Food truck fights to serve on Union College campus

Feb. 21—Although they pride themselves on “wandering as the day goes,” Brandon Snooks and Andrea Loguidice, owners of the Wandering Dago food truck, hope that Schenectady can be the city that puts the brakes on their nomadically delicious lifestyle. The blue, retrofitted UPS truck, with the iconic cycling pig logo, is a common sight across the street from the up-campus Greek houses. After reading the Jan. 31 Concordy article addressing the overcrowding at Union, Snooks and Loguidice saw an opportunity for their food truck business to alleviate some of the congestion during peak dining hours on campus.

Director of Dining Services David Gaul explained the hurdles involved with bringing an outside dining entity on to campus during the peak dining hours. “The problem is that there is a legal issue with using declining balance at off-campus food services,” Gaul explained. “It is constructed solely for the purpose of use at on-campus dining locations.” New York tax laws state, “the sales must be made at a restaurant, tavern or other establishment located on the premises of the post-secondary school, and the school itself must be operated by an exempt organization.” These are the same tax laws that limit the use of declining balance in the bookstore to only food and beverages.

The Wandering Dago owners adamantly believe that they could contribute to Union’s dining scene.