Jay Slater, the owner of the food truck Slater's Ding-A-Wing said owning a business can be a gamble. And as if it weren't challenging enough, the pandemic has made it even more difficult for small businesses, even as Nevada gradually reopens.

A lot of events were put on hold in 2020 due to coronavirus concerns. Slater says food trucks are taking a big hit because many of them thrive off of social gatherings, and the majority of revenue is earned from May to September.

"For me personally, Wing Fest is my biggest event of the season. That's not happening. There's no Food Truck Friday. So those types of events, that takes a big chunk of the money we're earning to help us through the winter." Slater said.

However, the continuation of a small local event is giving some food truck owners a little bit of hope. Feed the Camel, also known Reno's weekly "Hump Day" food truck event returned to Reno on Wednesday for its seventh year. However, it looked a lot different than years before due to statewide coronavirus restrictions. 

The event was hosted within the McKinley Arts & Culture Center parking lot, containing the vendors within a limited space to allow for a monitored entrance and exit. The layout is also following the same capacity guidelines as local restaurants in the enclosed space. Food can only be ordered "to-go." Organizers of the event are asking people to refrain from eating on-site and in the park area to adhere to Nevada's Phase 2 guidelines. The parking area also has markers on the ground that indicate six feet, staff is wearing PPE, and hand sanitizer stations are available for public use.

There also wasn't as many food trucks compared to years before. On Wednesday the event also featured eight different food trucks that featured savory foods, desserts, and beverages. 

"It was really important to me to find a way to still be able to do the event. We really wanted to get the trucks on the road and be able to feed everyone that's been quarantined for so long, with state regulations. And working together hand-in-hand with the City of Reno we were able to come out in Phase 2." said Melissa Williams, the event producer of Feed the Camel.

Melissa also said during this time, local businesses need support now more than ever as they work hard to stay open and stay safe.

A sense of normalcy is important to according to Slater. He said the opening of Feed the Camel can bring the community a sense of normalcy as people enjoy getting outside and eating local foods. He also said the opening of the event can be a silver lining.

"Even if we do half of what we averaged last year, that's still better than what I did four years ago when I started up. So it's kind of one of those things where it can be better but it can be a lot worse." Slater said.

Feed The Camel operates from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekly on Wednesdays, and is scheduled to run through September 9th at the McKinley Arts & Culture Center parking lot.

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