Bro-Ritos Food Truck Cooks, Thrives, and Thrills Customers, A Founder’s Stories with Marcus Crawford

Marcus Crawford is the founder of Bro-Ritos, a food truck business that serves the NYC/NJ metro area. Marcus’ work has been featured in Food Truck Operator, Restaurant Hospitality, Boozy Burbs, QSR Magazine, and Parade — which selected Bro-Ritos as one of the top black-owned eateries in the country. Awards that have been earned by Marcus/Bro-Ritos include: • Best Burrito in NJ — PIX11 Morning News, 2022 • Best Presentation — Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival at Monmouth Park, 2019 • Best New Business — NJ Black Businesses, 2018 • Best Young Entrepreneurs — NJ Black Businesses, 2018

Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up

I was born and raised in Old Bridge, New Jersey. I grew up with dreams of being a professional athlete and also an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. I wanted to own restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues, and that goal inspired me to get started in the mobile restaurant (aka food truck) business. Old Bridge is a sleepy town that didn’t have much going on, but that lack of energy lit a fuse for me to relentlessly pursue my goals.

How did you get started as an entrepreneur?

As a kid, my entrepreneurial spirit formed by doing things like running a paper delivery route, raking leaves, and selling things like trading cards, sneaker cleaning services, and jeans customization services to my peers. As an adult, my entrepreneurial ventures began with the launching of a clothing line and then evolved into opening up Bro-Ritos — which has become a fleet of trucks and a brick-and-mortar location. I plan to expand Bro-Ritos into a national brand.

What is one business lesson you would tell a startup founder?

Do your research and be patient. By research, I mean learn everything you can about the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and sales of your product/service. Do a deep dive into the industry landscape and figure out the strengths/vulnerabilities of your competitors. And when I recommend patience, understand that things will not go perfectly — so don’t bash yourself. Rather than getting frustrated or quitting, embrace the pitfalls that come along as lessons and learn to grow through them!