Everyday on State Street, something new is happening. Whether it’s a civil protest or a company handing out free merchandise, Library Mall is full of surprises. Just one thing is reliable: the long line at the Fresh Cool Drinks food truck, where students order huge smoothies and bite into forearm-sized spring rolls dripping with peanut sauce.
Opened in 2006 by Tuy Anongdeth, the Fresh Cool Drinks food truck has been serving quick, affordable options to students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for over 20 years. But in a city with no shortage of dining options, what’s the fascination with these comically large, burrito-esque spring rolls on library mall?
Made fresh-to-order, their food is known as a healthy and inexpensive alternative to other local restaurants and food trucks.
“The spring rolls are huge, and they’re so affordable,” Evelyn Hentschel, a senior at UW-Madison told The Daily Cardinal. “Every time I’ve come here, my stomach is full after seven dollars.”
“I usually hang out in Memorial Union, but when I’m walking down State Street, and I see the line for this — and it's short — I hop in,” she said.
Hentschel is not the only customer who raved about the low prices at the food truck.
“I’ve tried some of the other [food trucks], and I just don’t think they’re as reasonably priced,” UW-Madison senior Kile Sullivan said. He also said the longer wait times at Fresh Cool Drinks can sometimes amount to “paying with your time.”
He discovered Fresh Cool Drinks with a friend his freshman year. “You get so much food for such a little price,” Sullivan said. “And the girl that works it, she’s always so happy. I think she’s just in it for the love of the game.”
The affection Sullivan describes becomes clear the moment you ask Anongdeth about her customers.
“It’s not just work, it’s like my family, my friends. I know them, they know me, and that’s a part of my business, that’s the community,” Anongdeth told the Cardinal.
Originally from Laos, Anongdeth has worked in restaurants for as long as she can remember. “My family has a restaurant in my country,” she explained, saying it serves Lao and Thai food.
After moving to the U.S. and marrying her husband, Anongdeth decided to start her own food truck after seeing her in-laws successfully run one in California.
“At the beginning, it was so bad. I made like $30 a day,” she said. “I was just like, okay, I gotta change all the stuff, and create my own [recipe].” After much trial and error, she found that customers really liked the large spring rolls, and they have been coming back ever since.
Anongdeth estimated that she now sells around 100 smoothies and spring rolls each day. But despite consistent sales, the truck still struggles to make a profit.
“Everything is so expensive,” she said. “Right now we sell [spring rolls] for seven dollars, and next year I will have the price going up for the beef. The beef is really expensive.”
She will also be raising smoothie prices by one dollar, the first change to her drink pricing in over 10 years.
Still, despite these struggles, Anongdeth’s spirits remain high thanks to her community.
“I really want to thank all of my lovely customers,” she said. “I tell my kid, ‘If I don’t work in the food shop, what am I going to do?’ You know, I love people. I love my customers.”
