Penne For Your Thoughts food truck owner working hard and loving it

Penne For Your Thoughts food truck has been on the road serving its Italian/American fusion cuisine since April 19.

Geoffrey Bernstein, who owns the business with wife Samantha, said the opportunity for food trucks to thrive in Knoxville is great. It's something that he has watched closely since he moved here a little more than four years ago.

"I've seen it grow exponentially in the past three, four years. There may have been a dozen food trucks in operation four years ago, and now there's well over 50. That's a pretty quick growth," he said.

According to the Knox County Health Department, there have been 16 new food trucks certified between Jan. 1 and April 18 of this year.

Owner Geoffrey Bernstein delivers an order to the window at the Penne For Your Thoughts food truck Thursday, May 10, 2018, at Ross University School of Medicine on Cogdill Road.

Penne For Your Thoughts is one of those.

Dream comes true

Bernstein has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years. He's worked in fine-dining and casual-dining operations. Owning his own food-service business has been a lifelong dream.

Natalie Stacey entertains customers as they wait on their orders at the Penne For Your Thoughts food truck Thursday, May 10, 2018, in the parking lot at Ross University School of Medicine on Cogdill Road.

"I'd gotten good at making other people a lot of money and decided it was time to do it for myself," he said.

Like the food truck's name, puns also are used to name the menu items. Those include Pastative Thinking, a baked penne pasta dish with homemade Alfredo sauce, smoked chicken breast, roasted red peppers and green onions; A Pizza My Mind made with naan flatbread, homemade Alfredo sauce and ricotta topped with mozzarella, grilled chicken, red onions, honey garlic yogurt, and olive oil dressed arugula; and Oh How Time Fries made with seasoned waffle fries tossed in olive oil and garlic blend and topped with shaved Parmesan.

Not all entrees are available at each service. They select three or four, plus all the appetizers and then switch it out at the next service "to give our customers a fresh experience each time."

Bernstein said the seasoned fries dish is one of his most popular appetizers. Prices range from $5 to $6 for appetizers and $8 to $10 for entrees. 

A complete menu can be found at http://pennetruck.com/menu/.

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Instead of ordering at the food truck window, Bernstein has a tent erected nearby where an employee takes the customer's order. It's an experience that he thinks is better for the customer.

"Customer service can sometimes lack when ordering directly from the window. I wanted to offer something that will make the people remember us. If their food is great and the person taking the order was really nice and took good care of them, then it's beneficial all the way around," he said.

Busy but happy

Bernstein said he's had little down time since he opened the business and he's thankful for that.

"Most of the things we booked the first couple of weeks were places that we reached out to, and now we are getting calls from people wanting us to come to an event because they've tried our food. I'm on day 11 of 12 straight days," he said.

Owner Geoffrey Bernstein prepares an order at the Penne For Your Thoughts food truck Thursday, May 10, 2018, at Ross University School of Medicine on Cogdill Road.

He gives his wife credit for naming the truck.

"I wish I could take credit for it, but it was all her idea and people love it. It definitely catches the customers' attention," he said.

She is an audiologist for a children's ENT office. When not at work she is taking care of their three children, ages 12, 6 and 20 months, and offering behind-the-scenes support for the business, such as keeping track of bookings and maintaining a presence on social media.

"I'm working my butt off, but I wouldn't want to trade my job for hers for sure," he said.

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Bernstein said they chose to work from a truck because there is less initial investment than a storefront, but that doesn't mean a brick-and-mortar store has been ruled out completely.

"I see more in the future, but I'm not sure where that will take us," he said. "Right now we are working hard to get our name out there and build our brand. Whether that takes us to a string of brick-and-mortar (stores) or franchises to other cities, I don't know, but it's not just a one-stop shop for us."