Plant-Based Food Truck: Driving Through Uncertain Times with Carla Joseph

July 6, 2020

Opening a new business come with challenges of its own, but Carla Joseph and her husband were really put to the test when they started their new restaurant venture weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States — followed by mandatory stay at home orders. In Episode 12 of Lift U Up: Inspiring Health Stories, Carla Joseph joins us to share what it was like to completely change her business plan for BurgerHive, a plant-based restaurant and food truck. After living a plant-based lifestyle for more than a decade, the couple knew it was time to open their business and start their legacy. They did not let anything slow them down. They saw a lack of healthy, flavorful options in the South Florida community and took it upon themselves to change that. While they prepare their restaurant for a world without COVID-19, they serve their meals out of a food truck to happy customers around South Florida.

Carla Joseph, a practicing board certified nurse practitioner, was in college when she began her plant-based lifestyle. She always had a fascination for health and the human body and reached a turning point. She suddenly committed to a big change and discarded all of the meat in her apartment. This led her to where she is now — a lover of the plant-based diet. When Carla met her now husband, he was also living a plant-based lifestyle. What are the odds? They raised a family together and before long, discussed how they could make a mark on their community, and leave a legacy for their children. The concept of BurgerHive was born out of the idea that eating plant-based food did not have to be boring or lack flavor, according to Carla.

They developed a menu that is a fusion of traditional American comfort food meets delicious Island flavor – an experience for your palette with flavors that you won’t find anywhere else. The married couple settled on this business concept in early 2019 and hit the ground running, planning, drawing up the appropriate paperwork, and even signing the lease for their new restaurant. But COVID-19 showed up, threatening to put a damper on their success before it even started. One week after they signed their lease for their Davie restaurant location, the country went into mandatory stay-at-home orders.

Instead of panicking, they invested in a food truck. “If the customers can’t come to the food, let’s bring the food to the customers,” said Carla. They set up pop up events while promoting social distancing at luxury apartment complexes to provide food for residents that were sheltered in place. Now you can find their food truck stationed between Historic Sistrunk and Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale. If you’re local, grab a bite from their food truck for an all vegan menu of mouth watering burgers, delicious sandwiches, tasty wings, yummy smoothies and creamy milkshakes!

What else can you expect in this episode?

How Carla’s desire to help people lead healthier lives led to a career in nursing and now restaurant ownership.
The reason why they decided to open a restaurant, knowing how much time and energy it would take.
Being nimble and why it’s so important for any business owner.
Why Carla and her husband never considered quitting, even under stressful and uncertain circumstances.
How the plant-based diet is becoming more widespread and accessible in South Florida, especially in the Black community.
Carla’s advice for someone wanting to explore a plant-based diet.