Half of recent college graduates are either unemployed are underemployed, according to an analysis of government data. While many students move back home after graduation to wait out the job search, two U of I grads have taken to the streets of Champaign in search of a career.
Daniel Krause and Jeremy Mandell, both of the Northshore of Chicago, graduated from U of I in the spring of 2012. Throughout their senior year, they transformed their original idea of a breakfast restaurant and omelet bar into The Cracked food truck on campus today.
The Cracked Truck rolled into campus in early August as the newest addition to Champaign-Urbana’s fast-growing fleet of food trucks. The Cracked Truck joins Veggie Tales and Mas Amigos, among others on C-U’s streets, and it is the first to sell strictly breakfast food. During the week, customers will find The Cracked Truck parked on the corner of Matthews and Springfield in Urbana from 8am-2:30 p.m. During the wee hours of the weekend, The Cracked Truck is open from midnight to 3am on Green Street to cater your late-night cravings.
You’ll find seven different big-menu items that include ingredients like chorizo, homemade bacon onion jam, sundried tomatoes, and smoked paprika hummus. And the ingredients aren’t the only things that are original. The Cracked Truck features options like: The Hungry Chief, The Plan B, Goy Vey and Vegasm, depending on your personal taste.
“We decided that with less options, we could perfect our menu items so they would be flawless,” says Krause. “I always get the The Morning Bender,” says Bridgette Fox, a sophomore at the University of Illinois. “It’s like your typical breakfast sandwich with a twist. It’s hot when you eat it and you can taste that the ingredients are fresh.”
The Morning Bender features fried egg, hash browns and sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese. The Cracked Truck also offers coffees, teas and specialty sodas. Customers can also indulge in a variety of tater tot recipes including parmesan truffle or white cheddar bacon tots, as well as beignets.
“When it comes down to it, “ says Mandell, “if the food isn’t good, this whole idea isn’t going to work.”
Krause, Mandell and their third partner Sean Baird, currently a student at Southern Illinois University, decided that fresh ingredients from local producers was a priority for their business. The bread is baked fresh daily from Pekara bakery, and Old Time Meat and Deli supplies the meats and cheeses.
“We wanted to create comforting breakfast combinations with unique ingredients,” says Krause, 22, who originally thought of the concept. “Stuff people probably wouldn’t be making at home.”
Krause is no stranger to the food business; at age 14, he began working at a concession stand for the local park district. From there he held jobs at a local bakery, Lou Malnati’s pizzeria, and the skyboxes at the Chicago Cubs games. Krause’s idea for the Cracked Food Truck won him a concept competition while interning for the Lettuce Entertain You chain.
“It started off as a restaurant idea. I wanted to create an omelet bar restaurant that served different foods from all over the world in an omelet,” says Krause. Upon returning to U of I for his senior year, Krause had other plans for his future in the restaurant business. His first step would be asking Mandell, his friend since high school, to join the team.
Despite not having much experience with food, Jeremy Mandell has been entrepreneurial since high school, starting his own racquet stringing business. After coming to U of I, he worked as a branch manager for the contracting company “College Works”.
When approached to join The Cracked Truck, Mandell admitted he was a bit hesitant. “I didn’t know if working out of a truck is what I went to college for,” he says.
Although they’re working between 60 and 80 hours every week, Mandell says, “we’re having a lot fun and we’re very optimistic with the way numbers are going. Every week seems to get better and better.”
“Working with your best friend is great, not many people get this experience,” adds Krause.
Looking towards the future, Krause, Mandell and Baird hope to open more Cracked Trucks around campus after getting established.