Why Does Everyone In Lubbock Seem To Have A Food Side Hustle?

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Lubbock, the land of 1000 restaurants, seems completely, utterly obsessed with food.

In addition to new restaurants and food trucks opening all the time, it also seems like everyone and their pet Pekinese has some sort of food side hustle, too. Who is eating all of this food? Does no one just eat a sandwich, made at home by themselves anymore?

Lubbock also loves food trends, too. I remember very clearly many of these trends coming and going. Hot chocolate bombs, stuffed strawberries, candied apples, and now the Tik Tok viral candy grapes seem to be for sale by everyone you know. If you want to join 9000 other people, here's how to do it:

What gives? Why is everyone doing the food side hustle shuffle?

I have a theory.

Who among us hasn't felt pressured to turn a hobby into a commodity? I'm guilty of this. I love makeup, it is one of my favorite things to do for the art of it. It's relaxing and I can really express myself and let my creativity shine. And...I also did SFX makeup as a side hustle for 13 years. Heck, I'll probably do it again.

Many of us have extreme difficulty allowing ourselves to do things simply because we enjoy it. It always has to have some end goal, and that goal is almost always money. If I learn yoga, I could teach yoga classes! If I get great at knitting, I could sell scarves!

Food seems to be particularly popular because it's something that's accessible to most people and since we all need food to live- there's a really large market for it. Everything is expensive, and we could all use extra cash- but one "treat" we will allow ourselves is meals and snacks. We gotta live, right?

I've seen people turn their side hustles into thriving businesses. I'm looking at you, Big Wicks, with your incredible jalapeno glaze. The appeal to do "the thing" is real.

If you're selling (or plan to sell) plates, snacks, drinks, or whatever, make sure you are adhering to Texas Cottage Food Laws. Click the hyperlink to get to a very informative and easy-to-understand website on those laws. It's actually really refreshing to see how much is legal to sell without a massive amount of government BS involved.

But also remember: you are absolutely, 100% allowed to have a hobby for the sheer pleasure of it, even if it doesn't make you any money. I promise.