Living the American Dream: A Filipino Food Truck Experience

When you live in America, you can do everything you want, but you work. Hard work and honesty are what get you places, you know? In Los Angeles, specifically in Filipinotown between Downtown and Koreatown, there's a food truck that embodies this philosophy – Dollar Hits. This small business, started by the Chan family since 2013 with just a single table, has been steadily rising to success, serving up a variety of delicious Filipino dishes.

At the heart of Dollar Hits is Elvira Chan, the financier and cook behind the operation. Her sister, Ms. Nelita, handles the money, while Joyce, another sibling, joins in as partner-in-crime, all joking about being "partner in crime." The family's passion for cooking stems from their Filipino heritage. Elvira grew up in Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines, where food is a staple and cooking is an art form. "Everybody Filipino, especially those from Pampanga," she explains, "they love to cook; they love food."

Dollar Hits' menu features 33 different types of sticks, each priced at just $1. Yes, you read that right – for under three dollars, customers can enjoy a full meal consisting of rice and their choice of stick. The popular options include chicken barbecue, pork barbecue, pork intestine, pork ears, and chicken feet. For those looking for something more exotic, Dollar Hits offers dishes like chicken liver, chicken heart, the balot (a type of Filipino sausage), and penoy (stomach, which is a common ingredient in many Filipino recipes).

What sets Dollar Hits apart from other food trucks is their attention to detail. Every stick is cooked already, and they use oyster sauce, salt, and pepper to add flavor. The family's commitment to quality shines through in every bite. When asked about the secret to their success, Elvira simply states, "No secret." It seems that hard work, honesty, and a passion for cooking have been the keys to Dollar Hits' growth.

The Chan family's experience is not unique to them. In the Philippines, cooking on the street is a common practice, with famous dishes often being served at affordable prices. Some Filipinos even grill their meat outside in a two-griller setup they've created themselves. Elvira shares her own experience growing up, where food vendors would cook on the streets and serve customers a full meal for a low price. It's this same spirit of community and sharing that Dollar Hits embodies.

