In 2005, Mark Luttrell was gripped by an idea. Not just a “wouldn’t it be nice if …” notion, but one he knew he had to pursue.
“One night I got to thinking about a concessions trailer; about doing these little festivals, making some food and making a little extra money,” he said.
Just one day post-revelation, Mark found a key component of his dream was listed for sale—the back end of a box truck that needed only a frame and axles to become a concessions trailer. He bought it, dubbed his new business “Luttrell Concessions” and began outfitting the trailer in his home workshop in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, for a future in food service. The menu, he and his wife, Kim, decided, would include hamburgers, steak sandwiches, pork tenderloins and chili cheese fries.
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It takes Mark and Kim Luttrell about six to eight weeks to fully outfit a new food truck.
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Features such as exterior lighting, a serving bay, restaurant-grade appliances and equipment are included in each food truck that Mark and Kim Luttrell build.
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The couple is working to grow the business in order to provide their services nationwide.
They took the trailer out several times a year to festivals and enjoyed the extra income it provided. In 2010, they sold the trailer and bought a food truck in Cincinnati. Luttrell spent about a month fixing it up to serve food at events like the Anderson County Burgoo Festival and the Spencer County Octoberfest.
A few years and several food truck upgrades later, the Luttrells realized that they not only enjoyed operating a food truck but also the process of building them. Both Kim and Mark are mechanically inclined and say if they don’t know how to fix something, chances are a handy relative does.
Their first client was an Ohio man who bought a spare food truck the Luttrells had fixed up to sell. The same man later ordered a custom truck from them.
Before long, with the food-truck trend booming and word spreading about their services, the Luttrells soon had trucks in various stages of completion lining their driveway in Lawrenceburg. In January 2016, the couple rented a garage, where they work on outfitting food trucks most evenings and weekends.
Working with no employees, save for a family member or two, it takes about six to eight weeks for each project. So far they’ve built trucks for operators in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio and Oklahoma, mostly through word-of-mouth marketing. Lexington-area clients include Go-Go Burger, SalsaRita’s, Buddy’s World Famous Food Truck and Mad Mike’s Food Truck.
Some clients provide their own vehicles, but for the most part, the Luttrells provide a truck and outfit it according to the client’s preferences. Mark also researches health codes in each area a truck will serve to ensure compliance. All projects include a three-compartment sink and a hand-washing sink, fresh water tank with city hook up, at least six electrical receptacles and a breaker box, a cook-top hood and other necessary equipment. Since most restaurant-grade appliances won’t fit in a food truck, Mark often builds them with parts ordered from suppliers.
Mark and Kim Luttrell with their two children, Maddie and Mason.
The company also repairs or remodels food trucks, and Mark has consulted with people who are building their own units. Day to day, Mark focuses on customer service and the builds while Kim coordinates equipment deliveries, parts pickup, paperwork and finances, plus shuttles their two children, Maddie, 14, and Mason, 6, to and from school and activities.
One of their favorite builds was for Lexington-based Misfit Commissary, which serves up Italian-inspired po’ boy style sandwiches. The Luttrells worked on owner Steve Harlow’s reincarnated Cape Cod potato chip truck from January through late March 2017. After five years of planning, Harlow was overjoyed when he saw the finished vehicle.
“I designed the kitchen, and he made it come to life,” Harlow said. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
The Luttrells have visited some of their finished food trucks to grab a quick bite and are proud to have been involved with each one.
“It kind of makes you feel good,” Mark said.
Future plans include growing the business in order to compete with larger companies that provide similar services nationwide.
“To compete would be good,” Kim said. “Especially coming from a mom-and-pop business that we started in our backyard!”