From left, Megan Richards works on food preparation, as Shelby Vollnogle prepares to take a walk-up customer order Monday morning during the Beefy Buckaroo visit to the East End plaza in East Liverpool.

Two of East Liverpool’s finest stopped to grab lunch Monday, waiting for their food, were paramedics Mike DuBray and Mark D’Angelo. (Photos by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

Vollnogle, owner of the Fairfield Township-based smashburger mobile food operation, admits that he kind of recruited his then-new girlfriend into the food game with no warning three years ago.

They had just started dating, when Vollnogle got word of this food trailer sitting in someone’s backyard, looking for a buyer.

He bought himself the future home of Beefy Buckaroo and recruited Richards to help him despite just earning her credentials to become a medical assistant.

She willingly traded in her blood pressure cuff and stethoscope for a spatula and a thermometer of another kind.

The rest is history.

Vollnogle continues to be amazed at how quickly the Beefy Buckaroo has increased in popularity within the last year, even outgrowing their current trailer.

As the menu continues to grow to meet the demands of their diners, Vollnogle ponders a larger trailer or even food truck. Also in the back of his mind is possibly creating a Beefy Buckaroo brick-and-mortar.

Beefy Buckaroo already has weekly stops in Salineville on Wednesdays and Lisbon on Thursdays, both which appear to be well-received.

With their Lisbon stop at Smith Oil, which tends to be the most hectic, preorders can be observed being picked up by hungry diners from a nearby popup tent setup.

Also due to space limitations, Vollnogle can be observed cutting thick fries a few orders at a time and using his grandma’s sloppy Joe recipe on top of Beefy Buckaroo’s loaded nachos, fries and hot dogs in place of chili due to the tight fitting quarters.

Vollnogle said they go through 50 to 60 lbs. of sloppy joe mix a week.

In addition the various smash burgers and hot dogs, the Beefy Buckaroo menu also includes nachos, pulled pork, dessert parfaits and beverages like bottled water, soda and both homemade sweet tea and lemonade,

Their smash burgers don’t just contain some kind of cheap ground beef per Vollnogle. Chamberlain Farms, who provides their meat, butchers the whole black Angus in there (steak and all).

They also prefer to use locally-raised farm fresh ingredients whoever possible.

Looking back at his inpromptu career choice, Vollnogle still has no regrets, although this hadn’t been in his future plans.

Beefy Buckaroo gives him a chance to interact with people, which is something he always enjoyed.

For more information about the Beefy Buckaroo’s upcoming menu and future stops, visit its profile page on Facebook.

And to preorder your meal for pickup at one of their popup locations, direct message your selections through their Facebook page 15 minutes before the time their trailer opens to walk-up sales.