Food truck recovered after reported stolen from young Charlotte entrepreneurs
Three men in Charlotte recently built a business from nothing. And just about all of it lived within 20 feet of a trailer.
The group started their business, 225 Street Food, over the summer -- most of it, mobile. Just a few months in, however, it was back to square one for Robert Knight, Anthony Denning and Maurice Jackson, as they reported the trailer had been stolen.
“It sucks to finally get your foot in the door, and then get pushed back,” Denning said.
But less than 24 hours after WBTV aired a story about the theft, the food truck was recovered.
On the WBTV Facebook page, the post about the missing truck garnered noticeable attention, as viewers expressed concern and sympathy for the men. The post had more than 800 reactions, 70 comments and more than 300 shares.
On Instagram Friday, the men posted a picture of the truck with a caption reading, “We found big red!!!!!!!!!!!”
An hour later, another Instagram picture with the caption “GOD IS SO GOOD!!!” was posted.
“Everything we’ve had monetarily went into that truck,” Denning said.
On Thursday, along Woodlawn Road where the truck once stood in a parking lot with several locks on it, remained only evidence – cinder blocks, trailer ties.
Police documented items including the men’s $5,000 trailer, their $25,000 worth of equipment -– all stolen.
“We kind of knew the area was shaky,” Denning said. “But we didn’t think anyone would steal a whole trailer. I mean, our food trailer is literally 20 feet long. And it’s bright red.”
The men said they were just making it through the growing pains of the first few months, booking more gigs, getting more jobs.
“CIAA tournament, right before All-Star weekend, we had events booked for all of that,” Denning said. “We’re literally stuck, because someone else wanted to take something from us.”
The men were working out of a spot in the Seventh Street Market, hoping to make ends meet, and hoping their trailer turned up.
The men celebrated the discovery of their food truck with a 10 percent discount for those who helped spread the word when it went missing.
WBTV is a news partner of The Charlotte Observer.
This story was originally published February 1, 2019 at 6:18 AM.