MUNCIE, Ind. - After graduating with a master's degree in IT, John Hottinger never could have imagined he’d give it all up to open his own food truck. Tired of staring at screens all day, Hottinger used the opportunity of the Covid-19 pandemic to start making his business plan. After seeing how good the numbers looked, Hottinger took a leap of faith, and now his business is thriving.
“Always kind of expected something to be like a stop that made me have to reconsider or readjust or pivot, but I just have never hit a roadblock. And so now here I am starting year 3, keep growing, so I’m happy with it,” Hottinger said.
Growing up, Hottinger looked up to his parents. His mom was a teacher and principal for years. Hottinger said she was always the last to leave the building. His dad was an entrepreneur himself, owning two successful startups. He attributes a lot of his success to them.
“Watching them have that work ethic and then my dad succeed in the entrepreneurial world has definitely made this adventure easier to pursue,” Hotringer said.
Smokey Drew’s was one of the first local Muncie food trucks. However, Hottinger says the competition is growing all the time. While some may see this as a negative, Hottinger sees it as a good thing. He even helps those who are trying to start if they ask, offering tours of his truck so they can get an idea of the layout and the way things operate. Hottinger doesn’t regret leaving behind his old professions, even though he experienced cool things there as well.
“I just finally found something I love,” Hottinger said.
Smokey Drew’s has a variety of menu items. If you’re interested in learning more, you can find them on Facebook.
Contact Addison Hampshire with comments at addison.hampshire@bsu.edu
