Rutgers Fat Sandwiches: The New Brunswick Grease Trucks

Rutgers fat sandwiches are the stuffed sub rolls that grew out of the grease trucks parked near the university's College Avenue campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. A typical one packs a hot filling such as chicken fingers or cheesesteak into a roll with fries, mozzarella sticks and sauce. Accounts of when the trucks began differ, but the late 1970s is the most often cited.

What makes Rutgers fat sandwiches different from a regular sub?

The difference is scale and mixing. A regular sub keeps its ingredients in order: meat, cheese, a few toppings. A fat sandwich puts everything in at once, including items that are normally a side dish. The fries go inside the roll, the mozzarella sticks go in with them, and the sauce ties the pile together. It is closer to a meal folded into bread than to a lunch counter sandwich, and it is designed to be eaten hot, fast and with a pile of napkins. Students argue about which combination is the right one, and the arguments are part of the fun.

What are the New Brunswick grease trucks?

The grease trucks are a cluster of food trucks that fed Rutgers students for decades, first on the street and later in a shared lot beside the campus. The nickname is affectionate and a little unfair: the food is fried and hot, which is the whole idea. News stories describe nine or so trucks gathered along College Avenue by the late 1970s, with the city setting aside spots for them in the 1980s after complaints about crowding and litter.

In recent years the trucks have been pushed out of their long-time lot to make room for student housing. They are heading back toward their roots as roaming vendors, so ask around campus where a truck is parked tonight.

Where did the fat sandwich origin begin?

The fat sandwich origin is a story with more than one version. A frequently repeated account says the first "Fat Cat," a sandwich with chicken cutlets, fries, lettuce, tomato and a sauce, was made in a grease truck at Rutgers. Other sources credit a different truck or a slightly different date.

The honest summary is that the fat sandwich is a Rutgers student invention, born from late-night hunger and a cheap roll, and that nobody has settled exactly who made the first one.

Who was the Fat Darrell sandwich named for?

The Fat Darrell is the best known of the named sandwiches. It was invented by a student named Darrell Butler and is a stack of chicken fingers, french fries, mozzarella sticks and a sauce, all inside a long roll. A men's magazine once praised it in print, which sent the trucks a flood of curious visitors. Many sandwiches since have carried students' names, and some trucks still invite diners to name a creation after themselves if they can finish a very large challenge.

How do you order a fat sandwich?

Treat the menu as a build. Choose the main filling first: chicken fingers, cheesesteak, a burger, a cutlet or a vegetarian option. Then decide how much goes in with it: fries, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, egg, bacon and a sauce. A full sandwich is meant to be shared by two or eaten over a long evening, and a half is a proper meal. Ask the truck for its most-ordered combination and let the line behind you wait a moment while you decide.

Eat it fresh. The roll steams as it sits, and the fries turn soft within minutes.

What else is there to eat near College Avenue?

Besides the trucks, the area around College Avenue holds pizza counters, bagel shops, coffee, Asian noodle shops and sit-down places aimed at the student crowd. The New Brunswick restaurants guide covers the downtown side of town. For a budget meal in another New Jersey college town, the cheap eats near Princeton University page makes a useful comparison.

How do you rate a fat sandwich fairly?

It is not fine dining, and a fair rating admits it. Judge the sandwich as what it is meant to be: hot, filling and good value for a night out. Name the dish, such as chicken fingers with fries and sauce, and add a few words on what was good and what drowned. In the Mosey app, you can rate a dish by itself, and tags such as Quick Service, Great Value, Good Portions and Food Truck help the next hungry person find it. A tag is an opinion, and a sandwich that suited a student at midnight may not suit a family at noon.

How do you keep a grease truck list?

A list of fat sandwiches is a good use of the app's list tool. Name it for the purpose, add each truck or counter you try with a note on the filling and the sauce, and invite the friends you went with so they can add their own. Tag the friends who ate with you when you rate, and they can add their own rating of the same sandwich. Over a semester, or a reunion weekend, the list becomes a tidy argument about which combination wins.

Where next in New Jersey?

Another sandwich with a New Jersey identity is covered in the pork roll, egg and cheese guide, and the US food guides hold more regional sandwiches. A longer drive is mapped on the New Jersey food worth a drive page.

Heading somewhere else in New Jersey? The Food in New Jersey page links the rest.

When the wrapper is empty, open the Mosey app, rate the sandwich by its dish, tag the friends who shared it and add the truck to a list called New Brunswick nights.