NJ woman debuts second food truck at her former high school
PENNSAUKEN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- "You need to be able to put in the work, be serious about what you want to do with your life, and just go for it," said Megan Hilbert.
Hilbert, 25, grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit inherited from her parents. While attending Pennsauken High School, she was the class president, played three sports, and participated in various clubs.
She got right to work after college as the manager of a bar in Glassboro.
"It was a cool experience, learning how to open a restaurant, but I didn't feel appreciated," she said. "I wasn't being the best version of myself."
Hilbert changed lanes and tried to find other odd jobs. Nothing kicked into gear until she learned that her mother, a food truck owner, was considering opening a second truck.
Hilbert decided she would purchase the truck from her mother and start her own business, Red's Rolling Restaurant, in 2018.
It became a full-time gig for Hilbert by the end of 2019. And by spring 2020, she was ready to escape from the always-harsh winter and start doing business again. However, the COVID-19 pandemic dispersed every large crowd where food trucks like hers made money.
"We ended up working with the hospital staff and doing Feed the Frontlines," she said. "We did personal catering for graduation parties when halls were closed down. So that's where we started to flourish."
Emerging from the pandemic, Hilbert decided she would expand her business by opening a second food truck just like her mother originally intended. She made the purchase earlier this year and had all the proper equipment installed.
"I need to know how to hook up propane tanks, how to do mechanical work on my own truck," she said. "There's a lot of things that would be considered 'manly' stuff that I do every day and so do these other women."
By sharing her story, Hilbert hopes to put a spotlight on the hard-working community of women-owned food trucks in South Jersey. She also wants to break the mold for young entrepreneurs who want to make their dreams come true.
"People don't think that somebody, like, our age can run something like this," she said. "And I love it when I tell them I have two trucks now."
Red's Rolling Restaurant II made its debut today at a softball tournament at Pennsauken High School, where Hilbert herself once played as a student.
"To be able to come back and, like, see the younger generation and also be able to, like, serve them and show them that this is possibly something that they could do themselves one day, it's a great feeling," she said.
To learn more about Red's Rolling Restaurant, visit their website.
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