Today we’d like to introduce you to Patsy Vivares.
Patsy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The theme of Sticky’s Chicken food truck is based off a sauce that has been in the family for over 15 years. The inspiration of the sauce came from all the wing restaurants that were popping up at that time. Our dad took it upon himself to create a wing recipe that tasted better then what was out there. After experimenting with different flavors, he came up with Sticky’s sauce which has distinct flavor. It’s a sweet garlic barbecue with a slight Asian twist. For many years, we were told “you need to find a way to sell these wings.”
Around 2013, the food truck scene in Houston started to emerge. My brother Benson, who was working for the US Postal Service at that time saw this opportunity to try to do something with the wings. He found an old fed-ex truck and the rest was history.
The truck was established in 2014 of April. It’s first year out, it was crowned “Best Wings of Houston” at Wingotberfest hosted by Houston Press. Since then, they’ve yet to hold another Wingtoberfest. The wings have also made local media such as Fox 26, ABC 13, Local Magazine, Thrillest Houston, and several other online publications. The food truck has expanded the menu and the sauce is incorporated in the menu throughout the different dishes. Sticky’s has been recognized for its wings, but the best-selling item is Sticky’s Chicken over Rice, sautéed chicken cooked with Sticky’s Sauce over a bed of garlic rice and topped with homemade cilantro aioli.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just like with any other small businesses, we’ve had our struggles. In the beginning, it was just a matter of people recognizing who we were. During that time, everyone already had their favorite trucks, so it was a little challenging to get others to try something different. What really put us on the map was when we were recognized by Kearreuche Tran. As a joke, we created a spicy aioli which is a mix of Sriracha and our cilantro aioli. Since Kearreuche is mixed, we named the sauce after her. Her fans took note of it and put it to her attention. The next time she was in Houston, She direct messaged us on Twitter and asked if we could deliver her some of our food. She posted it on social media and the rest is history.
The biggest issues we have had is simply being a food truck. With that being said, there’s always risk of the truck breaking down for different shifts or events. Last year, we were chosen to participate in Super Bowl Live at Discovery Green. It was a 9 day event at the park that lead up to the Super Bowl. A week before the event, the truck would not start and it was very difficult to find a mechanic who can fix it in time. The truck had to be towed in to location. Luckily we were allowed to stay put for the duration of the 9 days.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sticky’s Chicken – what should we know?
Sticky’s Chicken is run by both my brother Benson and I. All of our dishes on our menu is based off our Sticky’s sauce. What really separates us from the other food trucks is our sauce. It has a distinct flavor that you can’t really find anywhere else.
We’ve had several proud moments, but the most proud moment we’ve had was last year at Super Bowl live. We were recognized on Fox 26 Houston during prime time news and then the next day we were asked to do the entire morning show with them. We were on for the duration of the morning show, from start to finish. They featured our wings the entire time. Because of that, we were approached by several news stations during the week prior to Super Bowl and people were waiting in line for 30 minutes to an hour just to order.
We’ve been recognized and are favorites by a few local celebrities such as Katherine Whaley, Bun B & Deandre Hopkins.
We were the first food truck to participate in the roll out of UberEATS in Houston.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think what has made us successful thus far is just our passion to feed people. We are a Filipino family and if you ever go to a Filipino household, the first thing they do is try to feed you. This is what we grew up on, even if there was only cheese and crackers, our parents always offered something to any guest that came through our doors.
Feeding others, especially food that you like, just makes us smile. Especially in today’s climate, it’s hard to make everyone happy, but you can always make someone happy with good food…. or at least get them to smile. We see our business as a platform for family and friends to get together and enjoy good food amongst each other’s company.
Pricing:
- Sticky’s Chicken over Rice (best seller) – $9 // add an egg for $1
- Sticky’s Chicken Wings (what we are recognized for) – $7 for 5 pieces
- Sticky’s Chicken Nuggets (boneless version of the wings) – $7
Contact Info:
- Address: 1504 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77006 - Website: www.getstickys.com
- Phone: (713) 703-5230
- Email: getstickys@gmail.com
- Instagram: StickysChicken
- Facebook: StickysChicken
- Twitter: StickysChicken
- Yelp: StickysChicken
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
