All Up In Your Business, Oct. 29

New website tracks area food trucks

For people looking to grab a bite from a Triangle food truck, a new website uses social media to locate the meals on wheels.

Trackin’ Trucks, a food truck locating service founded and owned by Peter Benoit, creates a more efficient system for locating food trucks.

Serving all the way from Hillsborough to east Raleigh, a collection of 70 food trucks can be located just by their tweets, which are compiled in the Trackin’ Trucks database.

“I have used other food service locating websites in the past,” he said. “They weren’t very accurate, and I was sent to one too many empty parking lots. This system can improve upon this.”

Reaching almost 800 users this past month, the popularity of the new business is steadily growing through the use of social media. The food trucks do not have to pay to be listed on the website and are sometimes automatically added as Benoit thinks of local trucks with popular menus.

“Our mission is to make food trucks to be added to the nightly conversation of where you’re going to eat,” Benoit said.

ReCYCLEry hosts bike repair workshops

Avid area bicyclists have the opportunity to earn a free bicycle and learn how to build one from parts at a workshop through the ReCYCLEry in Chapel Hill.

On the first and third full weekends of each month, workshops are held for cyclists to work on their own bikes — or they can get one of the ReCYCLEry’s many donated bikes and work on them.
ReCYCLEry provides the tools and expertise to teach bicyclists how to build and repair their own bikes.

“The object is to give everybody a ride,” said Richard Giorgi, founder and director of ReCYCLEry.

“Earning a bike from us is pretty simple. We have a junk yard full of bikes that are donated to us — just pick one that strikes your fancy and you just start working on it. There’s nothing for you to buy yourself.”

There is no prerequisite to attend one of the workshops. ReCYCLEry chooses a first-come, first-served system of bike repairs and provides one-on-one training with a professional mechanic.

“All you have to do is show up, pick something and be ready to work,” says Giorgi.
The next ReCYCLEry workshop will be held Saturday.

Locopops closing Chapel Hill location

Locopops, the gourmet popsicles and frozen treats restaurant, closed its Raleigh and Chapel Hill locations Sunday.

The business is based in Durham and plans to remain open there, according to a post on its Facebook page.

Locopops managers plan to make their products more mobile, leaving the traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant style and instead serving consumers on demand.

“Customer feedback tells me that folks increasingly want to enjoy Locopops during festivals, farmer’s markets, ball games, etc.,” the post stated.

“They’re less and less likely to make a special trip for one item. This trend prompted me to explore new delivery models.”

Representatives from Locopops could not be reached for comment.

The business plans to make its gourmet frozen treats available at locations such as Weaver Street Market, Johnny’s Gone Fishing, Saxapahaw General Store and Looking Glass Cafe & Boutique in Chapel Hill, as well as locations across Raleigh.