Hilton Head’s new food truck serves barbecue . . . and wheelies? Here’s where to find it
If you order a barbecue sandwich at Papa Wheelie’s Smoked Eats and Meats, you’re lucky to get a wheelie to go with it.
The newest food trailer on Hilton Head Island is slinging lunch and bike tricks at 144 Arrow Road from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The trailer’s masterminds are Bryan Bobinchuck and Tim Moore, who met in the depths of the kitchen at Reilley’s Grill & