People take food trucks for granted today; it seems there’s one on every corner. Several years ago that was not the case, and someone had to be the first to launch one in their town. In Walla Walla, Washington, it was Andrae Bopp.
“We started our food truck 10 years before the food truck craze,” Bopp recalled, and one of the many places Bopp parked his food truck was a CHS Primeland station. People lined up every day for the truck’s food, and the people running the convenience store noticed those lines. “In 2012, the general manager asked if I wanted to take over the place inside,” Bopp said. (For more on c-stores with food trucks, see “Four-Wheeling” in the September 2019 issue of NACS Magazine.)
The c-store didn’t have much of a kitchen—just a small deli space. But management saw the potential and built a full-size kitchen to accommodate Bopp’s move inside the store, and so Andrae’s Kitchen was born.
Bopp is a classically trained chef who’s been in the food business for more than two decades. “When we started in the gas station, you couldn’t find many examples of the style of food we were doing. There were places that served food in a c-store setting, but there weren’t many people doing scratch cooking in a gas station,” he said.
The c-store is one of the largest in the city, with counter service and seating for about 40—and real personality. Customers and cooks go back and forth just like in old movies.
Heaven Sent
Yolanda Garcia has been the manager of the c-store for 12 years. She knew there was something unique about what Bopp was doing in the food truck. He was just what the store needed at the time.
Handcut Voodoo Fries (top) are seasoned with Cajun spices and Crystal Hot Sauce and are piled with pulled pork and pickled peppers. The taco trifecta (bottom) features tinga, short rib and brisket on tortillas made from Mexican corn ground in-house.
“The deli had sandwiches, pizza, etc. It was too much to have a manager on that side. We needed someone with more knowledge. We were looking for ideas to make it better,” Garcia said, adding, “It’s like he was heaven sent.”
Having Andrae’s Kitchen in the store has been good for business. New customers are coming in to see what’s behind the buzz. “He does draw a lot of people. I see a whole different crowd. People come from far away, and they take photos with him,” she said.
Customers come in to eat, but when they finish the meal they head to the c-store to browse. “They buy stuff for the road or their hotel; it really helps,” said Garcia.
She’s amused by the reaction of first-time customers. “You watch people walk in and it’s like they’re in a trance because of the smell of the food. They don’t expect that in a gas station.
“People plan to come here; we’re a destination. It’s pretty cool to see how people are aware of him.”
Another Level
Bopp took his food truck menu and kept some staple items. “We make all the bread and tortillas in-house. We smoke all the meat, everything in-house,” he explained, adding, “People come in and order by the pound or half pound.”
Bopp brings in corn from Oaxaca, Mexico, for the tortillas. “This is real corn, no GMO. We boil it, grind it and make the tortillas,” he said. There’s a real commitment to pure ingredients in his global street food. Said Bopp: “We’ve taken gas station food to a whole other level."
We took our food truck menu and kept some staple items. It’s global street food.
He added, “Our breakfast is busy, but it’s the lunch hour that drives the train.” During the week, the c-store kitchen averages 200 to 300 orders a day and 500 throughout the day on weekends. And if lunch drives the train, then it’s tacos that stoke the engine. “Tacos are the most popular menu item,” Bopp said.
Andrae’s Kitchen serves nine different tacos, including the unique grilled cod taco made with cod, serrano aioli, pickled carrot, daikon radish, green onion and cilantro. On Tuesdays, the al pastor taco is available with pork, pineapple, Cotija cheese, tomatillo-avocado salsa and cilantro. There’s also the pastrami taco. You might ask, who would put pastrami on a taco? Andrae Bopp, that’s who. The tortilla is filled with smoked pastrami, salsa verde, Andrae’s special coleslaw, pickled jalapeños, Cotija and cilantro.
It’s these unique combinations and offers that keep customers checking the store’s Facebook page. Daily specials are posted on social media, and regulars know to check often to see what’s cooking. “I keep my finger on the social media end of it,” Bopp said. “We started the whole thing with the old truck. We posted locations so customers could find us.”
While the food truck has somewhat retired, it’s now used for catering. “Catering is a big deal for us. We have the food truck and restaurant. All the crew is equally changeable.” Bopp is able to handle any event. “You name it, we can do it. Being a classically trained chef, we can do whatever you want. The customer tells us, and I write the menu. We do all the catering prep in the gas station.”
What’s Next
Andrae’s Kitchen has garnered a lot of national attention. “We’ve been featured in the New York Times, USA TODAY and a few more,” Bopp said.
What about expansion? Bopp feels that he's in a good place. “I’ve come to accept the fact of what we are. I kind of feel it is what it is. I think I’m content where we’re at.”
The bottom line is simple: “We’ve positioned ourselves with affordable food done from scratch.” It is simple. It’s working.