SAN ANTONIO — Ironically, the hot item at Zulia's Kitchen on Friday was served over ice.
"This is the Chicha. It's like a horchata; it's really sweet and has condensed milk and cinnamon," said Morelys Diaz, owner of the food truck.
Diaz said triple-digit heat affects her business, not just because there are more orders of the cold Venezuelan drink, but because even simple orders become a challenge.
"It feels like a sauna," she said. "This is stainless steel, and they absorb all the temperatures of the truck. When you enter, it is so hot inside—even more hot than the outside."
While temperatures continue to climb, food truck business is on a downward slope. Stephen Scarantino owns The Bulgogi Boys, and said he surprised at how dramatically the summer has changed his profit margins.
"I didn't really understand how hot it would be, and I also didn't understand the impact the heat would have on the business."
Scarantino said that when temperatures reach 102, the inside of his truck can feel like 132 degrees.
"I have the air conditioner with the ventilation and fryer," he said. "It's almost pointless, and I have it on blast."
Those high temperatures have many food truck owners adjusting schedules over summer. Scarantino is the only owner brave enough – or crazy enough – to open for lunch at The Block. Most of the other trucks on the property, including Zulia's Kitchen, open around 5:30 p.m.
Even with those extended hours, Scarantino said his summertime margins are lower than the spring and fall seasons.
"In the summer, I would say (there's) at least a 20% drop off," he said.
The heat wave in San Antonio is projected to end next week. While more orders at the window only make the trucks and their owners hotter, they say the support helps them take the heat.