SOHO — Along with dominating the lunch market with their food truck, the tastemakers at Blend Express are also edging in on big bank territory.
The mobile eatery has cut out the cash-dispensing middleman, offering its own ATM installed next to its customer counter, with a $2 fee.
Like its parent restaurant, Blend, in Long Island City, Blend Express serves up a menu of Latin fusion cuisine, like beef bowls, burritos and Cuban sandwiches. Its weekly loop around Manhattan's lunching hot spots includes stops Broadway and 55th Street; Park Avenue and 47th Street; and Hudson and King streets.
According to its Twitter account, the truck began accepting credit cards in April, and most customers on Aug. 2 said they appreciated the access to cash.
“I think it's extremely convenient,” Ali Kokot, an intern at Fresh PR, said. “I feel like more people are inclined to carry plastic.”
A journalism student in Philadelphia, Kokot is a regular of the food truck line at Hudson and King, located across the street from her office.
“It’s a valuable resource,” she said, especially with the long lines that form at the Chase branch across the street.
Some, however, said they would still choose to use a bank-affiliated ATM instead.
Amanda Parrise, who was visiting the city from Connecticut, said independent machines make her nervous.
“I guess it would make me a little bit cautious,” she said. “If I didn't have cash, I don't know if I'd use it.”
