It didn’t take long for something to come of the food truck that once belonged to the now-shuttered Waffle Wagon. The concession trailer has been purchased by Rick Rogers of Rick’s Beignets and will soon become the new Rick’s Beignets and Cajun food truck.
Rogers contacted Matt Clark and Melissa Melton and was able to work out a quick deal for both the trailer and the pick-up truck that hauls it. The former Waffle Wagon is eight feet longer and a foot wider than Rogers’ trailer, and that extra space will free up Rick’s Beignets to expand its menu. Rogers says the purchase means Rick’s will stay mobile for the foreseeable future.
“I decided to delay the restaurant,” says Rogers, who had considered a permanent restaurant. “We finally got some news last week, the cost estimate from the builder was going to cost twice as much money as we planned on. So I figured I didn’t have enough money to start a restaurant, but I did have enough to expand operations.”
Rogers will spend the next two months working on the trailer and retrofitting it for his kitchen’s needs. It will also get a new wrap and feature the updated branding reflected in the new name.
People don’t think Cajun, so I’m thinking the new name will be a more appropriate description of what I’m actually doing,” says Rogers. “People who are familiar with me know what I’m doing, but not everybody associates beignets with Cajun food.”
Rick’s Beignets already sells red beans and rice, gumbo and other Louisianan delicacies. But in the new mobile unit, Rogers plans on expanding to add fried shrimp and fried oyster po’boys to the menus. He is also experimenting with crawfish and soft shell crab, though those items aren’t yet set in stone. Etouffee and jambalaya also promise to make appearances at Rick’s Beignets and Cajun.
In addition, Rogers says the increased space will free him up to serve some new breakfast items, including shrimp and grits, Brabant potatoes and eggs with Andouille sausage. Of course, Rick’s will continue selling the eponymous beignets that made the food truck so popular to begin with, though the larger kitchen area could free up Rogers to make larger batches and service bigger events.
Rogers hopes to have the new trailer out and around town by mid-July, though he realizes that delays in the restaurant business are common. For now, expect to see Rick’s Beignets operating out of its usual trailer at Station 801, as well as events like Westover Wednesday, Main Street Food Truck Fridays, farmers markets and even a planned appearance at this year’s Harvestfest.
