Occupying a small space on the kerb at Bagatelle Roundabout, a brightly coloured yellow and red food truck with pleasant smells emanating from its interior attracts a continuous flow of hungry locals every Friday and Saturday night.
The name of the truck is Curbside Café and its popularity among Barbadians has been one of the not so secret “secrets” for alternative eating on the island.
With a menu of burritos, tacos, home-made burgers, Philly cheesesteak and the popular rib and chips, the business started by mother and son team Janice Smith and Kyle Smith, grows in popularity with each passing week.
Kyle always had a dream of going into business with his mother and made this dream a reality in the summer of 2013.
The idea to operate out of a food truck wasn’t predetermined, however, as the initial plan was to have a burger shop at a set base of operations, from where his mother, a skilled cook, would make home-made burgers from a variety of meats.
From this concept, the Smiths broadened their scope of thinking and searched for alternatives.
“We watched a lot of Food Network and began to try various recipes, some of what we’re doing now, and some that we haven’t done as yet,” said Kyle.
Gathering not only food inspiration but also solid guidance in the direction they should take the business, their avid viewing of Food Network led them to settle on the idea of a food truck, after seeing how popular and efficient such trucks were.
“We went away to see the manufacturers and [went to] actual food truck fairs, doing our research to see what it’s like and see if it was something we wanted to get into.”
As a result, while Kyle went on to complete his degree at the University of the West Indies in special accounting in the December of 2012, he simultaneously composed a business plan to secure financing for the food truck, and as they say the rest is history.
After they officially opened the business on July 25, 2013, the Smiths managed to the point where Kyle felt comfortable leaving the major management to his mother, while he focuses on the bookkeeping and transportation of the truck.
“I always wanted to start a business with my mum . . . .With that in mind I catered my studies to a lot of entrepreneurial courses and whatnot.”
“I wanted to be able to set up something that could potentially progress and have her in it so that when I finally go and start my career, which I’ve done now, having established the business, she [would be] comfortable and secure.”
Kyle now works full-time as sales coordinator for Mercedes Benz at the InterAmericana Trading Corporation in Warrens.
The look of the food truck makes it stand out from other food trailers, and Smith added that they also attributed their success to their somewhat unique and affordable menu.
“Going into the business we wanted to offer that variety, something different to customers,” he said, adding, “Something that would excite people more so than the regular rice and pie and so on.”
His story doesn’t end here, however, as Kyle hopes to develop a delivery system and have a base of operations for the café inside a high-traffic area, such as Sky Mall or Sheraton Mall.
