Yukon Smash food truck owners Jodie Buyck and Dan Minsky have upped their game.
The couple recently opened their mobile business at a new uptown Salmon Arm location, next to Rogers Rink, where they plan to operate seven days a week, winter, summer, spring and fall.
"For years we wanted to be a proper business, not just a trailer and not just a summer business," said Minsky of the transition to the new location, where the business operates out of an insulated 26-foot-plus trailer renovated by Sicamous' Kreeative Renovations & Design Co. The food order and pick-up windows look out on a large deck/patio, several umbrella-covered picnic tables and a good number of parking spots that give the location an intended drive-in feel.
"We figured the proper way to do it after observing how people eat with us was to do a drive-in," said Minsky. "This is bit of a rust valley town; people love the old school drive-in."
Buyck got the Yukon Smash rolling when she opened her first and smaller food truck at DeMille's Farm Market in 2022. The name Yukon Smash reflects the burgers served and Buyck's Yukon roots. Before relocating to Salmon Arm, she ran a her own eatery in Mayo, located “in the heart of the Yukon.”
The couple maintain a close relationship with DeMille's, but had aspirations of being a year-round drive-in.
"There’s a lot of that farm market spirit in our business – we’d been there steady, six days a week," said Minsky. "We’ve been really fortunate to just have a lot of love and attention from locals and regulars… and for a while we’d been talking about finding a way to be open in the winter. We tried several different things and realized we'd reached a volume where we could create a second trailer."
The couple sought to to open the new, larger food trailer at DeMille's uptown property where Northyards Cider is located; however, that didn't work out and for a short while Yukon Smash was without a home. That changed thanks to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and owner Dale Unruh.
"Our new landlord is the owner of the Silverbacks, so we together have very big plans…," said Minsky. "We’ve had a good partnership with the Silverbacks… we do the kids get in free, we feed the Silverbacks ourselves as much as we can…"
The new trailer now serves as the Yukon Smash's home base, leaving the smaller trailer to "food truck."
"We've never done it," said Minsky. "We thought we would but we built or business on locals being there (at DeMille's) six days a week, and that was critical to us because I couldn’t stand the idea of someone coming from, like, Raven with their kids, knowing we’re open at 6:30 and we’re not there."
To operate the two trailers, Buyck and Minsky now have a team of 14 employees – of which they're particularly proud. Some of the staff are from Salmon Arm Secondary, where they train in the culinary arts.
"Now it feels like a real business," said Minsky. "We’re paying a livelihood for a bunch of people in town and we're not going to disappear in the winter, it just makes me very proud."
The new location is, however, a work in progress. The business sill operates under a mobile food vending licence and is not currently connected to city water – something Minsky wants to see happen before winter. There are also plans to add washrooms (not required by the licence) and wheelchair acces. Then there are smaller things, like landscaping and signage, that will contribute to the overall vibe.
"I think there’s a big retro vibe about our branding and about this town…," said Minsky. "I get the vibe here and I really just think a drive-in is where it’s at."
The Yukon Smash is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
