101 Best Food Truck Feature: Fivetenburger

Chef Roland Robles' Fivetenburger, based in Oakland, Calif., is well known in the food truck world, making Grub Street's Top 50 in San Francisco as well as ranking number 25 on our list of 101 Best Food Trucks in America 2013. That's 20 spots higher than when it made our list in 2012!

They deserve a spot in our roundup because these burgers come with all the simple essentials — lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. But what makes Fivetenburger stand out are the extra toppings like applewood bacon, a cage-free egg, and garlic oil fries. We caught up with Robles to talk about his business, the truck, and most importantly, the food.

When did you launch your truck?
We launched in August 2010 and re-launched in February 2011.

What was the inspiration for going into the business?
I had a bit of a following for my burger in my last brick-and-mortar kitchen and thought it would translate well to the mobile kitchen I'm in now. It seems to have done just that.

What is the story behind the name?
Here in the Bay, there are lots of area codes and I wanted the public to know that this truck came from the East Bay, so I named it after my phone code, which is 510.

What is the inspiration for your cuisine and recipes?
Beer! What do you want after a few beers? Burger and fries.

What is your signature dish/most popular dish?
Our signature and most popular is our namesake, the Fivetenburger. Usually with cheese on it (we got a bunch of them), often with an egg and some bacon.

If you haven't already, would you ever go brick-and-mortar?
I have a background in restaurant cooking so the transition has already been made and I'm looking forward to transitioning back into a kitchen. I'll let you know if it loses in the return.

How did you come up with your truck's design? Is there a designer
you'd like to give a shout-out to?
The first truck we wrapped was designed by my business partner, Andrew Seligson, and his friend Tina. They did the logo and basic color scheme then the guys at CaliforniaVehicleWraps.com added some background stuff. On the second truck, I did a lot of the design work with the same company but a different fella, and we dropped it rasta vibes. Big ups to Kwasi Boyd and Sandor Price for making my ride irie.

Does your truck have a vanity license plate? And if so, what does it say?
No plate.

What model truck do you have?
'87 GMC step van.

What's the most challenging thing about running your food truck?
Having enough $5 bills! OK, really it's all the email and contact/return phone calls. It's a real booger trying to run a busy kitchen and still answer everybody personally.

What one piece of advice would you give someone looking to get into
the food truck business?
Put your big-boy pants on and eat a good breakfast cause you're gonna need 'em both! You might want a little experience in a professional kitchen environment before you spend $100K on a truck. If you have those things covered, then just don't expect it to be any easier in the truck than it was in the restaurant! I'm working just as much now as I did in my last chef position.

Any new upcoming dishes planned that you can tell us about?
I'm working on the menu for my restaurant, so there are a bunch of new things but none specifically for the truck. I suspect there will be some crossing over, though.

Any new plans on the horizon you can share?
Did I mention I'm in process of opening a bar and restaurant?