It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update. A lot has happened in the few weeks since the soft opening. It’s hard for me to believe that I have regular customers now and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I really look forward to opening each week.
The weather isn’t looking great for Saturday of this Labor Day 2024 weekend. I figured I should get online ordering setup so people can order ahead. I do plan to be open on Monday too. Monday hours will be noon to 5pm-ish or until sellout.
As I’m waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate so I can start the truck build, I thought I would take a little time to share some thoughts about the past 5 month’s worth of planning. There have been a few surprises that I wasn’t expecting that could have led to serious logistical problems trying to run a food truck in rural Maine.
I’m setting up a mailing list so I can send out weekly updates. I’m using MailChimp as a email list manager. You can safely/easily unsubscribe at any time. I won’t be sharing your info with anyone.
I’ll use this mailing list to keep people updated about weekly schedules, menu updates, specials, events and occasionally will offer discounts and options to pre-order full briskets. I don’t intend to sell brisket by the pound as a standard menu option. Any full brisket orders will have to be placed in advance so I can secure the inventory each week.
Signup here:
If you know me, you know I’m not a particularly social person. That’s both IRL (In Real Life for you old farts) and online. Social networking is an amazing, necessary evil for any new business getting started. I’ll primarily be using my Instagram for posting quick updates and photos.
I started seriously considering starting a Craft BBQ food truck after cooking for some charity events hosted by Sugar Leaf Co during the summer and fall of 2023. The Croptober event on October 14th really accelerated the decision making process. I had a blast. It was so much fun and a rewarding experience. I started developing a business plan and researching startup costs. Then through a series of serendipitous events the ideal truck appeared on the side of the road with a “For Sale” sign in the window. That was the day I made the decision to jump into this. I’m learning my projections for the truck build were fairly accurate, but the non-truck expenses have been significantly more than I expected.