Today we’re featuring two amazing local food trucks! Ba-Nom-A-Nom, who specializes in frozen vegan treats, and Bear’s Backyard Grill, who offer backyard flare with a twist. Share our post on Facebook for a chance to win a free entree from one of these vendors!

 


“100% Fruit.”

Combining healthy and delicious flavors, the Ba-Nom-A-Nom food truck family has been serving vegan frozen treats to loyal customers for over four years! Founded by Sarah Ladley, who was only 23-years-old at the time, the food truck has become a hit with other families in the Fort Collins area.

“Because of the passion I have for what I do, I have been able to get through the trials and tribulations of starting a business,” explained Ladley.

Also helping pave Ladley’s path toward food truck success was her undergraduate degree in Public Health and Nutrition at The University of Pennsylvania. Her studies soon sparked her overwhelming fascination with the lethal Obesity Epidemic.

“ I don’t think most of my customers know that I started my truck in an effort to help with obesity prevention,” she said. “I hope once my business is producing more revenue that I can create school programs for obesity prevention, and I personally would love to teach nutrition classes. You cannot choose to eat healthy if healthy options do not exist!”

Offering healthy alternatives, Ladley typically obtains her products from a number of different places, but local suppliers who help stock local grocery stores remain her primary source. These products help establish what Ladley considers to be her two keys to success: a great, unique product and friendly customer service.

Yet, success doesn’t always come easy. “The weather affects business so much.  Also, managing employees is very hard when the schedule changes almost every week,” explained Ladley.

Overall Ladley embraces her business and all the travels it entails. She hopes to expand her eatery into store front space, and wants to hopefully get a second truck as well in the near future. So next time you see her truck, stop by for a frozen treat that’ll make you say, “Ba-NOM-a-NOM”!

Contact to book Ba-Nom-a-Nom for your special event.

“If you were stranded on a deserted island, which one of your menu items would you want to have an endless amount of and why?”

“The plain banana soft serve because it is the best thing on the menu!” – Sarah Ladley, owner, Ba-nom-a-nom.

 

 

“Modern Flavors – Vintage Values.”

Our other featured food truck is Bear’s Backyard Grill, a company founded by “Natural Born Griller”, Curt Bear, and which incorporates various modern flavor elements of local sourcing and ethnic variety. Bear’s Backyard Grill bases all of its operations on the vintage values of community-based support systems, individual freedom, responsibility and all things built to last.

“Getting customers to return starts with really good food, something different than the ordinary, but not so different that people are scared to try it the first time,” explained Bear, whose company primarily focuses on private event catering, backyard parties, company picnics and the like. “I get compliments all the time on how friendly my staff is when I’m not around and I think that encourages people to come back as well.”

This “really good food” is comprised of meats from Boar and Bull Butcher Shop, while other items, such as seasonal vegetables, come directly from farmers.

“Our branding is all about being open to different types and styles of people, so we might do a fancy wedding reception one night, an outdoor music event another night and then a beer festival the next. We adjust our menu to the demographic we expect at different venues,” noted Bear.

This versatility truly enables the eatery to focus in on the catering market, rather than merely settling for some good brewery days. As Bear makes clear, this makes specialization important because it’s hard to do everything well. He jokes, “Once you find something you do well it’s a good idea to focus there for the sake of sanity.”

Although Bear’s Backyard Grill has proven a success in recent years, it still faces it’s fair share of challenges. For example, marketing execution is a ceaseless task, and finding new locations is a consistent and ongoing challenge as well.

“It’s tough to wear so many hats – you’re the chef, the staffing manager, the marketing manager, the finance manager, the primary salesperson, the mechanic, and the janitor – shifting between one role to the next, sometimes many times per day, can be very challenging physically and emotionally,” added Bear.

Despite it’s challenges, Bear explained that the people of Fort Collins truly make his job worthwhile. He said, “The people in Fort Collins are friendlier than almost anywhere I’ve been.  Especially when we do private party catering and company celebrations and stuff. We really enjoy being part of the special occasion.”

Next time you’re in the mood for a cheerful atmosphere and a delicious meal, swing by Bear’s Backyard Grill or check out their full catering menu for future events!

“If you were stranded on a deserted island, which one of your menu items would you want to have an endless amount of and why?”

“I would say The BaconAteHer! Burger.  It’s grass-fed local beef, so you’ve got a great protein source, the buns get your carbs, and the lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and jalapenos get your veggies. Ummm, it’s also got bacon on it, and it’s delicious!” – Curt Bear, owner, Bear’s Backyard Grill.