Food truck evolution: Some food truck owners moving toward more … – The Salem News

DANVERS Not all food truck owners want to open a permanent cafe or restaurant, but lately, some have decided to roll with the idea.

Two local food businesses on wheels, Cookie Monstah of Danvers and Joes on a Roll in Beverly, have opened or are in the process of opening a storefront. Meanwhile, the Goodnight Fatty cookie pop-up in Salem has a semi-permanent location along the alley of Higginson Square, while its founders set about building a commercial kitchen.

Cookie Monstah has opened a bake shop at 75 Newbury St., whileJoes on a Roll plans to open a takeout window this summer on Federal Street in Beverly.

Bill Samenfink, dean of the School of Hospitality Management at Endicott College, said gourmet food trucks are an evolution from the canteen trucks that used to serve workers at construction sites.

They have their advantages over brick-and-mortar restaurants.

Its a lower cost of capital for a startup business, Samenfink said. It gives you more flexibility because you can go to where the people are. Food trucks also provide a boost to local businesses, such as craft breweries, that often dont serve food.

Its not a given, however, that a food truck will morph into a restaurant or cafe.

I dont think its the main goal of people starting out with a food truck, Samenfink said.

Joes on a Roll

The Joes on a Roll food truck (its a trailer pulled by a pickup) can be found during the season on Water Street, Friday through Sunday, and at the Beverly Farmers Market on Monday afternoons. It originated from the Birarelli familys lobster business.

Three years ago, Nicki Birarellis husband, Joe, a commercial fisherman, died from liver cancer at age 45. Now, two of their three sons, Tim, 20, and Tom, 17, run two lobster boats, Shooting Star and Hat Trick, respectively. Their third son, Trey, is 14.

I started Joes on a Roll in honor of my husband, Nicki Birarelli said. The lobsters that feed the food truck come fresh from her boats.

Joes on a Roll is now in its third season since Birarelli first outfitted the trailer, added a logo, and parked it on Water Street. Its menu is simple: lobster rolls for $14, hot dogs for $3, clam and corn chowda or lobster bisque, each for $6.

The first year in business, she sold 5,700 lobster rolls; last year, more than 10,000.

I think its caught on, Birarelli said. Our community has been so welcoming and so wonderful.

To grow the food truck business, Birarelli needs her own commercial kitchen, so she bought a commercial building on Federal Street. The plan is to create a walk-up, takeout location there.

I think it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood, she said.

Cookie Monstah

Cookie Monstah, which sells cookies and ice cream sandwiches in downtown Boston, is the brainchild of Melissa Missy Gale and her family. Gale is the foodie and the baker, who learned to bake from her mother, Rita.

After studying hospitality at Boston University, she prepared desserts for West Street Grill, Locke-Ober and other restaurants, according to the company website. She opened her own bakery at Filenes Basement named Dessert Oasis.

After selling the bakery, she worked in management for Starbucks for eight years.

I learned so much about the integrity of the product, she said. A little over six years ago, the mother of four, her husband, Scott Lindeman, and her brother, were all out of work at the same time. Gale, who has the entrepreneurial bug, said the only way to get her back into baking would be with a food truck.

They built one, and July will mark the sixth anniversary of the Cookie Monstah. They are now building out their fifth truck.

It was never our plan to go brick and mortar, Gale said. But after outgrowing one location in Danvers, they rented a space on Route 1, doing the baking out back. But Gale asked her husband to save some space up front. She thought the bake shop would only serve vanilla and chocolate ice cream, and be a place where someone would pick up cookies on their way home from work.

Now, they have 19 seats and serve 10 flavors, and the cafe is busy from 2 to 9:30 p.m.

The town has taught me something, Gale said. Not only was there a need for another hangout, but there is just something about the fun of the throwback of just having cookies and ice cream.

Goodnight Fatty

Goodnight Fattys co-owners Jennifer Pullen and Erik Sayce, both 29, say their goal is tomake their pop-up cookie business sustainable.

After starting their late-night cookie pop-up last fall, they toured Salem eateries, popping up at Notch Brewery and Tap Room, Ugly Mug Diner, Deacon Giles Distillery, Far from the Tree Cider, Bitbar and Derby Joe.

The engaged couple, who have day jobs at Salem Academy Charter School, have leased space from the multimedia production company Sperling Interactive in downtown Salem for a pop-up on Friday and Saturday nights.

The pop-up is accessed through a storefront on Higginson Square, an alley that runs from Essex Street behind the block of buildings along Washington Street that contain Rockafellas restaurant. Pullen, who has a background in food safety, said customers often find them by following the scent of freshly baked cookies.

But to make sure their business remains viable, not only have they leased space, they are building a new commercial kitchen on Jefferson Avenue, which could also serve as a base for delivery orders or catering. They are renting a commercial kitchen at the moment.

Right now, the goal is not a food truck or a cafe. They want to make sure they can keep their cookies popping up.

We sell cookies and milk and thats it, Sayce said. And I think that the more simplistic and the more honed in we can keep it, the better.

The No. 1 conclusion that we came to when we thought of this idea, Pullen said, was if we do this, we are going to keep it clean and simple.

Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673, by email at eforman@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @DanverSalemNews.

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Food truck evolution: Some food truck owners moving toward more ... - The Salem News