Since opening last January, G Food Truck Lounge has been luring hungry workers to an unlikely spot—a narrow oasis beneath the I-80 freeway overpass—for a hot weekday lunch. Despite a tight budget and a difficult location, the entrepreneurial minds behind the venture have built a space that’s focused on far more than simply filling stomachs.

G started back in 2013 when local entrepreneur and cab driver Alok Dutt had the idea to turn the lot at 431 2nd St. into something more exciting than a storage space. Dutt contacted Caltrans, and when he learned the lot was available for a short-term lease, he snagged it. Aware that whatever he built had to be mobile, he settled on launching a food-truck park.

The lot in May 2013, before its foodie transformation. (Photo: Google Street View)

With few resources to turn the lot into a destination, Dutt had to get creative. He stretched his tiny decorating budget by purchasing assets auctioned off from the America’s Cup after it wrapped up. Many of the furnishings seen at the food park now were once used at the Cup site. 

Then there was the matter of preparing the site. Dutt’s solution: Ask individuals camping and roaming the streets nearby if they’d like to lend a hand, in exchange for hourly wages. 

One enthusiastic "yes" came from Michael McMurray, who had been living on the hill behind the lot for years. Whenever Dutt needed a hand, he’d walk back to McMurray’s campsite and wake him up, he said, and he quickly became G's first employee. 

Friendships Dutt made previously as a member of the neighboring co-working space, then Citizen Space and now Workbix, were also integral in getting the food truck lounge up and running. Tech entrepreneur Manish Panijiar loaned Dutt $20,000 to make the lounge a reality and later came onboard as CEO. 

Stepping away from the computer and building a real-world marketplace was an entirely new experience, said Panijiar, who spent 16 years marketing technology products before catching the entrepreneurial bug. He quickly learned that bootstrapping a food truck park is hard work, he said.

Dutt and Panijiar launched G in January 2014 with grand plans to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. To make it work, Panijiar knew that the park needed to have at least 45 food trucks lined up and sizable crowds within the first of couple weeks—despite having only $3,000 in the bank.

That meant being at the park by 5am every morning, holding up Second Street traffic to let food trucks pull in, setting up for patrons, and even scrubbing restrooms, Panijiar said. Many of the featured food trucks didn’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, he added.

Despite a solid launch, it took just a few days to realize that breakfast and dinner weren't a good fit for the location. Regulars say the location is extremely convenient for lunch, Panijiar said, but nearby workers have already established their morning routines, and the area is deserted come dinnertime.

The overpass presented its own challenges, especially noise and pollution. It quickly became clear that G needed to invest in speakers, televisions and other amenities that would entice people to sit and stay a while. These days, the park boasts free wi-fi, heating, lighting, a beer and wine license, and other amenities.

A year and a half in, G Food Lounge is just beginning to see a profit. Panijiar aims to build even more momentum through public and private events, building technology products for the food truck industry and exploring opportunities to reinvent urban spaces in other cities. 

The extended G Food Truck Lounge family, from left to right: COO Tommy Jenkins, employee number one Michael McMurray, co-founder Alok Dutt, employee number two Charles Carpenter Jr., co-founder & CEO Manish Panijiar, and loyal supporter Peter Lassen. (Photo: Brittany Hopkins/Hoodline)

In keeping with its roots, the team is also very interested in developing a sustainable model for hiring “nonstandard” employees and spreading the practice, Panijiar said. So far, G has hired three homeless individuals; McMurray and the second hire, Charles Carpenter Jr., remain on staff.

With a steady monthly income that helps cover temporary housing, McMurray said he’s applied for subsidized housing and hopes to have an apartment of his own soon. The park's third homeless employee was a talented barista, Panijiar said. After a period of employment at G, she’s been able to return to her field. 

With the right set of partnerships in place, he said he's certain the program can work for businesses, employees and the community.

G Food Truck Lounge is open for lunch 11am-2pm, Monday-Friday. Check out their website for the weekly lineup, and their Facebook page for other key updates.