Fat Sandwiches moving on from Rutgers parking lot

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Rutgers University's storied grease trucks are pulling up stakes from Parking Lot 8 after about 20 years. By the end of Aug. 15, they have to vacate the premises. Contrary to rumor, they won't be gone.

Rutgers spokesman E.J. Miranda said the university was in discussions with the owners of the five trucks to offer them space in other locations on Rutgers' various campuses.

The university wants the land for a new, 500-bed student residence with retail space. Miranda said it was part of a $295 million, private-public redevelopment project that will include an honors college and other new academic space.

The plans for Lot 8 do sound pretty spiffy.

Christopher Paladino, president of the New Brunswick Development Corp., which is doing the project with Rutgers, said the lot portion of the work would include a Great Lawn-type public area with a huge screen so people can gather to watch movies, sports, and other events. In a nod to New Jersey, it will also include a Boardwalk-like area with food concession stands.

Paladino, a Rutgers graduate, said they would talk to some of the current truck owners about possibly staffing at least one of them.

"I've committed at this site there will be Fat Sandwiches," Paladino said.

Rutgers' grease trucks were around long before they were allowed to occupy Lot 8.

Still, two decades is a lot of tradition to leave behind. Though many people will appreciate Rutgers' moving in a more Piazza at Schmidts direction, there are definitely those who harbor a keen fondness for RU's down-and-dirty side, of which the Fat Sandwich is the gastronomic embodiment.

With colorful names like the Fat Elvis and Fat Beach - grease-truck lore has it that it used to be another b-word, but the university asked that it be toned down - the sandwiches' variety are many. Their ingredients sound like they were thought up by someone who had spent a long night out on the beer, a sleep-deprived student cramming for finals, or somebody with a serious case of the munchies.

The most famous is the Fat Darrell, a combination of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, and marinara sauce.

Its creator, Darrell Butler, now 35, was a cash-strapped Rutgers student tired of the same-old-same-old in 1997 when he asked the guy at the RU Hungry grease truck to throw together his idea for a sandwich. The girl behind him ordered one, too. Before long, the lean Darrell's sandwich went viral.

In the years since, it has been noted often on cooking and daytime news and talk shows. Esquire magazine put it on a list of 60 Things Worth Shortening Your Life For. Some years ago, Maxim magazine, the publication that brought you Hometown Hotties and Girls With Untied Garments, named it the best sandwich in America.

Butler, a personal trainer and actor, said he collects licensing fees from places that sell the sandwich by name, such as Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and West Virginia University.

Butler said he could see why Rutgers wanted to develop the lot, but he also views it as emblematic of the university's "love-hate relationship with the trucks," which he said had brought lots of notice and visitors to Rutgers.

"I love Rutgers, but I don't think they give the full respect to the trucks," he said.

The trucks' owners aren't sure what the future holds.

"Nobody is happy about moving," said Samir Alkilani. "We've been in this spot for like 20 years. You want to move from your house?"

Alkilani said he had talked to Rutgers about possible locations he could move his trucks, including the Mr. C's, but had no firm agreement.

In the new locations, he said, he will have to move his truck every night. At the lot, the trucks didn't.

Ayman Elnaggar, owner of RU Hungry?, said he was moving his trailer to 56 Joyce Kilmer Ave., in Piscataway on the Livingston campus. He figures his expenses will go up; although his new rent will be lower, he said he will have to pay for electricity and waste removal, which Rutgers had provided.

He's hoping for the best.

"The location is good, not as good as the previous one, but we think there's hope for the new location," Elnaggar said.

Anthony Pennello, a scientist who lives in Belleville, took the day off from work so he and wife Cristen, a dance teacher, could have their last Fat Darrells at the lot.

"We have memories of walking here from dorm parties and hanging out," he said.