warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

BACON MANia Brings Home The Bacon

Kelli Shiroma |
January 20, 2012 | 8:26 a.m. PST

Associate Food Editor

The "Jack Back Sammie," BACON MANia's twist on the classic grilled cheese, is a customer favorite. (Kelli Shiroma / Neon Tommy)
The "Jack Back Sammie," BACON MANia's twist on the classic grilled cheese, is a customer favorite. (Kelli Shiroma / Neon Tommy)
Licensed in Orange County, San Diego and San Bernardino, the BACON MANia food truck can be seen at various events and food truck lots. Its specialty? Bacon, of course. But founder Jay Dieugenio admits that the nearly accidental idea turned out to be very strategic.

“About 11 beers into a 12-pack, we decided that bacon would be the best thing ever [for a food truck],” he says. “You have to come up with a good concept and a good menu.”

Thus, in 2010, BACON MANia was born, with the intention of providing customers with genuine, tasty, “all-American” products.

“We wanted to do something that encompassed all the different regions and the whole country — diner food, homemade comfort food and grilling,” Dieugenio explains. “We were trying to think of an ingredient that encompasses every region and we found that bacon is the one thing that would go across all different food styles and food regions.”

BACON MANia’s menu constantly changes, according to Dieugenio, who enjoys throwing out different bacon-infused creations for the public to try.

“Every day, there’s something different and new [on the menu],” he says. “We rotate items in and out based on seasons, based on when certain items are available. It’s fun … making something new with bacon.”

On BACON MANia’s menu, one can find creative dishes like “Brownie Bites,” moist, chocolate brownies wrapped in bacon, deep fried and drizzled with Hershey’s chocolate syrup, and “Bacon Cheese Crisps,” delicate, crispy chips comprising sharp cheddar cheese and fried hickory-smoked bacon. However, the food truck’s “Jack Back Sammie” remains its bestseller and signature item.

“It’s our thick-sliced Texas toast eggbread with cheese grilled on the outside to a crisp and on the inside, it’s a special blend of bacon and cheddar cheese,” explains Dieugenio.

All fun with menu items aside, Dieugenio acknowledges that, similar to any business, being successful in the food truck industry has challenges. 

“Trying to find a place to park sometimes is a challenge,” he says. “[Also] when your supplier is out of food or out of a specific item, the challenge is to figure out what to do and how to make your day go by.”

A challenge Dieugenio faced early on in the business was figuring out how to start up BACON MANia. Although Dieugenio had experience in the food industry, he said he knew nothing about the food truck industry.

“It’s a learn-as-you-go business,” he says. “I would have liked to come in when there were more food trucks around. When we first started [two years ago], there were only 10 food trucks in Orange County. So for us to start with only 10 people to model after was tough because they were still learning the ropes themselves.” 

However, the biggest challenge—and greatest reward—for Dieugenio and his team is the constant flurry of activity aboard the truck.

“It’s a good thing and a bad thing,” he says. “Our biggest challenge is being always on the go … never time off. [I probably work] 12 to 16 hours a day, depending on what day it is.”

When the economic recession hit around 2007, many small businesses and companies were greatly impacted. Nevertheless, Dieugenio chooses to remain positive about the economy and says that BACON MANia is doing well.

“We’re doing okay,” he says. “A good thing about being in the restaurant or hospitality industry [is that] you can adjust to the economy. People still need to eat; people still need something to lighten their day a little bit. That’s something that we can do and that’s something that we’re very proud of.”

While the current “food truck” phenomenon—using mobile means to provide specialized, gourmet food—boomed in Los Angeles around 2010, Dieugenio notes that food trucks have been around since the 1930s … not to the same capacity and caliber as they are now, of course, but he is excited to be apart of the food truck movement. 

“[Seeing them change] from the traditional lunch trucks to what they are now has been a really fun experience,” he says. “Just being able to transform with that industry into cutting-edge, street-side service … full festivals or truck lots with multiple trucks every day.”

Dieugenio especially notes the difference between dining at a restaurant and coming to a food truck lot for an event. 

“Say you go to a Mediterranean restaurant; you get Mediterranean food,” he says. “But [at a food truck lot], people get to sample different foods … four or five different countries or regions.”

As far as what’s new and innovative on his BACON MANia truck, Dieugenio discusses the vehicle’s advanced equipment, in an effort to keep up with the industry’s trends.

“The trucks are finding ways to put more and more restaurant-type equipment in them,” he says. “Traditionally, old lunch trucks didn’t have a flame-boiled grill, so we have those on board now. We [also] have generators and mechanical refrigeration … lunch trucks used to run off an ice block, so the ice block used to keep the food cold. Now, with the generators and all the new technology, it’s really exciting.”

The advanced technology helps Dieugenio and his team deliver what he calls the entire “food truck experience” — great food combined with phenomenal customer service.

“We deliver a great product and it’s not just the food; it’s the experience of the whole food truck [that makes us unique],” he says. “Establishing new friendships and relationships is really what this is about and delivering the good food is just a bonus.”

Reach Kelli Shiroma here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.