The Truck Stop in Pensacola melds sit-down restaurant quality with grab-and-go convenience
Every gas station's lunch offering usually looks the same: hot dogs rotating on the warmer, deli sandwiches lining the cooler and a soda fountain with Styrofoam cups.
Pensacola restaurateur and chef Randy Russell said there is something to be said for being able to walk-up somewhere nice, order a bite to eat after a long day, then continue on your way.
With this in mind, Russell reimagined a way to bring the same fast-casual style of eating to Pensacola without the meal you order feeling like it's fast-food. He crafted a simple, but elevated, menu to fit the concept, and the little diner he coined The Truck Stop was born.
"Somebody could walk in, 'Give me one of those sandwiches, one of those hot dogs, one of those,' and it's like OK, ring 'em up, by the time I'm done ringing them up, turn around, OK hold one second — here you go. You're out the door," Russell said of the idea for The Truck Stop. "It's meant to be high production of a small amount of things so we can kind of fit that model."
Russell has already been operating the internationally inspired food truck Nomadic Eats for years, while also renting the building it is parked outside of at 9 E. Gregory St. to use for kitchen and prep areas.
Russell identified other local businesses owners interested in using that indoor space for their businesses, including Mrs. Jones Cold Brew and Big Jerk Soda. Russell called the inside shared space Nomadic's Café, an umbrella name for the vendors inside.
Once The Truck Stop opens, it will replace the Nomadic's Café space, though Russell said Big Jerk Soda will continue bottling in the shop. Mrs. Jones Cold Brew will be relocating.
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The Truck Stop storefront will function cohesively with the Nomadic Eats food truck. Customers will be able to order lunch outside at Nomadic Eats by day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then go to The Truck Stop by night from 4 to 8 p.m. Russell said hours may be adjusted once the restaurant opens, hopefully by the end of April.
"The Truck Stop is still trying to fill that same gap or provide the same thing we do (at Nomadic Eats), just in an evening aspect besides a lunch. It's expanding our current concept which is fast-casual, quick, affordable food — but it's that with another little twist," Russell said. "How we're doing it inside is just going to be a very small, limited menu that's easily executable to be fast. The goal is to have a walk-in, walk out kind of food source."
Customers will go up the counter, order, then have the food in their hands minutes after.
The key to speed is keeping the menu simple, Russell said. The Truck Stop's items will differ from Nomadic Eats, but there will be a nod to some of the food truck's specials — one crowd favorite being the Cuban sandwich, pressed with mojo pork, ham, Swiss cheese, house pickles and a mustard-mayo blend.
Other internationally inspired handhelds will play in with the theme, such as hand-made tamales and Vietnamese hot dogs. Everything is seasoned by hand, from the mojo pork to the herbed pork sausage.
The food will all be to-go styled, but there will be room for about a dozen seats inside the diner.
Russell said from his experience traveling to other countries, he has seen how well this elevated fast-food model can work. With The Truck Stop, you won't need to do the whole sit-down restaurant experience to get a high quality meal.
Those interested in working at The Truck Stop can contact Russell at nomadiceats@yahoo.com. The position will include food preparation and customer service.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Nomadic Eats food truck expands with The Truck Stop diner opening soon
