Barbecue food trailer opens on north side

After periodically offering catering services for the past couple years, Ziegler BBQ Co. has opened a food trailer on the Queen City’s north side.

Oct. 26 served as a soft opening for the mobile eatery, which is in the parking lot of car dealership Aristocrat Autosports LLC, 408 E. Kearney St.

Owner Jake Ziegler said he’s invested roughly $20,000 in startup costs for the trailer, noting he had to significantly overhaul it from its previous use as a mobile automobile detailing shop. Ziegler currently is the lone employee of his company but added his relationship partner, Eletha Thompson, helps frequently. He said some of her family owns Artistocrat Autosports and is allowing him to operate the trailer there rent free.

“I just got started a lot later than I wanted to,” Ziegler said of launching the food trailer this year. “Unfortunately, all the licensing and permits and stuff took a lot longer than anticipated.”

While Ziegler previously worked at Aristocrat Autosports while taking on the occasional catering job, he said the food trailer opening is positioning him to give the new venture his full-time focus.

“We’ll see how the rest of the year treats me and see how things go and all that, but I’m putting all my time and energy into this for the time being,” he said, adding he’s accrued nearly 15 years of experience in the food service industry, most of which was in the Chicago area.

Ziegler said he plans to stay parked where he is for the remainder of the year but hopes to travel to other sites and community events next year.

“This gives us an opportunity to just get on our feet, get things sorted, get used to the service flow and everything and to start getting our name out there,” he said.

The eatery’s menu includes pulled pork, sliced brisket and quarter chickens, along with sides such as butcher block beans, garlic dill pickles and loaded potato salad. Meats also are sold by the pound upon request.

Working with smoked meats has been a longtime interest of Ziegler, who said he remembers years ago he and his brother pitching a tent outside whenever his father, a former butcher, would cook a whole hog. He added his experience working at Steamboat BBQ in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, deepened his interest in barbecue and restaurants.

“That was really where I started to pick up the ins and outs of how it all goes,” he said, adding he moved to the Springfield area two years ago.