We’re building a gourmet food truck that will bring the authentic, homemade tastes of Little Italy to you!
Little Italy on Wheels is a gourmet Italian food truck in the making, designed and being built by husband and wife team, Tony and Dana Battistello.
We will serve delicious, homemade Italian cuisine to the hungry businesspeople, working professionals and residents of Washington, DC, and the surrounding areas.
Our menu was made using recipes passed down from Tony’s Noni (his grandmother), whose parents immigrated to America from Naples, Italy. It consists of entirely homemade dishes, including (to name a few): Spaghetti and Meatballs with Mom’s Signature Sauce, Lobster Stuffed Ravioli in our Garlic, Butter and Herb sauce, Crab Stuffed Shrimp over Fettuccini, and for desert – Noni’s Éclairs’.
We didn’t choose the mobile food business out of the blue – it was our combined skills, experience and passions that led to the creation of Little Italy on Wheels. With Tony’s formal culinary training and experience, and 7 years’ experience as an auto mechanic in his past life, and with Dana’s formal business education and computer training, combined with our love of food, a food truck seemed the perfect fit.
After months of planning, research and design, Little Italy on Wheels is slowly becoming a reality.
At the end of August, and after a lengthy application process, we finally got the truck’s design and menu approved so that we could operate in DC. The truck itself is now near completion, but we still have a little ways to go before we’re up and running.
With your support, we’ll be able to:
- Purchase building supplies to complete the build
- Purchase equipment, such as an oven, food processor, mixer and blender
- Purchase kitchen supplies, such as pots, pans, ladles and spatulas
- Insure the truck, the equipment and the business
- Rent space in a commercial kitchen
- Have graphics installed on the truck
- Pay for health department inspections and vendor licensing fees
- Purchase beginning inventory, to-go containers, and office and cleaning supplies
- Purchase uniforms (chef coats, hats, pants, aprons and shoes)
- Purchase a Point of Sale system
Contact us and see pictures of the build from the beginning at http://www.facebook.com/LittleItalyOnWheels
Thanks for your support!
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Getting permitted in surrounding counties: We’ve done our research. Having gone through the rigorous application process in DC – where the rules and regulations are extremely strict – our food truck already meets, and in most cases, exceeds the requirements of the surrounding counties.
Building our customer base before we launch: Food trucks’ most important marketing tool is social media. We’ve already created, and have been building a presence on Facebook, and we intend on opening a Twitter account very soon. When we get closer to the launch of Little Italy on Wheels, we will run extensive promotions over social media.
PAPERWORK: As most small business owners will attest, keeping up with paperwork is one of the greatest challenges. We’re currently using Quickbooks Pro 2011 to keep track of all of our purchases and expenses, and to make tax-time easier.
FAQ
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6
Backers
$715
pledged of $19,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on November 7, 2012.
Funding period
Oct 8, 2012 -
Nov 7, 2012
(30 days)
- First created · 0 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
- Website: facebook.com
Pledge $1 or more
1 backer
Our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $10 or more
1 backer
1 free entree and a drink, our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $30 or more
0 backers
A customized Little Italy on Wheels apron, 1 free entree, drink and desert, our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you and your business on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $50 or more
0 backers
A Front of the Line Pass (good for 1 year), 1 free entree, salad, drink and desert, our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $100 or more
0 backers
A customized Little Italy on Wheels apron, 3 free entrees, salads, drinks and deserts, a Front of the Line Pass (good for 1 year), our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page and our Web site.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $100 or more
1 backer
A customized Little Italy on Wheels apron, 1 1/2 pounds of our home-made spaghetti and a jar of "Mom's Signature Sauce" - delivered to your door, a Front of the Line Pass (good for 1 year), our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page and our Web site.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $200 or more
2 backers
A customized Little Italy on Wheels apron, a home-made meal for 5 - delivered to your door (including spaghetti, meatballs, "Mom's Signature Sauce", our 5-cheese, herb-infused garlic bread and desert), a Front of the Line Pass (good for 1 year), our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page and our Web site.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $500 or more
0 backers
We'll bring Little Italy on Wheels, and our home-made Italian cuisine, to you and 20 of your friends! Everyone will get an entree, salad, drink, desert, and some of our 5-cheese, herb-infused garlic bread. You'll also get a customized Little Italy on Wheels apron, our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page and our Web site. (Limited to the following areas: District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, Montgomery, Prince Georges and Howard counties)
Estimated delivery: Feb 2013Pledge $1,000 or more
0 backers
We'll bring Little Italy on Wheels, and our home-made Italian cuisine, to you and 40 of your friends! Everyone will get an entree, salad, drink, desert, and some of our 5-cheese, herb-infused garlic bread. You'll also get a customized Little Italy on Wheels apron, our thanks and sincere gratitude, and recognition for you or your business on our Facebook page and our Web site. (Limited to the following areas: District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, Montgomery, Prince Georges and Howard counties)
Estimated delivery: Feb 2013
