Dave Stuart, who goes by the nickname "Moe," has set up his food cart on Professors Row, at the corner of Packard Ave. and Professor's Row, next to Zeta Psi.
At around 11 p.m. on Friday night, students were stopping by every few minutes to try out one of the grilled menu items, which include Italian sausages, half-pound hamburgers, hotdogs, meatball subs, grilled chicken sandwiches and kielbasas. A hurried cab driver even stopped by for a quick snack.
"[It's] one of the more delicious things I've had this week," sophomore Alexandre Dauman said of his sweet Italian sausage.
Stuart sells his sandwiches for $4.75 each, and will throw in a soda, chips and a cracker for $1.25 more. Quarter-pound hamburgers at the Commons, open seven days a week, go for $2.10 each.
Stuart does not have set hours but plans to hang around Thursday through Saturday nights, possibly into the early morning hours.
If business is good, he might extend his hours or add in Wednesdays. So far he said he has averaged about 25 student customers each night.
"I'm just feeling it out right now," he said.
Students who can't wait for next weekend to give his food a try can find him at the Powderhouse rotary for lunch Monday through Friday. He moved to the rotary after his previous location, Trump Field in Somerville, was hit with construction.
He said he decided to add Tufts as a second location because chatting with students appeals to the bartender in him.
"They think you're doing this for the money," he said.
But for him it's not about that. "I sat at home for a few years and it drives you crazy," he said.
His business is subject to weather conditions, but he's hoping for enough luck to keep him at Tufts until Christmas. And after that, he wouldn't be averse to becoming a fixture at Tufts.
"Hopefully they'll invite me onto the property," he said. "You have to establish yourself ... People have to try your food."
