Today we’d like to introduce you to David Poku.
Hi David, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started ATX food truck festival after my first business, which was Austins Party Scene. Austin’s Party scene is an event logistics company that helps brands with event planning, sourcing vendors, and marketing.
I saw that Austin embraced food trucks and myself a Friend named Glenn came up with the idea to produce food truck festivals. Our first festival had over 4,000 people and thats when we knew we had come up with something special. After the first event, I focused on making the event be about the celebration of a variety of food and culture in the best way possible. Simply put, we wanted people to be able to come to one event, experience music, and also be able to share tasting the world at one event. With each event, I served to also give back to the community by helping families celebrate certain milestone events for kids that are battling cancer. I can honestly say that dealing with these different children and families has been the most impactful thing in my life. They have taught me to live life to the fullest and seem to motivate me to do things that go far beyond regular people’s comfort zone!
Since covid, I have created what I call food truck rotations. The rotations allow food trucks to roam to specific apartments and HOAs all over Austin, San Marcos, Georgetown, Kyle, etc. and serve to captive audiences that already know in advance that they are coming. I schedule for about 30-4o trucks at a time from Tuesday to Sunday and the trucks are thriving because of this fairly new process!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This has fairly smooth. The issues that presented a challenge obviously we’re dealing with city ordinances that change quite often, permits, and then of course the amount of people at the festivals. Due to the event size and what all takes place, insurance isn’t cheap. Luckily we have a great set of vendors that work with us on all of our needs. We worked closely with simon malls to launch the festivals and they have made everything from the venue and parking to be the easiest process. Typically that would have been the hardest thing to source here in Austin. Affordable venues with parking for over 1,000 people are incredibly difficult to find!
Covid also was the biggest struggle. Due to covid, I had to put the festivals on hold and went all in with focusing on the food truck rotations. We are planning a festival very soon though!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I own ATX Food Truck Fest LLC and Austin’s party scene.
My background deals primarily with social media and event marketing. I consult for other festival producer’s events as well as do logistics for client/brand events as well.
I think the one thing that sets me apart from others is that I am able to be handed seemingly impossible tasks and execute on them. I like to tell people that I strive to continue to be the reason why those who know me go to me first and those that don’t get pointed in my direction.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I think the most important lesson I have learned is not put things on the backburner. Next week becomes next month, and next month becomes next year. With the beauty of putting smiles on kids battling cancers face, it also comes with the stark reality that some people’s lives are cut unexpectedly short and this reminded me everyday to live life to the fullest and do the things you never thought you’d do because life itself is a gift.
Contact Info:
- Email: david.poku@austinspartyscene.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atxfoodtruckfest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATXFOODTRUCKFEST/
