Arlington — Every Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., area food trucks park in a small, deserted lot on the corner of 18th Street and Crystal Drive in Crystal City. Hungry workers on lunch break soon flock to the trucks. The colors are as diverse as the food being served: Yellow, white, blue, purple. One truck in particular, the first to arrive every Thursday, stands out from the rest. Not only because of its color scheme, an eye-catching black-pink combo, but because of its fearless name.
Hot People Food.
Leopold Liao, a co-owner of the truck, explains with a smile: "We make our food for hot people, and everyone's hot!"
Serving dishes such as dumplings, noodles and Chinese tacos, Hot People Food has quickly become a presence in the Northern Virginia food truck scene. The truck has become so popular that D.C. dwellers have begun to plead for the truck to make more frequent excursions into the city, since Hot People's only current opportunities to make it into the city are for D.C.'s Truckeroo festival, a monthly event through the summer where around 20 food trucks gather and serve food to crowds of people.
Hot People Food has existed for only a few months, compared to other trucks who have been around for two years or more.
Liao, who was born in China, gained experience working in restaurants before graduating from H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in 2011 and deciding to open one of his own. Though monetary issues soon put the dampers on that plan, Liao was undeterred. The Hot People Food truck first opened its window in October 2011 and has been spicing things up ever since.
"In the beginning, things are tough because people don't know your truck and are afraid of your food," Liao said with a laugh. "But people try your food, they like it, and they come back."
Though it would seem like Hot People Food's rise to prominence could lead to some feelings of resentment and rivalry between them and the other trucks, Liao insists this is precisely the opposite. Liao believes that the camaraderie and cooperation that exists between the trucks, which led to the formation of Food Truck Thursdays, has been mutually beneficial. "When there's only one truck, not many people come. But when you have five or six, lots of people come. More trucks mean more business, not competition."
So what's next for Hot People Food? "Hopefully, we will have enough money to get a restaurant in the next few months," said Liao.