Why the USC Village crosswalk is a haven for mobile food businesses

As I walk to class, I pass two food trucks, a coffee cart and an ice cream stand. It’s 1 p.m. on a Tuesday, and these mobile shops, located at the intersection of West Jefferson Boulevard and South Hoover Street, have attracted a line of hungry students.

This is just a snapshot of how dense the University Park Campus’ mobile food scene has become. 

From the coffee and ice cream vendors that invite students to snack during the day, to the taco stands that sit just outside campus for late-night passersby, UPC is surrounded by a vibrant tapestry of cuisines that have woven their way into the campus community — whether through a convenient bite or a longstanding connection. 

Across Los Angeles, operating a food truck often means navigating a maze of permits, restricted zones and specific rules in many of the incorporated L.A. county cities. But South Central is governed largely by county regulations instead of stricter city ones, enabling more flexibility. 

Alexander Amari, who runs the popular Drip Daddy coffee truck, learned that difference firsthand. He planned to launch his business where he lived in West Hollywood, and he built his entire marketing strategy — including the truck’s name — around the youthful, vibrant and LGBTQIA+-centered communities of the city. But he said the city’s tight operating hours and strict parking rules made it impossible to build a steady customer base.

“Midway through the build out [of the truck], I found out I couldn’t even put this business in West Hollywood because West Hollywood doesn’t do food trucks,” Amari said. 

But after a tip from another vendor, Amari tried setting up near USC, and he immediately saw the contrast. He said he could serve for longer hours, and he could tap into the endless stream of students passing by, eager for caffeine. 

“The moment I was introduced to this audience, my business turned into something — literally overnight,” Amari said. “I was making $100 on Melrose, and then the next day, [at USC], it was $800.”

Still, city regulations are only part of the equation. Several owners who spoke to the Daily Trojan Magazine said what really keeps their businesses rooted around USC is the student market itself. 

Students around USC move in large bursts, rushing between classes at the top of the hour to grab a quick bite. In those moments, many students said that convenience almost always outweighs loyalty. Some vendors, like the owners of Sunset Hot Chicken, said if they can catch a student’s attention in the few seconds it takes to walk past, they have a real chance at turning that quick stop into a repeat customer. 

Hannah Travelstead, a junior majoring in communication, said she stops by the Drip Daddy truck, which parks outside USC Village five times a week, simply because it fits into her routine. 

“Mainly it’s just so convenient. It’s right at the entrance to campus,” she said. “If I don’t have time to make myself a cup in the morning, I can grab one there while I wait for the light to change.”

But convenience cuts both ways. The same rush that brings in customers also creates intense competition, with vendors fighting for the same windows of foot traffic, the same prime parking spots and, ultimately, the same hungry or caffeine-deprived students. 

For Brewser’s Coffee, a coffee cart started by USC alum Kamryn Scott last year, the crowded landscape isn’t discouraging, but motivating. She sets up most days at the Trousdale Parkway entrance near Jefferson and Hoover streets, one of the busiest points near campus. 

With so many options clustered together, Scott said students don’t always seek out a specific vendor; they choose whatever — or whoever — catches their eye in the moment. 

“Students like to support small businesses,” she said. “I really like engaging with them, … and I think that also keeps them coming back.” 

Part of that draw, she added, comes from the cart’s look and feel — a handmade, hand-painted wooden stand with her syrups, coffee blends and espresso machine all on display.

“The fact that it’s this cute little thing … the energy just feels vibrant and draws people in,” Scott said. 

According to the founders of Sunset Hot Chicken, a food truck open from 1 p.m. to midnight every day outside of USC Village, the reliability of college students as customers is not just because they’re always passing by. They said the reasons are more psychological: friendliness, familiarity, and, most importantly, discounts and deals. 

Ali Saleh and Hassan Jaafar, owners of Sunset Hot Chicken, built their entire business around that idea. For them, the key isn’t flashy branding or aggressive promotion, but connection. 

“We treat [our customers] like our own sisters and brothers,” Saleh said. “And we’re very welcoming. They appreciate that, and that’s how they come back.” 

The dynamic works both ways, he said: To succeed around a college campus, mobile businesses have to be amusing, but the student community also has to be willing to interact. 

One of the biggest factors, Saleh said, is trust. He said the connections among USC students create a sense of credibility for whichever business they choose. If students see a line outside a truck on Hoover, they’re more likely to join it simply because their peers are already there. 

“Our best marketing, to be honest with you, is word of mouth,” Saleh said. “We’re in a community where everyone talks to each other.” 

According to Saleh and Jaafar, they didn’t experience the same dynamic at other L.A. universities. When they scouted UCLA as a possible second location, they said the energy felt different. 

“We went there a couple times, and we didn’t get that same vibe, that USC vibe,” Saleh said. 

Understanding their audience has also shaped how Saleh and Jaafar price their food. According to them, they know the tight budgets and resourceful habits college students live with, so they offer a free drink with every meal, as long as the customer can show they’re a USC student.

Their approach isn’t unusual. Many USC-area vendors rely on discounts or loyalty perks to keep students coming back. Drip Daddy offers punch cards — buy ten drinks, get the next one free — and others take a more hands-on approach. Creamy Boys Ice Cream offers students passing by free samples to introduce their product before they even look at the menu.

Creamy Boys is a chain of New Zealand-style ice cream locations that brought their stand near campus this semester. They’ve seen the same pattern. 

“We were pleasantly surprised with how engaged the students were,” said founder Duncan Parsons. He said their samples had people “keen to stop by.” 

For these businesses-on-wheels, loyalty and word-of-mouth are essential — but they aren’t what drive profit. The area surrounding USC functions almost like its own ecosystem — one where businesses rely on a combination of timing, personality and the steady rhythm of student life to operate. 

While regulations in other places pushed some near USC, the student community is what made them stay.