trucks now represent over 90% of my diet. Where have they been all my life?

As if I couldn’t be more captivated by the enchanted universe of street food, I recently sat down with Jae Kim and Eric Silverstein, founders/owners of Austin’s Chi’Lantro and The Peached Tortilla, respectively. Now with brick and mortar locations as well as food trucks, both Jae and Eric offered an insightful behind-the-scenes take on what it’s like to grow a successful business, through a long road of early struggles in a relentlessly dense market.

More insightful than the business side of things, however, was the story of their friendship, and how the competition between one another was perhaps the most critical ingredient to their shared success.

The Hard Times

Peached Tortilla Food Truck

On the flip side, the Peached Tortilla truck

I figured running a food truck was a tough gig, but I had no idea just how demanding it can get. Here’s Eric describing a typical day with The Peached Tortilla:

“I would wake up and drive to Pflugerville at 8:30 AM (where the truck was stored) to prep, leave by 10:30 to get to my location by 11, serve lunch, break everything down at 1:15 PM, clean the truck, restock everything for the night shift, open back up at 7 PM, close at 2:30 AM, drive back to Pflugerville to clean the truck, get done by 5 AM, then get to bed so I can wake up and do it all over again.”

Jae of Chi’Lantro added, “I would purposely sleep on the floor because I knew if I slept on the bed I wouldn’t wake up. I was always tired and irritated.”

Beyond 21-hour workdays, both Jae and Eric suffered the financial burden of initially leasing their trucks through a local commissary. With commissaries come high rent costs, mark-ups on food and limited food storage.

Through all of this, however, they found motivation in competing with one another, which eventually led to their friendship.

Friendly Competition

The Peached Tortilla spread

Feeling hungry yet?

Both Jae and Eric’s timelines are remarkably similar, and pushing each other through difficult times has served not only as support, but also as competitive fuel.

“We saw each other every day and competed, but we were friends,” Jae explained. “We were able to become friends because we went through similar experiences work-wise and understood the hard times that come with the food truck industry.”

In just five years’ time, both graduated to owning their own restaurants. While they still operate food trucks, their respective brick and mortar locations are the main focus these days. Even now, they feed off of each other and are constantly sharing tricks of the trade and advice.

Chi’Lantro

Jae Kim Chi'Lantro Austin

Jae Kim, owner of Chi’Lantro

Chi’Lantro offers Korean BBQ-inspired food and is known for their original Kimchi fries, French fries piled high with all of the good things. All of them. If you haven’t had them yet, you are a fool.

Jae opened his first of two brick and mortar locations in January 2015, with focus on a fast-casual experience. He describes his restaurants as operationally driven, and the importance of consistency is heavily emphasized. I can certainly attest to said consistency, as the Kimchi fries I ordered looked identical to the photo of them on their website.

Menu items at Chi'Lantro

Just a few of the menu items available at Chi’Lantro

 

The restaurants themselves feature a cozy ambiance and unique modern-retro décor. I felt automatically cooler just by walking inside.

Food Truck Locations – Restaurant Locations

The Peached Tortilla

Eric Silverstein The Peached Tortilla

Eric Silverstein, owner and founder of The Peached Tortilla

Eric has gone in a different direction with his Asian-fusion restaurant since opening in November 2014. The Peached Tortilla highlights more culinary-driven concepts and features a full bar with a copious whiskey selection.

Also located on Burnet (right down the street from Chi’Lantro), the restaurant lends an elegant yet simple vibe and even hosts a patio area that is perfect for a widely popular Sunday brunch.

The food itself holds a keen attention to detail, and the menu is fit for enjoying solo or sharing with others. I’d highly recommend the Southern Fun “shareable” and/or the Kimchi Arancini Balls.

Food Truck and Restaurant Locations

Looking Toward the Future

Eric and Jae of Chi'Lantro and The Peached Tortilla

Eric and Jae of Chi’Lantro and The Peached Tortilla, respectively

Jae and Eric both have well-calculated growth plans in place, and are still relying on each other as they strive for higher levels of success. Even as I interviewed them, they were going back and forth as new restaurant owners, sharing tidbits of learned knowledge and advice.

