Food truck that sells gourmet burgers, tacos benefits from NFL Business Connect program
Mar 22, 2024, 4:05 AM
Food truck owner Randy Gatewood previously played 12 seasons with the Arizona Rattlers. (Randizzle's Food Truck photo/via Instagram)
(Randizzle's Food Truck photo/via Instagram)
PHOENIX — He used to catch and throw footballs; now he sizzles gourmet burgers and tacos for long lines of hungry customers. Randy Gatewood, who played 12 seasons with the Arizona Rattlers, is the owner of Randizzle’s Food Truck.
The self-taught chef travels around the Valley selling food. Now he’s benefitting from a business partnership program led by the NFL for the second year in a row.
Gatewood first joined the NFL’s Business Connect program in 2023. This NFL program is licensed out to other national events — like the Final Four — through its major events host committee.
Winning a spot in the program clinched Gatewood’s company a place among over 200 local and diverse Arizonan businesses approved to compete for Super Bowl contracts last year.
How does the Business Connect Program benefit Randizzle’s Food Truck?
“It’s a great way for businesses like us to get out there and network and meet other people and meet some of the executives who actually run the cities, you know, throughout the whole Phoenix metro area,” Gatewood told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
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Not only is the Business Connect program a great way to network, but it’s also a useful tool for business promotion, Gatewood said.
“It’s just a chance for you to highlight yourself and get in front of some people that maybe you wouldn’t get in front of on an ordinary basis,” he said.
“I think it’s a great stepping stone for a lot of business and especially small businesses, like myself, who are looking to grow and get their name out there in other areas, too,” he added.
However, the Business Connect program extends far beyond the Super Bowl. It will also benefit Gatewood’s company this year as the Final Four is set to take place in Glendale in April.
NFL program helps businesses benefit from influx of sports tourism in the Valley
Gatewood said that major sports events like the Super Bowl and Final Four provide incredible economic opportunities for local companies.
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“Who wouldn’t want to be part of March Madness? Who wouldn’t want to be part of the WNBA finals or the NBA finals? Something like Business Connect, they provide that avenue to you,” he said. “As business owners and people who are looking to grow, that’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”
People who want to try his food can find out where the food truck will be on Instagram, Facebook and the company’s website.
Anyone into burgers or tacos should try it out, he added.
“If you’re just a foodie in general, it’s worth checking it out,” Gatewood said. “We do some pretty cool things.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz-McNair contributed to this report.
