Scattered Across the City – How Street Vendors are Combating the Damages from Covid-19
Mike Abouilkir smiled as he diligently prepared chicken gyros for his customer. Sweat slowly trickled down his face. He wiped it with the towel tucked in his belt, placed the deliciously smelling gyros onto a wrap, and carefully assembled the food together. In a matter of seconds, he moved from one order to another.
Abouilkir is a 52-year-old Egyptian immigrant working for Best Halal USA, a food truck located near West 62nd Street and Columbus Avenue. “We’ve been here for five years,” Abouilkir said, “in this street intersection.”
Best Halal USA food truck serves a wide range of food, from hotdogs to beef shawarma. Many students, tourists, and workers share a common love for this place. However, because of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the food truck’s popularity has declined massively.
“During Covid, our truck was dead for four months,” Abouilkir said. “Before, it was way better. People would line up to get food.”
Even though they encountered hardships, food trucks like Best Halal USA represent endurance because they prevailed even with the lack of customers. During the pandemic, they managed to survive and continued to sell meals on the streets.
“That food truck over there,” Abouilkir said, pointing to another Best Halal USA branded truck across the street corner, “we opened it earlier this year, to help with damage.”
Establishing another food truck near the area yielded profits for the Halal truck and ultimately compensated for Covid’s damage.
Right across the street from the two Best Halal USA is a food truck where a customer was waiting to pick up his favorite quesadilla.
“Honestly, for a food truck that sells street tacos, they have it perfectly flavored,” the customer said as he picked up his order. “I literally traveled from Soho to get lunch here, that’s how good they are.”
Azael, an employee of the food truck who did not disclose his last name, said, “This truck has only been here for a year, but the owner has had other food trucks before this.”
“He would tell us that during the beginning of Covid, it was really hard,” Azael said. “We’re still getting back.”
Azael said the reason his truck survived Covid was that the owner cared for his employees. The truck owner would personally purchase fresh ingredients from different stores and often stopped by to encourage the workers.
The global pandemic is far from over, and people are learning to cope with Covid’s long-term existence. With the world adjusting to the new “normal,” small businesses have been forced to adapt. Some food trucks, like Azael’s employer and Best Halal USA, succeeded because of business expansions and great leadership.
Other food trucks were not as lucky. During Covid, many food trucks were bankrupted from inflation, supply chain issues, and lack of revenue. According to a report from Datassential, 22.5% of food trucks closed because of the pandemic. These food trucks represented different cultures in the New York metro area and provided the taste of home for a large population within an immensely diverse city with around 6 million immigrants.
In an industry where immigrants hold most jobs, the impacts of the coronavirus were ruthless.
Many lost their livelihoods and couldn’t provide for their families. According to the Center for New York City Affairs, one in six undocumented immigrants in New York City became unemployed during the pandemic. Their undocumented status made them especially vulnerable because they constantly face risks of deportation while searching for new employment opportunities.
For Abouilkir, who was originally from Egypt, the pandemic was harsh as well. After legally immigrating to the US, Abouilkir has worked in the food truck business for 26 years. Although he did not lose his career during Covid, the virus outbreak prevented him from visiting his family members in Egypt.
While times remain uncertain, Abouilkir said that he is still hopeful.
“I wish to tell everyone to come and eat at our truck,” Abouilkir glanced at the passersby and said with optimism, “we have good food.”