Monday, August 19, 2013

The Original Phat Truck says farewell at the Garland Block Party

Posted By on Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 11:08 AM

At the Garland Block Party on Saturday, people stepped up the window of the Original Phat Truck to order burgers, fries and Phat Fidels for the last time, whether they knew it or not.

A message on the truck’s Facebook page Saturday morning announced that it would be their final event, and a later post encouraged everyone to come out for one last night:

Hey Everyone...in case you missed it the PHAT truck is officially shutting down. This is our very last night in business. So help us go out with a bang!! We are outside the Drinkery on Garland and will be for as long as we have food!! Come on down and let us serve you great food one last time. We love you all and the great support you have given us...

General manager Stoakley Lloyd confirmed today that the Phat Truck is permanently closed and the truck will be put up for sale.

“It’s not something I can really comment on, the why of it,” he says. “It’s a lot of things.”

Lloyd says they appreciated the support of loyal fans — “I don’t blame Spokane,” he says — but found that it’s a hard business, especially during the winter months. The truck debuted at last year’s Pig Out in the Park and served up favorites like the catfish sandwich and specialty burgers at Elkfest, Hoopfest and other events after going into hibernation for part of the winter. 

Lloyd says he wouldn’t be against it if someone else wanted to carry on the name and the menu, but so far interest has mostly come from restauranteurs looking to start their own food truck.

“It’s a tough job, but we had a lot of fun,” he says.

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Lisa Waananen

Lisa Waananen is the web editor and a staff writer at the Inlander. She specializes in data and graphics, and her recent cover stories have been about family history, the legacy of Spokane photographer Charles A. Libby and genetically modified food...