12/17/2025
You OTT to read this:
2025 is coming to a rapid close. Winter has descended upon us with snow and frightfully cold weather. Last winter, we essentially took the winter off. When we did reopen, we found ourselves booked at events just about every weekend. We had to fight to find some time for ourselves. Leigh Anne and I are tired. While it has been fun, it would have been a lot more fun if we were 20-30 years younger.
We started Ott Street Eats when we were retired. We thought a part time food truck would be a blast! Being the foodies that we are, we decided early on that we would change our menu each week, and that was well received by most. Catering was interesting because customers realized that they could be in charge of the menu and that we could cook most things. We could even tailor food to specific events where we were invited to bring the food truck.
We worked hard and made lots of mistakes. And through those mistakes we learned and did things better. We built a business from scratch of which we are proud. I am so happy we did this, but now it is time to let go.
We have decided to sell the food truck. It has become too physically demanding for us, and we just can’t afford to hire someone full-time with the strength, cooking skill, and open availability, especially at today’s labor prices. HOWEVER, we plan to keep doing some part time catering. So, if you want us to cater a dinner party or put out a buffet for a wedding (fewer than 100, please), don’t be afraid to call! I will be keeping the company phone for a while.
Our success in this business is totally due to you, our customers and followers. If you subscribe to our newsletters, you are true fans. Following us on Facebook and/or Instagram helped build our confidence to keep trying, keep going, and put out another new menu. And for those who gave us feedback (positive or otherwise) we thank you. We learned a lot.
So, if you want to buy a food truck, let us know! If you know someone who wants a food truck, let us know! It passes state health and local fire inspections. I am happy to show how everything works, teach what worked for us, and what didn’t. There are a few small repairs I will be making and some clean-up to be done. Once that happens, I will gladly take a lot of pictures and post them.
I don’t know what the next iteration of our lives will be, yet. Maybe we will simply blog about food. We love Harrisonburg and have several favorite restaurants. But, we also enjoy travelling and trying local restaurants wherever we find ourselves. Perhaps we could write about them! We could write a cookbook, or a web site with many of our recipes…who knows. But, whatever we do, I feel sure it will somehow be food related. Our last hurrah as a food truck will be Thursday, December 18th at Blue Ridge Community College from 11-2.
Thank you for being you.
Johnnymac
