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Popped! Republic food truck owner Rich Arslan showed up at his Alexandria headquarters at 7 a.m. this morning and found his vehicle missing. He last saw the truck last night, parked in a lot on the 2381 S. Dove St., around 8:30 or 9 p.m. last night.
“It’s our primary revenue generator at the moment. It’s what put us on the map as a business,” Arslan says. “It’s what pays all our bills. It’s what enables us to hire and pay eight employees.”
He’s filed a police report, but he fears that in the worst case scenario, the truck could be sitting in a warehouse somewhere being chopped up for parts. “Every second counts in the beginning here,” he says.
DMV Food Truck Association executive director Che Ruddell-Tabisola says he’s never heard of a food truck in the D.C. area being stolen before.
Update: The truck was later found, thanks—Arslan says—to tipsters on social media.
Just got off the phone with PG County Police— truck has been recovered. Awaiting call from recovering officer. @AlexandriaVAPD #DMVFTA
— America's Favorite Gourmet Popcorn (@AFGPopcorn) November 22, 2014
Photo courtesy Popped! Republic