Kevin Freeman | Lariat Photographer
By Allie Matherne
Reporter
Two Waco food truck staples have joined to create a new business endeavor.
The Vanilla Bean airstream trailer from the Waco Downtown Farmers Market and downtown Waco is now housed in a new, permanent location in Hewitt, along with the former food truck What About Wednesdays. The joint business is located at 201 North Hewitt Drive.
Becky Chollett, owner of the Vanilla Bean Bake Shoppe, said the opportunity to move and create a permanent store arose through a partnership with What About Wednesdays, another food truck in the downtown Waco area. Chollett said Juan Villarreal, owner of What About Wednesdays, has extensive restaurant experience and offered to unite the two food trucks in one location.
Chollett said the restaurants have been able to challenge each other to expand their repertoire while remaining loyal to what they enjoy.
The Vanilla Bean Bake Shoppe serves predominantly desserts, while its partner offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options.
“It’s a unique concept,” Chollett said. “Because we don’t encroach on each other and it makes us both more versatile and marketable.”
The merger has enabled him to focus on their breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, Villarreal said. Knowing that Chollett “puts out a great product for great people,” makes handling his own products easier, he said.
“We complement each other well,” Villarreal said.
Though the location change has shifted its customer base, the merger has facilitated a broader range of customers. Each food truck had its own loyal patrons and now each business has the opportunity to introduce the other to their respective customers.
Now that they are open later and have a more traditional kitchen, the restaurants are also able to cultivate a more creative business experience.
Chollett said she is excited about the change and the opportunity to get to know her new customers better.
“I want Baylor students to feel like they can come in, sit down and enjoy their sweet treat,” Chollett said.
