"A Food Truck is Not a Crime." That was printed on one of the first T-shirts Happy's Taco Shop ever sold. Co-founder Drue Wright told the Petoskey News-Review that the slogan came from how it felt in the early years, when city officials and brick-and-mortar businesses were wary of street food.
Wright and Drake Nagel are childhood friends who met at Northern Michigan University. They started Happy's in 2013 with a Craigslist step van, a few thousand dollars and a folding table. This spring, the truck that began as an argument for street food moved into a storefront on East Lake Street with a liquor license approved by the city. It wasn't the only one. Over the past year, the food trucks that built downtown Petoskey's outdoor food scene have been moving indoors one by one, and that leaves downtown with more places to eat this winter than last.
The lot behind Tap 30
The Back Lot gives the story its starting point. In June 2018, local business owner David Meikle was finishing construction at 425 Michigan St. on what he then called The Back Lot Beer Garden with Food Trucks. The name was literal. The site sat behind Tap 30 Pourhouse and POUR, and you could reach it through the back doors of both.
The plan called for picnic tables, space for six food trucks and an outdoor beer trailer. Three trucks had committed before opening day: Happy's Tacos, Cheese and Co. and Hotdoggers. Meikle also described a winter setup in 2018, with the indoor bar staying open and one food truck working inside. That was a plan, not a record of what winters there have actually looked like since.
Happy's spent years parked on the lot. By 2025 the business also ran seasonal service at Boyne Mountain, canned its own beer, and had a food truck and bar setup on its own property just outside Boyne City. Nagel called that property "our first space that's completely ours." Petoskey was still the truck at the Back Lot.
A liquor license and a gelato counter
That changed this year. In December 2025, the Petoskey News-Review reported that Happy's planned a restaurant at 413 E. Lake St., the former American Spoon Gelato Cafe, with an opening possible as early as May 2026. On March 2, Petoskey City Council approved Happy's application for a DDA Redevelopment Liquor License. The paper described the truck as "a long-time presence at the Back Lot."
In its May 18 roundup of new places, the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau said Happy's had left the Back Lot and planned to reopen at the old Gelato Cafe later that month. By July, the bureau's directory listed Happy's at 413 E. Lake St. Happy's now posts hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The menu has street tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, crunchwraps and shareables such as choriqueso rangoons. The lamb taco made with local lamb and the fried avocado taco are the two favorites the News-Review named in its 2025 profile.
The new neighbor is a familiar one. American Spoon's original store and kitchen is next door at 411 E. Lake St. and is still listed as open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. So the jam shop is still there, and the former gelato counter beside it now serves tacos.
Who parks in the old slot
The Back Lot filled the gap. The Digs now has the spot, open Thursday through Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Digs page on the Back Lot's website was updated in September and still sits at a web address ending in "happys-taco-shop." Cheese & Co., one of the 2018 originals, is still on the lot's posted Petoskey roster.
The fall question is which trucks stay open. The Back Lot's own description says a few trucks open only for summer, while the bar and some trucks run year-round. The site doesn't say which Petoskey trucks are in each group, and it hasn't posted a closing date for this season. The bar lists daily hours of 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor bar yard.
A gluten-free truck that wanted walls
The Happy's move took years. Petok's took about six months. Alexander and Catalina Petok opened their 100% gluten-free food truck in March 2025. By September they were telling the News-Review they wanted a warm place where customers could get gluten-free meals "all winter long."
"We want somewhere where people can be warm and enjoy an experience," Alexander said at the time. "People can sit down and take their time and eat and enjoy the food and connect."
The restaurant is at 307 Petoskey St. The kitchen has no fryer and uses locally grown fruits and vegetables when it can. The couple said the truck would keep running, since a dining room lets them stay open when the weather turns. Alexander also said some customers worry about cross-contamination in other kitchens, and an all-gluten-free space gives them confidence.
By May 2026, the visitors bureau was writing about Petok as a working restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. A third-party business listing shows Petok open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Small kitchens often change hours when the season shifts, so check before you go.
The front of the building changed too
The building the Back Lot was named for changed this year as well. Tap 30, which Meikle opened in 2014, closed in January. On Feb. 8 it reopened as two businesses, The Front Bar and Wise Guys Hoagies, after a two-week turnover with the same owner, the same management and many of the same staff.
General manager Todd Chinnock explained the reason plainly. "Tap 30 had long-time success with the craft beer scene, but it's become a little saturated," he said. "People aren't drinking craft beers as much anymore." The Front Bar serves drinks only, mostly craft cocktails such as the Siesta and the Harvest Sour along with lighter domestic beers. Food from Wise Guys can be eaten at the bar.
Chef Ray Kumm grew up in Baltimore and worked in New Jersey, and he modeled Wise Guys on an East Coast hoagie shop. The menu has more than 10 sandwiches named for characters from "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos," plus meatballs, fried mozzarella and baked ziti. Kumm is also head chef at Leto's Osteria next door. Wise Guys opens daily at noon, and both businesses are open seven days a week. The building that once fronted a summer beer garden now has a hoagie counter open all week.
Where things stand this October
| Business | Where it was | Where it is now | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Happy's Taco Shop | Food truck at the Back Lot since 2018 | 413 E. Lake St., the former American Spoon Gelato Cafe | Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Petok | Gluten-free food truck, March 2025 | 307 Petoskey St., with the truck still running | Wed–Fri 7 a.m.–3 p.m., Sat 7 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 7 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| The Digs | Not on the 2018 lineup | Happy's former Back Lot slot | Thu–Mon 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Wise Guys Hoagies | Tap 30, open from 2014 to January 2026 | East Mitchell Street, alongside The Front Bar | Daily from noon |
One more small business joined the list a few blocks over. Finetuned Coffee runs out of the loft at Vogue's Petoskey salon, open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Carolyn Fairbanks has described it as a venture she and her husband, Chadwick, started with Vogue owner Marcia Webster, and Chadwick runs the coffee side.
As the trucks wind down for the season, downtown has a taco counter on East Lake Street, a gluten-free dining room on Petoskey Street, a hoagie shop on East Mitchell and a coffee bar upstairs in a salon. Two of them used to be trucks.
At Coldwell Banker Fairbairn Realty, we keep track of downtown Petoskey's changes, down to which corner a taco truck moved to this spring. If you own near Lake Street or Mitchell Street and wonder what a year like this means for your property's value, ask us for a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it in person.
