Two Topekans used their tech expertise to put local food trucks in the palm of your hand
Tired of searching daily for the location of your favorite food truck?
A Topeka tech startup has the solution.
Rogelio Zamora Jr. is the founder and lead app developer at .Enterface. Along with business partner Jorge Feliciano Hernandez, Zamora created mobile Munch, an app that allows users to view food truck locations and menus across the community.
“Mobile Munch is a product that falls under our LLC and took on a life of its own,” said Zamora. “I’m a foodie, and I wasn’t aware of how many amazing options there are for food in Topeka.”
Mobile Munch lets food truck owners get information to diners
Available to Apple and Android users, mobile Munch launched on April 6 and recently hit 3,500 downloads. It’s also now featured on TikTok.
The app works by allowing area food truck owners to provide information regarding upcoming dates, times, locations, menu options and pricing for their businesses. Users who download mobile Munch have access to that information in one easy-to-navigate location, rather than searching in several different places online.
Zamora imagined the app after attending a food truck festival in Topeka with his family.
“It was a great turn out with long lines, and I noticed that it was hard for me to see what they had to offer with the lines being so long,” he said. “There were probably 15 food trucks there, and I was trying to navigate the crowd with my daughter. I thought wouldn’t it be amazing if there was an app that had this information?”
Zamora decided to take the project on himself. He and Hernandez developed a prototype for mobile Munch in two weeks and began approaching food truck businesses to pitch their idea. Zamora said it’s important to them that the owners of any trucks featured on the app have agreed to be a part of the platform.
“We don’t want to use their information without their permission. We want them to be an official collaborator, so we can promote them,” he said. “We did a lot of work to meet a lot of people face to face and made it a point to make that introduction in person.
"We treat people as individuals, and that’s what’s helped us build a good foundation and trust. Communication is key.”
Despite only having a rough prototype at the time, and being strangers in the food truck community, Zamora said the overall response was positive.
“A couple of them were really kind and receptive," he said. "Three trucks gave us their information and got the ball rolling.”
More than 25 food trucks are on Topeka's new app mobile Munch
Today, more than 25 food trucks share information with mobile Munch, and Zamora and Hernandez have pending contracts for additional businesses. Their goal is to reach 30 trucks by the end of June.
“The support we’ve been getting has been amazing," Zamora said. "We’re very thankful for the Topeka community supporting us. We want to make the process easy for them, bring awareness to food trucks in general and help people explore the food truck scene.”
App users often comment that they didn’t know a food truck was local to the capital city until they used mobile Munch. Zamora said the app is a good way for people to invest in local businesses instead of choosing chain restaurant options.
In addition to mobile Munch, .Enterface LLC created the first custom mobile-specific application for a local Topeka restaurant. However, Zamora said the company has the ability to take on any project in the tech space.
With a degree in mechanical engineering, he became interested in coding and programming through his work in a Kansas Department of Transportation laboratory, where he conducts material testing and performs data collection.
“I learned coding that way, picked it up and had a natural passion for it,” said Zamora. “I scaled it down to mobile development to create a mobile app. It’s just what I do just because I love doing it.”
App is relying on word of mouth and networking
Following the creation of mobile Munch, .Enterface had to find a way to market the app to the public. Hernandez, vice president of communications and application developer, took up the challenge with some help from local marketing influencers Miranda Chavez-Hazim and Alison Beebe.
“Jorge is a social butterfly and the creative genius behind our social media,” said Zamora. “Before we released the app, we sent a post out looking for beta testers. The ladies from MAD Marketing reached out and have been supportive since Day 1. They’ve leveraged their expertise.
"It’s been word of mouth and networking. They’ve helped us get in those rooms and make those connections.”
Word of mobile Munch has spread beyond city limits into neighboring communities as well. Business owners from Lawrence, Osage City, Pomona, Hiawatha and Manhattan have reached out to inquire about being part of the app.
“They believe in our vision and what we’re trying to accomplish here,” said Zamora.
Currently, Zamora and Hernandez are in the process of collecting analytical data to learn about how Topeka is using mobile Munch. This information will help them make decisions about future app upgrades, features and expansion to other communities.
They hope to reach 5,000 downloads by Sept. 1. Zamora said a larger pool of users will provide more statistical data for their research.
“It gives us data to present to future investors and to prove to people that mobile Munch is a good idea," he said. "Once we collect data, we can expand to neighboring cities.”
Topeka residents have suggested additional features for mobile Munch
Zamora said the public has offered many suggestions for features they would like to see on mobile Munch, including a payment integration feature that would allow for curbside pickup, a real-time map showing the location of trucks across Topeka and image galleries of meals.
Others have suggested they add dedicated bio pages about each vendor on the app to paint a picture of the people behind the food truck businesses.
“We hear you loud and clear,” said Zamora. “We get so much feedback, requests and ideas. We love it. Keep the feedback coming. We are listening to each and every one and have big plans.
"New features will be coming out soon. Keep spreading the word.”
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Two Topekans used tech expertise to put local food trucks in an app
