It’s always a great day to be a Jay, but the weekends at Elizabethtown College are about to get a whole lot better. Our very own Jay Truck, the mobile dish-dealing favorite, is returning in a big way this semester. Returning students may notice some cosmetic changes this year, as the College has acquired an all-new truck. As pictured, the new Jay Truck has a new colorful design, with some new features, including a rolling screen listing menu options. This replaces the chalkboard used on the old truck.
The Etownian got to sit down with Dining Services’ General Manager Austin Brenner to ask some questions about the new Jay Truck. According to Brenner, the reason for a new truck was an initiative started by the College’s previous president. It was felt that the old incarnation of the truck was becoming dated, a sentiment that Brenner agreed with. When it came to the financials for the new truck, Brenner was “not privy to those details”.
Brenner was excited to report that the truck’s first weekend kicked off on Friday, Sept. 8–they hope that students got to enjoy their favorites.
While the Jay Truck giveaway was exclusive to its opening weekend, Brenner promised plans to hold more giveaways via the Jay’s Nest this semester. Students can expect prizes such as a Macbook Pro and Airpod Maxes.
Some may remember that the truck was not open very frequently last year due to a variety of factors, including staffing issues. With this new vehicle, any fears over students not having access to their favorite munchies should be assuaged.
Excluding weekends that the college is on break, Brenner claimed the Jay Truck will be open every weekend during the academic year, with a menu featuring all the old favorites including fried pickles and mac and cheese bites.
With the new truck, there have been questions about whether the menu would change. “We’re sticking with the old favorites this fall semester, but we will have a new menu roll out for the spring semester. We are leaning towards more fresh food out on the Jay Truck…we have new pieces of equipment at our disposal in the new truck which has allowed us to expand beyond just fried food. But no worries, the fried options will still be available,” Brenner said.
Student perspectives and reviews for the new Jay Truck have been positive.
“I never had a chance to try the Jay Truck previously. However, this year I can firmly say that it’s a good eat,”sophomore Olivia Morrison said
Students seemed to enjoy the new design of the truck. “I think the new design really gives it a new life. The new TV style menu really brings a modern take to the truck and makes everything look so much brighter. I love the Jay Truck and love how it feels like it’s growing with us,”junior Jordyn Diehl said.
When it comes to snack options, every student certainly has their favorites. “My favorite item from the Jay Truck is the walking taco. It was even better this year because now there are three different chip options available,” sophomore Ali Carneal said.
Students will be able to find the Jay Truck by Brinser Field on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Many consider weekend trips to the truck to be an on-campus tradition, albeit a late-night one.
“The Jay Truck serves as a place everyone can go during the weekends to just leave the worries and stress of the week behind…there’s a sort of magic associated with meeting at a food truck at 1am that just makes us all feel like a family,” sophomore Bella Kurpis said.
