THE DISH: "Burger Boy" at Rachel's Riding Lawn Mower
Rachel's Riding Lawn Mower is a delight of a food truck, often parking at Backyard on Bell with hefty amounts of food on French fries.
The Food
Say hello to Burger Boy
Photo by Robert Warren
The Burger Boy is a dish full of warm French fries, melted mixed cheeses, and mini burger patties with more melted cheese, dill pickles, and crisp onions. The dish takes a burger to a totally new level, losing the bun and stacking the French fries. The Burger Boy is a completely new level of flavor of fulfilling tastes as the cheeses pull apart and the burgers warm your culinary cravings.
That Burger Boy is something you'll want to spread the word on, as it is very fulfilling. Both the owner of the food truck, Rachel Black, and operations manager Melody Evans said that the Burger Boy is their favorite item on the menu.
“We`re not really stingy about anything we put on our plates so we want a lot of pickles, a lot of onions, and a lot of mustard and ketchup, so even without a bun you still get the full experience of a burger,” Black said. “And the cheese, there is a lot of cheese.”
Black described cooking like a dance where she gets into the zone and does it seamlessly. She said that she and Evans have been working together for years.
“There is something special being able to cook for people. You know there is something special when you have people over and you cook for them at your house,” Evans said, “This is like our second home and we are cooking for people every day, so that is a special moment.”
Black said you would not think that you can put both ketchup and mustard on your fries, but that once you do, you can't go back. Black said that their food is satisfaction-guaranteed.
“We were trying to get the taste of a hamburger in every bite,” Black said, “That is why we put the burgers directly on the fries.”
The Idea
The Waffle Wagon is the first food truck that Black created before starting up Rachel`s Riding Lawnmower.
“The Waffle Wagon opened when food trucks were just getting popular in Denton,” Black said. “So we had a huge following right off the bat and so this has been a little bit slower of a start.”
Black said the menu was created through a lot of trial and error. She spent time thinking about it in the car and said sometimes it can take weeks.
“I think this food is not common,” Black said, “The way that we serve the plates as a meal rather than a burger and a side item is different.”
Black thinks getting the design for the truck was part of the most exciting part of the process of starting things.
“Seeing it all come to life was really cool,” Black said.
Black said that initially the idea of a lawn mower running over potatoes to create fries started as a joke, and then before she knew she had taken that idea and used it as a design concept.
“When she started, it was with the Waffle Wagon,” Evans said. “She had never worked at a kitchen, which is bizarre because you would think that all food truck owners worked in a kitchen.”
Evans said that Black was certified, but seeing her throughout the learning process was impressive, and now Black is the fastest cook on the truck.
Black said there is so much that happens with a food truck to get it ready to serve food. There is a lot of work to it.
The Travel
Evans said the honks and the waves you get riding around in a food truck are hilarious, and that it's funny because sometime people think they are a lawn mowing business because of the design.
Black said it is sometimes funny to see the looks you get riding around in a food truck. She added that when people slam on their brakes, they have no idea what is going on inside the food truck. Evans said sometimes fries roll on the ground, and when that happens you have to throw them away.
Evans said one atmosphere she likes serving at is the bar.
“I like the atmosphere of being at a bar,” Evans said, “Once people have a few drinks, they get the munchies and then they are just drooling over the food.”
Social Media
When you're riding Rachel's Riding Lawnmower, it isn't just about the food. It's also about the people and the social media presence.
“Marketing is something we do to get out there more in the community.” Black said. Evans said they respond very quickly.
“It`s challenging because all day you need to interact with social media,” Black said, “It is really an all-day thing, but it is always easier when you think of it as a fun activity rather than a job.”
Evans said that the biggest challenge is finding pictures to post.
“My main job is really connecting with the customers, making sure that they got the right thing when they walked up,” Evans said, “Then I also do social media for our trucks.”
Black said that Evans has been doing an excellent job with their social media presence and that they post nearly every day.
The People
“I really like it when we work special events and people last-minute need something for their catering special that they want to do, and we show up and sling out all the fries, and they are just so overwhelmed with joy and happiness,” Evans said. “Our motto is we have fun, you have food.”
Evans said she wants to have a great interaction with each customer in a quick amount of time so that the customer behind them and the customer behind them are not wondering why it is taking so long.
Evans said that after doing it for a while, you learn to have a meaningful conversation with somebody while still keeping your line moving.
The Presence
“It is about the people that you meet, and you never know what they might need,” Black said. “They may need someone to remember their name and you know people love that.”
Black said it's cool to see the people that keep coming back over the years to become regulars and be involved in their lives while those regulars are involved in theirs.
Black said that people sometimes need someone to share a story with, and when they open up, it's like, "Wow, they really wanted to share that with me and it is just meaningful."
For up-to-date information follow their Facebook and Instagram.
Photos by Robert Warren
Header image layout designed by Christopher Rodgers