Oct. 6, 2023

While Big Poppa’s Food Truck is making its debut late in the food truck season, it’s set up to run year-round.

The food truck from On the Spot Catering owner Tony Axtell is an extension of that operation and will be used as a mobile kitchen as needed for weddings and other private gatherings, but it also will serve food at public events and at businesses.

Big Poppa’s served its first customers Wednesday at Avera’s downtown office and at an east-side apartment complex.

Next week, it will be at Avera’s medical center at 2100 S. Marion Road from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and the Multi-Cultural Center at 515 N. Main Ave. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday. Both outings are open to the public. On Tuesday, Axtell will provide a free meal to the first 100 nurses.

Axtell is finalizing other dates for next week and will keep the Big Poppa’s Facebook page updated with locations.

Originally, Axtell hoped to be running by mid-May, but “we had the unfortunate luck of every little thing took longer than expected.”

Customers of Axtell’s former Blue 42 Sports Grill in Hartford will find some of their favorites from that menu, including chislic, chicken wings and its one-third pound, fresh-never-frozen Angus burger.

There are other gourmet burgers and a shredded brisket Philly cheesesteak.

“We’ve come up with some creative barbecue dishes,” Axtell said. “We’ve got brisket and pork nachos. The Big Poppa Sandwich is brisket and shredded pulled pork topped with homemade barbecue sauce. It’s massive but very delicious.”

The kids menu has mac-and-cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken strips.

Instead of focusing on one type of food, Axtell designed the menu for Big Poppa’s to satisfy a variety of appetites.

“We want the whole family to find something they like on the menu,” he said.

His experience owning Blue 42, which closed in 2020, also gave him insight into the extra expenses of running a brick-and-mortar restaurant. With less overhead, he’s planning to pass on some of those savings to customers. “The goal is to always be budget-friendly. If you’re going out to eat with family, we don’t want it to be cringe-worthy,” he said of menu prices.

Big Poppa’s offers online ordering. Customers will get a text message when the food is ready. The service will be convenient especially in the winter and will be handy for first responders who usually don’t have a lot of time to eat, Axtell said.

As a full-time member of an ambulance crew and a volunteer firefighter, Axtell knows that all too well. His appreciation for those first responders extends to free food. Firefighters, police officers and EMS crews who are on duty will get a complimentary meal.

Cooking for Kids, a nonprofit organization that Axtell created, also will benefit from Big Poppa’s. Five percent of daily sales will go to help pay off school lunch bills for students who need help.

“We want to make sure kids never go hungry. Half our staff are fathers, and it’s something we’re all very passionate about. We want to do something for that generation.”

On the Spot Catering has a mobile prep kitchen and a smoker that it can tow to sites, but the food truck with its 16-foot kitchen will make it possible to ensure clients get the best food for every event, Axtell said.

“As many event centers are getting spread out farther and farther away, it gets to be a challenge to provide hot and fresh food,” he said. “A lot of them don’t have adequate setups to cook on-site. We took it upon ourselves to do what we can to make sure it gets done the right way. We’re giving ourselves the opportunity to give as fresh a product as possible for our clients.”