CHASE BOTTORF/THE EXPRESS Riley Smith stands in front of the Grub Stop food truck which he will be operating and cooking out of.

One of the benches overlooking Fishing Creek at the Grub Stop where patrons may sit and enjoy their food with the sounds of the water.
CHASE BOTTORF/THE EXPRESS

MILL HALL — A new food truck business recently opened in Mill Hall.

The Grub Stop is the brand new drive thru and walk up food truck nestled between Fishing Creek and the Ice Shack.

Riley Smith, nephew of Valley Hotel owner, Tom Smith, will be operating the truck on the property.

The venture of purchasing the state-of-the art truck took several months for the Smiths to get. The truck, completely done in stainless steel material, is filled with all the essentials — fryers, a grill, a stove, an oven, refrigerators/freezers, coffee machines and much more. It is completely air conditioned on top of the amenities.

“We had to drive all the way down to Delaware to a company that made them. We worked with them to get the schematics made up. He just called us one day after months of waiting — it was finally ready and brought it up here,” said Riley.

All of the storage space is “pretty much shelving or cabinets that open up,” he added. Since the food truck is stationary, electric and water is built right into it as an added benefit.

The Grub Stop offers a large array of different food including: Ham and pork BBQ, burgers, sausage and peppers, cheese steaks, baked beans, macaroni/pasta salads, potato salad, fries and more.

On the property that Tom owns — where the truck sits — he added a parking lot and places to sit and eat along Fishing Creek. Tom also planted an array of flowers to add some color to the area’s atmosphere.

“People can also call and order ahead to pick up through the drive thru window,” Tom said.

The benches and tables, each wood carved, are “pretty comfortable,” according to Riley. Tom said he plans to get more seating options in the future.

The grand opening of the Grub Stop was on June 9 to much success. The future of the restaurant is still up in the air as both Riley and Tom have ideas ahead.

“Once it gets up and running and gets more established and we get some good employees… hopefully it will be open seven days a week, maybe change the hours to 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. Eventually, I want to do breakfast in here so you can get teachers and kids in the morning and then do dinners and lunches throughout the day,” Riley said.

For right now, the Grub Stop’s hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is located across the train tracks from the Ice Shack and across the road from Bill’s Happy Camper RV Sales & Services.