As of late, Starkville has grown privy to the emerging national trend of food carts, food trucks and late-night dining. Most of these alternative eateries in town have popped up in the past few months in and around the Cotton District. Among these establishments is Late Night Eats, located in the Desert Rose building (formerly Shaharazad’s) on Maxwell Street. Late Night Eats is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and has been open since school started this fall semester.
Christian Luck, senior biochemistry major at Mississippi State University and co-owner of Late Night Eats, said starting a business like Late Night Eats has always been a dream of his.
“Been thinking about this for years,” Luck said. “Once we got the food and got to work, there was no going back.”
Late Night Eats serves hot dogs, pizza, falafels, gyros and hummus. Another founding member of Late Night Eats and a senior biological engineering major, Abdullah Dakhlalla, emphasized how the late-night business helps bring in some extra money for him and his family. Another worker at the restaurant and a construction worker by day, Aiman Jabari, reiterated Dakhlalla’s statement.
“Just trying to keep the bills paid,” Jabari said.
Indeed, with the prolonged national recession and the rise of the bar scene in the Cotton District, late-night food and mobile food carts are an increasingly viable option for the burgeoning cook or upstart businessperson. For the young or those looking for a more independent lifestyle, food trucks and the like are a way to be your own boss and to try to run a business, often without the constraints of rent or a utility bill.
In addition to Late Night Eats, a food truck named Dawg Pound Burritos has also been on the night circuit in the Cotton District. Dawg Pound Burritos serves burritos, quesadillas and tacos Thursday through Saturday from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. MSU alumnus Michael Bufkin runs the food truck. The food truck is usually parked on the north side of University Drive serving Tex-Mex fare and wafting delicious smells throughout the Cotton District.
Another more recent arrival to the downtown scene is Hobie’s Dawgs. Hobie’s Dawgs specializes in hot dogs, sausage dogs and sliders. Topped with palm fronds and what looks like tiki gear, Hobie’s Dawgs is hard to miss and is located on the corner of University and Maxwell. Usually the operator of this stand is, one might say, appropriately garbed in a Hawaiian shirt. The decor, dress and congeniality of the vendor, and the music emanating from Hobie’s Dawgs adds something special to the Cotton District. To this writer’s knowledge, the cart is mainly operated at lunch during the week and late night on the weekend.