Located in Filipinotown, Dollar Hits is more than just a food truck – it's a staple in the Filipino community. The Chan family's dedication to their craft has created a welcoming space where people can come together to enjoy delicious food at an affordable price. Whether you're a Filipino looking for a taste of home or someone new to the area seeking a unique dining experience, Dollar Hits is definitely worth checking out.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en-When you live in America,you can do everything you want,but you work.You hard work and honesty,you know?Now I'm here, and the Filipinopeople like Dollar Hits.We have 33 kinds of sticks.Every stick, it's a dollar.That's why it's calledDollar Hits.All the way from Hawaii!Thank you, Hawaii.♪♪-We started this businesssince 2013with a small table only.Then every day,it's going up, going up.-Okay, I am Elvira Chanfrom Dollar Hits, Temple.It's Ms. Nelita.-Hi.-And Joyce here.They are my siblings.They are my partner,partner in crime.No, just kidding.-Elvira Chan is the financier,and my sister, too,is the one who's handlingthe money, and I am the cook.-Dollar Hits is locatedat Filipinotown in Los Angelesbetween Downtownand somewhere in Koreatown.-This is, like, a staplein Filipino food.You come here and eata full meal for $3.-A dollar for a stick like this,and you're good,for like $3 and just rice.-The popular is a chickenbarbecue, pork barbecue,pork intestine, pork ears,chicken feet.-The exotic food like chickenliver, chicken heart,the balot, and the penoy.When we put in a display,it's cooked already.We use the oyster sauce,salt and pepper.--Yeah.-No secret.-Yeah. That's the one.-I grew up inthe Philippines...-In Pampanga.-...in Pampanga.The culinary capitalof the Philippines.-My partner is only a farmers.-Everybody Filipino,especially the Pampangenoin the Philippines.They love to cook.They love food.-When you're inthe Philippines,we cook in the street,and then there are famous oneand the cheapest one, I think.-Some people,they like the well-done.They go outside.We have a two-griller outside.They do it by themselvesto grill.That's why we call it \"TheOriginal Filipino Street Food.\"-This is actually one ofthe only places you can getauthentic Filipino street food.-The main reasonthat brought us hereis the memory of what we hadin the Philippines over there.Like, there will be, like,literally a whole streetprobably as wide as mewith stalls side by side.This is actually a lot cleaner.It's a lot more interactive.-When I came to the States,I was really looking for, like,stuff that wouldremind me of my home,because I was really homesickwhen I was studying,and then I found outDollar Hits existed,and all of these street foodthat I used to love eating,it's, like, fulfilling.♪♪-Our customer, they love usbecause we are very entertain,and they're our heartbeat.-And we dance.-And sometimes, we are dancing.-They are telling us,\"Oh, it's our first time.What will we do?\"\"Well, you start there.Then you go to the cashier.\"Then we ask them,where are they came from?Then they will tell,\"Okay, welcome.\"All the way from Alhambra!Koreatown, thank youfor coming!All the way from Anaheim!Thank you for coming.All the way from ---I love, like, Nelitais always happyand always entertaining us,singing and everythinglike that.Like, they're really nice, like,motherly, too,stores like thisthat remind you of home.-When the charcoal is alsoa bit pink,something like that, it's cool.There we go.This is my kuya,my older brother.See? He help me always.This one is good.Oh, this one is pork intestine.Mmm.-This is probably the pork one.-I didn't get ---Pork, a lot thicker,looks pretty juicy.Oh, man. Usually, in thePhilippines they prefer, like,a sweet and vinegar style.That's why they have a lotof dipping sauces,but this probablyfits the more American tastebecause a lot of peoplelike salty and savory.This is juicy as hell because,like, in the Philippines,they'll cut it nice and thin,like, kind of like bacon strips.This one, you know it's meat.-How many balot?-Three.-Three?-Yes.-Three, three balot.-It's duck eggwith the embryo in it,but it's, like,not fully mature.It tastes, like, such a sweetkind of savory inside,like chicken but duck.-They called it [SpeaksFilipino] in the Philippines.If you will get this,you will get a straw.-So you crack the egglike this.So it has, like, liquid,and then you just, like,you drink it like a shot.And you see, like,the yolk and the embryo.This is the embryo right here,and that's what you eat.-What's the scale, 1 to 10?10!I move in America May 18, 1998,because my dad is here.I take care of my dad.Plus, I am businesspersonin the Philippines,so I thinking that I goingto buy the market.When my sister came,she helped me a lot.In the first place,I take care of my dad,and then me, I'm thinking,\"I got to go to the hospitalto sell food, the Filipino food,like pancit, egg rolls,adobo with rice.\"I need a little bit moneyto sell food to ride the bus.That is hard work, you know?But now, I am now --We have a business.We have this place here, so I'ma little bit blessed and lucky.The Dollar Hits startedonly in the street,and then he told me,\"Why don't you get food truck?\"At that time, I get food truck,but the food truck,it's too expensive.It's $4,000 a month.Luckily, he sell this one to me.♪♪-Starting 2:00,we have a line hereto get only the chicken feet,the pork ears,and then when you're waitingfor that,you know, what can you say?I am very popularon the Facebook.The Facebook, the social mediais the one who raise me up.When I'm in Europe,I think one month ago,they see me, some people there.\"Oh, is that the one,the owner the Dollar Hits?\"and then I'm -- \"What?Up to here you see me?You know me?\"-Yeah. Because I ---You know? Everywhere!-I don't know why, becausethey knows me.-That's why.-Or they seen the Facebook,my face. I am famous.Thank you to all our medias.-Every time where we go ---We three.-\"Ooh, the ownerof the Dollar Hits.Ooh, the owner ofthe Dollar Hits.\"-But I'm not rich!I am proud of that.Even thoughyou don't have money --I don't have money.-We don't have money.-You know the money ---We work hard.-We work hard, but ---But we enjoy it.-You don't bring money in your6 feet under the ground.We don't have money.-But we enjoy.-I'm proud of being the ownerof Dollar Hits,and then, you know, I'm happy.♪♪♪♪♪♪\n"