The dog days of summer will start in April this year. Shawdaddy’s — a mobile food cart/catering service specializing in hot dogs and barbecue items — is set to make its Galesburg debut sometime in April.
Galesburg-area food enthusiasts Zach Shaw, Caleb Diefendorf and Matt McCoy have acquired the food cart previously operated by JR and Bev Bledsoe and will serve a variety of gourmet hot dogs and barbecue items on Thursdays and Friday at Advance Auto Parts, 598 N. Henderson St.
Hours of operation once Shawdaddy’s gets rolling in April will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday’s and Fridays.
“Bev and Junior had their following, so hopefully we’ll keep their following and just add on to it,” McCoy said. “I think business will be bigger than most people think, honestly.”
Shaw said, “Things have blown up since we announced. People are really excited.”
Featuring Nathan’s quarter-pound beef franks, Shawdaddy’s will offer a variety of dogs, including a chili cheese dog and a SHAWcago Dog — a takeoff of the traditional Chicago dog. They will also serve a BBQ Barnyard Dog which includes smoked pulled pork and cheddar cheese.
“It sounds like Nathan’s have been a Galesburg favorite for a long time, so if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” Shaw said.
“We like to cook because we like to eat. And we like to have fun doing both.” — Zach Shaw
Shawdaddy’s also will serve a pulled pork sandwich and pulled pork mac ’n cheese. It also will introduce burgers and ribs as specials throughout the summer.
The trio behind Shawdaddy’s said their interest in entering the food business started last summer when they participated in a barbecue cook-off in Knoxville.
“We made the most of it, we had fun, and all of our food sold out,” Diefendorf said. “We were very unprepared, but we pulled it off. I’m glad we have a community full of foodies that like to support local food places.”
Shaw added, “We like to cook because we like to eat. And we like to have fun doing both.
“And who doesn’t love a hot dog? It’s the All-American summer food.”
Shawdaddy’s also plans to branch out into catering and will appear at special events throughout the summer.
“Social media is our best friend, it really is,” McCoy said. “So watch for us throughout the summer.”
