Latest news with #JoshuaTuck
Hamilton Spectator
15-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Burger boat floating food truck sinks before Turkey Point festival
The owners of a new floating food truck are staying positive after their burger boat flipped at Turkey Point boat launch last weekend. Big Rig Burger Boat was heading out for the Norfolk County Pottahawk Sunday — just the second weekend of service for the new eatery — when the business sank. It could have been a lucrative day on Lake Erie for the burgeoning burger business. The annual flotilla involves many boaters who imbibe while enjoying a day of sunshine, swimming and boat hopping near the sand bar southeast of Turkey Point. The mobile kitchen on pontoons did not make it to the party. Video posted to Big Rig Burger's Instagram account shows the semitruck-themed floating eatery flipping onto its side as it is lowered down the boat launch. A post shared by Big Rig Burgers (@bigrigburgerboat) After recovery, the business owners discovered that one of the boat's three pontoons had a 'hidden hole' that had filled up with water. 'It had zero buoyancy, causing the entire rig to roll and tip violently to one side,' they wrote on social media. Big Rig Burger Boat's maiden voyage was just a week earlier on Bellwood Lake in Wellington County. Owner Joshua Tuck launched the 'one-of-a-kind' big rig boat from Highland Pines Campground July 5. The floating tiki bar-like eatery served up a variety of smash burgers, chips and dip, as well as ice cream to customers dockside and on open water at the Grand River conservation area reservoir above Shand dam. It was the eye-catching nature of the floating eatery and the reaction he'd get from customers that piqued Tuck's interest in launching the business, he told Metroland reporter Isabel Buckmaster . 'I always thought it would be cool to have a food truck on the water, and it just kept going from there.' Even now, with a water damaged new business, Tuck isn't giving up. A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up for 'the return of Big Rig Burger Boat 2.0.' 'The Wright brothers failed countless times before they took flight,' he wrote on Instagram. 'We'll learn. We'll rebuild. And we'll come back stronger.
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Big Rig the floating burger stand catches eyes at Belwood Lake
BELWOOD — If you heard a semi truck blow its horn in the middle of Belwood Lake this weekend, no, your ears weren't deceiving you. Meet Big Rig Burgers: a new floating food truck headed to an Ontario lake near you this summer. A take on a floating tiki bar, Big Rig Burgers is a boat-based food truck made from a modified semi-truck with two delivery windows serving a variety of smash burgers, soft serve ice cream, kettle chips, and dips both on the water and dockside. Based out of Grand Valley, owner Joshua Tuck launched the 'one-of-a-kind' pinyon pine big rig boat for the first time from the Highland Pines Campground on Belwood Lake this Sunday, much to the surprise and amusement of many boaters and beachgoers, who pumped their fists or floated up for a bite as the rig motored by. This reaction was the whole reason Tuck wanted to launch Big Rig in the first place. 'When I saw the boat for the first time, it was already converted to be a pontoon boat with a transport truck on it, and I thought to myself, 'Wow, that is so eye-catching, what could I do with that boat?' And eventually came up with Big Rig Burgers,' said Tuck. 'I always thought it would be cool to have a food truck on the water, and it just kept going from there.' It took three months to get the rig water ready. Relatively new to Grand Valley at the time, Tuck said he quickly got to know the entire neighbourhood because everyone wanted to know what was going on with the boat in his driveway. 'People had no shame. They were coming up, knocking on the door, stopping in their vehicles,' said Tuck. Banking on his business's virality, Tuck said the truck has five cameras and they plan on posting fun customer interactions and behind-the-scenes clips of Big Rig on their social media accounts moving forward, similar to the Spud Bros in England. Tuck is also hopeful customers will enjoy their smash burgers, especially the signature Big Mack burger, a semi-truck twist on the McDonald's classic 'It's like a Big Mac with a little bit of love in it,' said Tuck. While not a permanent Belwood staple, Big Rig Burgers is set to return to Belwood Lake on August 9 and 10. More information is available here . Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
