Alumni are raising money to open NIU’s first food truck, the DogHouse, at the Homecoming football game.

Jordan Delegal, Keith Otis and Elliot Echols created Hungry Huskies, Inc., which would manage the food truck, to align with NIU President Doug Baker’s vision of student career success. They are hoping to get donor support to purchase a food truck, said Bill Nicklas, vice president of operations and community relations. Nicklas has connected people from NIU to Hungry Huskies, Inc. to help the alumni going forward.

“We’re excited by the idea,” Nicklas said. “They have things to prove, obviously. They have to raise money to get the vehicle, and they have to show that they can produce the food and make the sales that will keep them in business. It’s a good idea, but it’s just an idea at this point.”

The DogHouse would travel around campus and provide gourmet grilled cheese meals for $4-$7.

The idea came to Delegal, Otis and Echols at a meeting two years ago when they decided to begin a business centered on NIU and DeKalb.

“We all came together and thought that as entrepreneurs we could open a business on campus,” Delegal said. “We saw the success of food trucks, especially on college campuses, and it made us think something like that would be great for NIU.”

The alumni wanted a business that would help with the needs of NIU’s campus, Otis said.

“When we were seeing the new signs for student career success on campus, we thought that our business would be alumni-owned and student-run,” Otis said. “We want to push forward in the student career success movement and give students the opportunity to not only be employed and earn extra money, but to be leaders and learn more about entrepreneurship.”

Echols said the three have been working with campus groups to make the DogHouse a reality.

“We worked really well with President Baker and a few key donors and also the Honors Program,” Echols said. “We talked to the mayor about it. We brought this idea to so many people. We wanted it to grow because so many people are included in this.”