Single Tree BBQ food truck opened during pandemic, fulfilling veteran's dream
It's no shocker that COVID-19 is causing chaos in the restaurant industry. Shutdowns. Restrictions. Staffing issues.
U.S. Army veteran and longtime restaurateur Charlie Eblen knows the struggles all too well.
Within two years of becoming a director of operations for a national chain, the company he worked for filed bankruptcy in early 2020. Then the pandemic hit, and more than 50 locations were closed.
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By October of that year, Eblen found himself without a job.
Nobody was hiring for his type of qualifications.
"My wife said, 'You've been doing this your whole life; why don't you do your own thing and put your fate into your own hands?'" said Eblen, who opened Single Tree BBQ on May 1, 2021.
"Just do it," was the mantra, but Eblen's question was, "How?"
"I laughed at the idea of starting a company in the midst of a pandemic, not to mention the capital it takes to start a restaurant," Eblen said, thinking back to his early days of entrepreneurship.
Then a friend suggested starting a food truck.
Times were changing as the pandemic gave a boost to the food truck industry. Takeout became the norm and opening a food truck seemed like the perfect solution to his employment situation.
"You have guests, they eat your food, you have service. But they are just not sitting down and having a meal (in a brick and mortar establishment)," Eblen said.
"And it takes a whole lot less capital to get started."
Even before his self-employment venture, Eblen already had a smokin' menu in mind.
"My whole life I dreamed of owning my own place and running my own business," said Eblen, who named the company in honor of his grandfather's farm.
Although he had been a barbecue aficionado for years, Eblen wanted guidance in starting the food truck. So he connected with a Kansas City native — renowned for its barbecue — and plans started rolling.
"I cooked him a brisket one day and he said, 'Yea, let's do this. That's the best brisket I've ever eaten in my life,'" Eblen recalled.
Eblen found a trailer, rigged it out and started smoking meats using hickory wood. He makes everything from scratch, from the sauces to the sides and even dessert.
"I've been going full force since I opened my trailer May 1 last year," Eblen said. "I wanted to be able to offer a product to people that you couldn't get anywhere else. I don't necessarily mean just the food, but the service is dialed in with that as well."
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In addition to brisket, the basic menu includes pulled pork, a Waygu burger and his take on a taco that is made by topping a Southern-style hoe cake with pulled pork barbecue and all the fixin's.
He has an array of sides like macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and potato salad. Be sure to save room for the homemade banana pudding and bacon-wrapped Oreos.
Other rotating menu items include chicken wings, chicken lollipops (chicken legs), the Sticky Hog (a sliced Donut Country doughnut filled with pulled pork) and bacon-wrapped Oreos and ribs (by request).
Each time he goes out, there's always a new item for customers to try.
Although you can find Single Tree BBQ stops on streetfoodfinder.com/SingleTreeBBQ, he's available for catering, from informal gatherings to large events.
"It's been an amazing journey and we're just thrilled to be able to keep the dream alive," Eblen said.
Eventually, Eblen hopes to have a brick-and-mortar location. But until then, he'll be barbecuing from the Single Tree truck.
Keep up with Single Tree BBQ happenings on Facebook and online at singletreebbq.com.
Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com. Keep up with restaurant news by joining Good Eats in the 'Boro (and beyond) on Facebook and follow Murfreesboro Eats on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Murfreesboro's Single Tree food truck serves hickory wood-fired BBQ
