Originally published December 12, 2019
If you were to browse among the food trucks at the Riverside Arts Market in the past 18 months, you may have spotted a small pink and blue trailer with a deliciously sweet smell pouring from inside. That would be the Waffle Stop Express, Jim and Suzi Andracchi’s latest business venture. The Andracchis are small business gurus, from opening the first computer store in Georgia in the ‘80s, to building their own waffle truck. The Andracchis decided to open a food truck to keep them occupied in their retirement, as well as bring in a little money. The decision to produce Belgian waffles was based on wanting to serve something delicious with coffee.
“I am internally famous for my coffee,” Jim confessed.
“Jim loves to cook for others and was so involved in making sure they loved whatever they chose to eat,” said Suzi.
Running any business is not a piece of cake, but starting a food business has its own unique challenges.
“There are costs such as licenses, inspections, booking fees, and the real kicker is insurance to cover your vehicle and liability,” Suzi said. “We are running a restaurant on wheels.”
The “truck” is not a truck at all, but a fully custom trailer, bought from a dealer in Tifton, Georgia, and built exactly to the Andracchi’s size specifications. Jim spent eight months building the kitchen to the Department of Business and Professional Regulations’ standards. The trailer houses a three-compartment sink for washing dishes and a separate hand sink. There are refrigeration and freezer units and closable order windows. Jim also installed a private bathroom, complete with toilet, sink and shower. An AC unit keeps the inside of the trailer comfortable since the waffle irons heat up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Finding the right waffle iron was a trial and error process for a little while. The Andracchis would wear out typical household waffle irons in a week due to the extreme conditions and stress of mass production.
“We killed two waffle irons and injured a couple more,” Suzi laughed.
They eventually settled on a Krampouz professional waffle iron. The Krampouz [crahm’-pooz] is a 1,000-dollar industrial beast that looks like something straight out of a steampunk graphic novel. The iron came directly from France and is specifically made for commercial production of Belgian liege waffles.
A typical day in the life of running a food truck includes a lot of prepping and setting up for customers. First the dough needs to be prepped. Belgian Liege waffles are different from regular waffles because they are dough-based instead of batter-based, which gives them the texture of brioche bread. The waffles also have pearl sugar, which is a type of specialty sugar that is popular in Europe. The larger, compressed sugar nibs sweeten the waffles and caramelize on the outside.
Other prep includes coordinating toppings, drinks in coolers, ice for the drinks, eating utensils and trays. Outside setup includes tables, tablecloths, marketing photos and menus, as well as their own point of sale system.
The wonderful part about being in this business was getting out and being with people,” Jim said. “Suzi has always enjoyed customer service, and this was right up her alley. We got to meet diverse and interesting people.”
“It has been nice to meet other food vendors. They are hard-working and dynamic. It is really a young person’s business. I think Jacksonville is a unique food truck city. There is an established base of customers and very enthusiastic vendors,” Suzi said.