Food trucks deal with extreme heat - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

Medford, Ore. — Rogue Valley weather has it’s perks, in particular our mild winters make for much longer seasons for businesses like food trucks. But this week has been tough, and the extreme heat has those cooking on the food trucks, feeling as if they’re being cooked.

The inside of Jenny Huva’s food truck is a little less inviting for her, than it is on most days.

“When you think it’s 101 out here, it’s a 120 in the truck,” Jenny Huva, owner of Jenny’s Thyme says.

Despite wet towels, and fans in each corner, the heat is sometimes too much to take.

“Yesterday we started shutting down at 2,” Huva adds.

And for trucks that depend on every transaction, triple digit temps translate to triple digit deficits.

“It’s hard, it’s really hard.”

At Ooblies Waffles, an evaporative air cooler is making all the difference.

“It keeps it about 20 degrees cooler inside the truck than it is outside, so it’s usually only about 90 degrees in there for us,” owner Tanner Elliott says.

And if the food isn’t enough to bring the customers over for a visit, they hope a few cool perks, will help them ride out this heat wave.

“We got shade, we got ice water,” Elliott says.

“A little rainstorm, a little thunderstorm, I’d be happy,” Huva says, “yeah I would love that!”

If you want to beat the heat but still grab a bite from a local food truck, many of them do call ahead orders. Ooblies Waffles is open from 10-4 Tuesday-Saturday and can be reached at (541) 937-5533, Jenny’s Thyme is open 11-3 Tuesday-Saturday and can be reached at (541) 727-2085.