Fireside Bar & Grill launches Tender Vendor food truck

Erik Hackman, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Sep. 21—SELLERSBURG — Chicken tenders, tenderloins, pies and cakes are to be found at Fireside's Tender Vendor food truck.

Fireside Bar & Grill in Sellersburg has opened a new food truck. The Tender Vendor will be appearing at festivals and other events to serve customers on the go.

Neil and Patty Smith, owners of Fireside and Tender Vendor, opened the truck wanting to spread their food as far as they could.

"I'm semi-retired and Patty and I were having one of our fire pit talks and I asked 'What are we gonna do about our restaurant?'" Neil said. "We were sitting there thinking, then I said 'What about a food truck?' The next day I got it lined up and then two months later it was done."

The restaurant is known for its chicken tenders and wanted to feature those with the truck. Fireside's famous tenders also inspired the name for the truck.

The current plan is for the truck to stay close to the Sellersburg and Charlestown area but that might change in the future.

"I'm just going to let the truck tell us where we're going, It's like an entity itself," Neil said.

When they first launched the truck, they stationed it outside of their restaurant and it was a huge success for them. After the grand opening, Tender Vendor had established a name for itself and was fully booked in October.

Neil and Patty are taking baby steps with the food truck. It is a new business venture for the couple and they want to take their time with it.

"The mistakes that we make are going to be baby mistakes, and then we will go from there," Neil said.

If you would like to know when and where Tender Vendor will be, you can visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dinnerbyfireside to get updates on the truck's location.