Mykie Thompson, director of food truck operations, and her husband, Patrick Thompson, who is the head chef, were looking for ways to expand the business. They had planned to open a second restaurant, but due to the increase in prices, they pivoted to opening the BIGred food truck.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“It was kind of always a dream of ours,” Mykie Thompson said. “With the connections that we’ve made here, we got to do it.”
What to expect from the BIGred food truck
The BIGred food truck takes the restaurant’s top seller — chicken and waffles — and turns it into a unique, on-the-go option. Patrick Thompson took the ingredients of a typical waffle cone and added a twist to make it taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He then took other restaurant favorites like the brisket, brisket philly, mac and cheese and the redBERRY parfait and found a way to serve it in a waffle cone. Here’s what the food truck offers in a waffle cone:
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
- Classic (fried chicken chunks with local maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar)
- Nashville Hot (fried chicken chunks tossed in Nashville hot sauce with a dusting of powdered sugar)
- Chicken Bacon Ranch (fried chicken chunks with crumbled bacon and house-made peppercorn ranch)
- Brisket Mac (tender, braised brisket with homemade mac and cheese and tangy BBQ sauce)
- Brisket Philly (tender, braised brisket with sautéed onions and peppers, cheese sauce and spicy mayo)
- Bacon, Egg and Cheese (classic breakfast of crumbled bacon, scrambled eggs and shredded cheddar)
- Yogurt Parfait (Greek vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit, granola and drizzles of honey and redBERRY jam served in a waffle bowl)
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The food truck also has loaded chips featuring house-made kettle chips, brisket, cheese sauce, BBQ and ranch served in a bowl. This is a new take on the restaurant’s hangover chips. Prices range from $10-$12.
The transition from restaurant to food truck has been easy, the couple said. They are excited to bring redBERRY to the people in a new way. They have plans to participate in festivals, but would love to fill up their weeks by catering lunch to area businesses.
How redBerry was started
The redBERRY restaurant, which launched in 2020, was developed by Mykie Thompson and a team of investors who had been re-invigorating the Sherwood Shopping Centre. Mykie Thompson’s parents are Michael and Telisa Delligatta, who opened Michael Anthony’s Pasta and Grill in Sidney in the late 90s. In the early 2000s, Michael Anthony’s merged with the restaurant located at the Inn at Versailles in Darke County.
Mykie Thompson was born and raised in the restaurant industry. She started by bussing tables, making pizzas and salads, then worked her way up to bartender before she learned how to manage a restaurant. She also catered with her dad. When she left Sidney to find herself outside the family business, she ended up meeting her husband in Columbus.
Patrick Thompson, originally from South Carolina, had been in the army for eight years before he moved to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University. He recalled not liking to cook growing up because he grew up in a large family where everyone lived close to each other and he had to help cook for at least 50 people twice a week. When he was in Columbus, he worked at Dewey’s Pizza and realized just how much he actually liked cooking.
The couple moved to Tennessee for two years before they returned to the Miami Valley to be close to Mykie Thompson’s parents.
Mykie Thompson was instrumental in the development of redBERRY and Patrick Thompson joined the restaurant shortly before it opened.
If you’ve never had redBERRY, the restaurant is open 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at 914 N. Market St.
The food truck will be at Dave Arbogast in Troy on April 12 and April 19, Piqua Harley-Davidson on May 11 and May 25 and the Miami County Food Truck Rally on May 25. For more information about the food truck, visit its Facebook page (@bigredfoodtruckandcatering).
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
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