Howard University students living on campus in the last two decades are familiar with the iconic symbol of the Diversified food truck typically stationed at the corner of Fourth and Bryant Streets. Providing late night sustenance and setting the tone with classics flowing from its speakers on weekends, it creates space for students to socialize and provides some with core memories.
Owner of Diversified, David Davis Sr., grew up in Southeast D.C. and started his catering business 25 years ago setting up food tents, catering at small events and serving lunches to middle and high schools in D.C. and in 2004, he brought his services to Howard’s campus.
“It just grew and grew, and now we’re at Howard and other spots,” Davis said.
Davis said one of the main reasons it was important for him to create Diversified was to be able to have something to pass down to his kids; as a parent, he wants to put his kids in the “best spots to win.”
Outside of Howard, the business has catered shows at Constitutional Hall events and AfroFest. Behind the scenes, to help the truck run smoothly, the business is a family-based operation with his mother, father, brother and sons working in the truck.
“We’ve also hired Howard students who have become like family,” he said.
During the daytime this fall, the truck sits in the middle of campus, directly in front of the Armour J. Blackburn University Center, and at nighttime they move the truck down to the corner of Fourth and Bryant Streets, between the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle and College Hall North. Davis said the main thing he wants the truck to provide to the campus is consistency and for Howard students to know the truck “will always be there.”
Breeze Jackson-Mboya, a senior public relations major from Jersey City, New Jersey, said she spent a lot of time at the food truck her freshman year at Howard.
“I used to eat here all the time…I would say every weekend, for my freshman year,” she said.
Jackson-Mboya said what brought her to the truck so frequently was how late the truck would stay open, how close it was to her dorm and the pricing of the food.
Her first memory of eating food from the truck came from visiting the truck after a Bison Week party. She said she joined a crowd of students who were sitting in front of Diversified and ordered mozzarella sticks and fries.
“It’s definitely a core memory of my Howard experience,” she said.
Giselle Huggins, a junior African American studies major from Suwanee, Georgia, said her first memory of eating at Diversified also stemmed from her freshman year when she stayed at Quad.
“It was playing a bunch of music right next to Quad and I was starving,” she said.
Huggins said she shared this memory with her friends that went to the food truck with her. She also said she doesn’t get the chance to eat at the truck anymore because she lives off campus but was happy to see the truck relocated to the front of Blackburn during the day.
“It brings [back] a good memory and something about freshman year,” she said.
Davis said that the name “Diversified” stemmed from not wanting to be put into a box.
“You know, it’s not just one thing we do; we serve all crowds,” he said, wanting to use a name that could be used in “multiple lanes”.
Donovan Moore, an advisor in the athletic department, said he goes to the food truck two to three times a week to eat. Not only does he like to support local businesses, he said, but also because of the environment the owner of the truck creates.
“Dave and his son, they’re great guys, good people,” Moore said.
Moore’s first time at the truck was around the time of Howard’s Homecoming in 2022. Davis was one of the first people he connected with after starting at the university.
Davis said he wants to see his business expand to other college campuses surrounding the area and eventually create a small “sit-down style” spot close to Howard. When asked why he wanted to settle close to Howard’s campus, he had one response:
“I mean, it’s the real HU…it only makes sense,” he said.
Copy edited by Sydney Middleton