I personally didn’t think my love for food trucks could grow any deeper, but somehow the food tastes even better knowing all of the hard work that goes into serving it. The Peached Tortilla and Chi’Lantro stand as two of the more well-established food-truck-turned-restaurants in Austin. If you enjoy street food even half as much as I do, these local businesses need to be on your radar.

 

@AndyChuckChase wants to know:

Have you been to The Peached Tortilla or Chi’Lantro? If so, what did you think?

Filed Under: Discoveries, Food, Food & Drink, Local Business Tagged With: food trucks

Best of The Austinot

We always have unique content on The Austinot and we love to give things away. You know, like concert tickets, gift cards, and other cool stuff. We only send out our “Best of the Austinot” newsletter twice a month. It’s where we give you a recap of our best articles and give stuff away. Interested? Subscribe to Best of The Austinot here!

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Connect with Us

    Hyperlocal Blog About the City of A...

    To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

    Hyperlocal Blog About the City of Austin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Things to do

Things to do in Austin this week

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of July 4, 2022 include Round Rock Express Vs. Albuquerque, Cedar Park Fourth, and more!

Austin is now among the fastest-growing metroplexes in the US! Keeping up with the growth, luckily there’s plenty going on in Austin all days of the week. There are things to do on Monday in Austin, of course, things to do in Austin on Saturday night, and everything in between! Some of you may be […]

Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend

Top 10 Things to Do in Austin with Kids this Weekend of July 1, 2022 include Bastrop Patriotic Festival, Family Game Night, and More!

If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that there is always something going on. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of July 1, 2022, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including Dive In Movies – Wells Branch, Bastrop Patriotic Festival, and more!   Top […]

Things to do in Austin this weekend | Brick Rodeo

10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of July 1, 2022 Include Brick Rodeo, Party at Independence, and More!

  For summer camp information, check out our page for Best Summer Camps in Austin for 2022!  If you would like to discover more Things to do in Austin this Week & Things to do in Austin with Kids this Weekend, check out Facebook for immediate notifications.

texas swimming holes near austin

Texas swimming holes near Austin – 10 watering holes for a fun swim this summer

If you have been looking for free places to swim in Austin or googling ‘swimming holes near me’, you are in the right place! Texas is known for a lot of things and one of them is relentlessly hot summers. The temperatures are rising in Austin and across the state. Luckily, there are also many […]

Austin trampoline parks - Urban Air Adventure Park (Cedar Park)

Austin Trampoline Parks – Best Indoor Jumping Places for Kids and Adults!

Trampoline parks were among the decade’s most unique leisure attractions. They offer a playful atmosphere where people can defy the laws of physics and have a good time hurling themselves around. It consists of a large room filled wall to wall with trampolines. On the weekend, you may get rid of your boredom and have […]

Recent Posts

  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of July 4, 2022 include Round Rock Express Vs. Albuquerque, Cedar Park Fourth, and more!
  • Top 10 Things to Do in Austin with Kids this Weekend of July 1, 2022 include Bastrop Patriotic Festival, Family Game Night, and More!
  • 4th July events in Austin: Independence day 2022 fireworks, parades, concerts & other celebrations!
  • 10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of July 1, 2022 Include Brick Rodeo, Party at Independence, and More!
  • Texas swimming holes near Austin – 10 watering holes for a fun swim this summer

Welcome to The Austinot

We are all about Austin: the vibe, the people and the uniqueness of the city. We love to explore. Get to know us! We’ll respond if you comment. Heck, we’ll probably invite you to come and hang out with us!

Follow along to help support and learn more about local businesses, artists, and events.

-The Austinot Team

Privacy Policy

Trending Posts

  • 4th July events in Austin: Independence day 2022 fireworks, parades, concerts & other celebrations!
  • 10 Best Lakes in and around Austin
  • 20 Restaurants Open Late in Austin – Best Late Night Food Places For Tasty Eats
  • 7 Popular Lady Bird Lake Activities to Experience This Year
  • Guide to Austin’s Dirty Sixth Street

Copyright © 2022 · Log in

wpDiscuz