Popular food truck The Wright Way Burgers and BBQ sees success after opening its storefront on 3835 Whitney Ave. in early October.
The family-owned restaurant announced its opening on Instagram on Oct. 3. Dozens of comments in support flooded in.
Its menu consists of a wide range of items, including its famous smoked wings, Wright Way Classic burger and Texan BBQ Pork sandwich.
The restaurant also has a breakfast menu, featuring a variety of breakfast sandwiches.
Tyler Wright, owner of The Wright Way Burgers and BBQ, was inspired by the flavors of the South Carolina Lowcountry during his time spent in the state.
“I lived my whole 20s in South Carolina, I (lived) right outside Charleston,” Wright said. “I worked at quick serve places, fine dining and barbecue restaurants, so (I) just kind of did everything.”
Wright, who grew up in Hamden, worked in the restaurant industry in town for four years. This is where he was mentored in the restaurant business.
“The owner kind of took me under his wing, showing me the business side of stuff,” Wright said. “I was never worried about the cooking side and the creative side. I was always worried about the back-end part. He kind of showed me the ropes of some of that stuff and I just went from there.”
The Wright Way Burgers and BBQ started as a catering business, which continued on its own for three years.
Then came the food truck, which goes to multiple locations like the summer Foodtruck Fridays event in Bradford. It occasionally goes to Quinnipiac University on weekday afternoons and evenings, providing students the option to purchase off-campus food without needing to go off campus.
The opportunity to move into the storefront came this summer.
“I was watching this place (3835 Whitney Ave.) because there was another business here before and they closed before the students left back in April,” Wright said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ So I inquired about it, but the landlord said that they had just went on vacation. Then he reached back out to me in July, saying that it was available.”
When a new business opens, many owners will make multiple announcements to try and get the word out about the new opening. Wright took a different approach to the opening.
There were no other announcements about their opening for the first month other than two Instagram posts.
“We wanted to see how (it would) go, what worked, what didn’t work, stuff like that. So then we got all the kinks out, and then we had our grand opening party,” Wright said.
The grand opening party was on Nov. 9, where it offered $10 Wright Way Classics to customers.
Now, one month into business, The Wright Way Burger and BBQ storefront has encountered lunch rushes, even on weekdays.
“(There has been a) lot of feedback, a lot of people that I know coming in,” Wright said. “It’s nice to see familiar faces, new faces and faces I haven’t seen in a long time.”
Renee Ford, Wright’s aunt, frequents the restaurant. She has noticed the uptick in customers over the weeks.
“The other morning I was here and it was mobbed in here,” Ford said. “I was like, ‘I just want to get my sandwich, I have to go to work.’ So in the beginning, of course, it was slow. But then, it’s just picking up, with word of mouth too.”
Wright looks forward to seeing how his business grows while serving the Hamden community.
“It’s a family, own and run business,” Wright said. “I have three young kids and I have a wife. I just want to be able to support them, support my employees and feed the neighborhood, feed the town.”