The Local Tourist
Mary Beard Grodsky
On one blissful summer day at Pickwick Lake, I received a text from a local friend: “Grimey has a food truck with smashburgers set up today by your place and they are amazing.” Had my friend used his real name (Josh Grimes), I probably would have had no idea who it was since he’s gone by this nickname since 2nd grade. As I looked around the boat and asked my family if anyone would be up for a visit to Grimey’s truck or if they would rather have some of their mom’s home cooking. The answer was unanimous, we were having smashburgers.
I was excited to chat with Josh about how he got started in the food truck world. It’s quite an amazing adventure as it started with a broken foot, a TikTok video, and an entrepreneurial spirit. After breaking his foot in March 2020, Josh could not work the job he had at UPS for the past 17 years. That (and other major global events happening around that time) allowed him to reassess his life. He was able to spend more time with his children and family and realized something had to change. He watched a video on how to make smashburgers on TikTok and decided to learn more about this burger phenomenon. Basically, a smashburger is a super thin patty that is pressed (smashed) onto the grill to make it as crispy as possible. After fine tuning his recipe, he decided to turn this idea into a food truck business. After some research, he found a manufacturer in Georgia and drew out the ideal design. Within 7 months, the food truck was complete.
Launched in May 2022, The Lunch Box began setting up at local spots and businesses. Josh announces a location beforehand and people flock from around the county. Businesses love the extra foot traffic, too. And while he runs the show primarily, he has 3 staff members who help him along. Well, I’ll use the term staff loosely. His children and wife are a combination of work helpers, financial overseers, and business brainstormers. He credits this support team for the launch of the business and hopefully the future expansion of food trucks.
When asked about the most challenging aspect to owning a food truck, at the beginning it was ordering properly and food preparation but has now turned into the unknowns of weather. I’m a first-hand casualty to this as I had planned to visit different locations 2 days in a row where the truck was set up, only to be hit by a tornado watch in Iuka and rain in Corinth the next day.
For the most up-to-date locations of where the food truck can be found, follow The Lunch Box Food Trucks on FaceBook and do yourself a favor and use their order ahead mobile feature. Frequent locations include Magnolia Hospital in Corinth, The Iuka Furniture Market, and Tri-State Commerce Park in front of Northrop Grumman. With abilities to serve in Mississippi and Alabama, Tennessee will be next. This was a rare occasion of saying “TikTok made me do it” turned into success!
