New York · September 23, 2012 · Field research
Working
the Curb
A walk through Union Square while researching New York’s food-truck market for Infusion Trucks.
Walk the row ↓Before the film
This wasn’t lunch. It was research.
In 2012, Benny was investing in and helping develop Infusion Trucks. On a Sunday afternoon in Union Square, he turned on his phone and studied the market already working the curb.
“All right, here we are. This is Food Truck Row, Union Square, New York City.”
— Benny Doro · original live commentaryHe watched what people lined up for, which concepts were quiet, how menus read from the sidewalk and how each truck presented itself.
The camera was casual. The questions were business questions: What sells? What travels? What makes someone stop?
The original field film
The market was right there on the street.
Play it with sound. The commentary, traffic and movement belong to the original artifact.
“This one—not so busy. But this is another taco. People are lined up.”
The original recording and soundtrack are preserved unchanged. This web copy is a viewing derivative.
Three moments from the film
Reading the Street.
Museum context
A business idea, observed in public.
At the time of this recording, Benny was investing in and helping develop Infusion Trucks. This walk through Union Square served as real-time market research for the business.
The film does not tell the complete company story. It preserves one part of the work: looking closely at the businesses already serving New Yorkers and noticing what happened at the curb.
- Date
- September 23, 2012 · 5:37 p.m. EDT
- Location
- Union Square, New York City · embedded coordinates 40.7352, −73.9917
- Camera
- Apple iPhone 4 · 1280 × 720 · 29.97 fps
- Duration
- 2 minutes 11.3 seconds
- Audio
- Original embedded soundtrack and commentary · mono · 44.1 kHz
- Source
- IMG_2646.MOV · preserved unchanged
The ideas were inside the trucks.
The business was on the street.
Curated excerpts from Benny’s original live commentary
What I Was Watching.
Repetitions and obvious speech artifacts have been removed while preserving the original thoughts, humor and business observations. Select a time to return to that moment in the film.
All right, here we are. This is Food Truck Row, Union Square, New York City.
There’s my favorite, Gorilla Cheese. Love it. Smoked salmon melt. There’s their menu. We’ve got the Peruvian fusion.
We’ve got raw food. Now this is what we’re talking about—the organic food trucks. This one, not so busy.
But this is another taco. People are lined up, as you can see.
Healthy Bites. Organic and natural. Vegan burgers. Organic hot dogs. What the fuck does anybody want to get an organic hot dog for?
And of course you have the standard New York City dirty-water dog cart.
We have Mr. Softee, which is old school. They shoot each other for parking spots.
These guys make great ice cream, and they package it awesome in mason jars. There are always people purchasing from them—and they’re tweeting like fifty times a day. Got that? Tweeting fifty times a day.
Anyways, I’m not eating at a food truck today. I’m going to one of my favorite little hangouts at The Coffee Shop, Union Square West, to get a mojito and a little salad that I enjoy.
Draft curator’s transcription · Machine-assisted locally · Awaits Benny’s final review