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Nearly four years after taking the community by storm with their smash burgers served from a food truck, Smash Mouth Foods is ready to open a brand new restaurant.

For father-and-son duo Tracy and Jared Hawsey, grilling burgers is more than just a passion. Now, they’re excited to bring their livelihood to a permanent location and offer their loyal customers a new dining experience.

“The decision to transition from a food truck to a full restaurant came after consistent business. Our customers kept coming back through the rain, heat, or cold. We knew it was time when they started sweating as much as we were,” Jared said.

The original idea for Smash Mouth Foods began with a classic red food truck in 2021.

“My father and I traveled a lot for work, and we would often see food trailers. We loved the concept and thought our town could really use something like that. After some planning, we opened our truck, and four years later, we’re celebrating our anniversary on August 24. That’s a long time to work in what’s basically a hallway,” he said.

Making the leap from food truck to brick-and-mortar wasn’t without its challenges.

“We had to learn how to budget for new hires and create standard operating procedures. When it came to preparing our food, we had to establish easy-to-follow steps,” Jared said.

Although they’re familiar with the food truck business, running a full-scale restaurant brings its own set of hurdles.

“We’ll have more space to experiment creatively, but there will be more to manage as well. Many aspects of the operation are still being fine-tuned,” he added.

The menu at Smash Mouth Foods will stay the same with the addition of a full breakfast menu featuring waffles, eggs, and other options. Chocolate and vanilla soft-serve ice cream will also be available.

“Our approach to recipes starts by figuring out the hardest, most traditional way of making something. From there, we look for ways to improve. Often, the more difficult something is to prepare, the better it tastes. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel just perfect it,” he said.

Community support has been key to their success over the past few years.

“The community has been the backbone of our business. From the schools to utility companies, lawn care workers, and hospital staff, it’s been a pleasure serving everyone,” Jared said. “I feel like we’ve contributed to a food scene that’s been missing something: homemade, heartfelt food instead of mass-produced, throw-together meals.”

Tracy and Jared have devoted countless hours to making the restaurant a reality and put in their own labor and attention to detail.

“We’re planning to open this new location while also building a new trailer for travel. Right now, our main focus is the restaurant. We’ve never done this before, so we need to make sure it’s running smoothly,” he said.

Smash Mouth Foods’ grand opening is scheduled for Monday, August 11.

“Our goal is to get the restaurant self-sufficient as soon as possible. We want to grow, and that’s hard to do if you’re tied down. We’re planning to hire six to 10 employees,” Jared said.

One of Jared’s goals is to create a memorable dining experience for guests and showcase the hard work his family has put into the restaurant.

“My wife Amber, my dad, and I have poured our hearts into this. We want you to feel like you’re walking into something unlike anything else. There will be so much to look at, you’ll probably need to come back a few times to take it all in,” he said.

Smash Mouth Foods is located at 1513 East Three Notch Street in Andalusia. The restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., but Jared said those hours could possibly change.

For more information visit smashmouthfoods.com or follow Smash Mouth Foods on Facebook.

“I want to thank our friends and customers who have supported us from day one. This place is as much yours as it is ours. We couldn’t have done this without God and your support. Thank you,” Jared said.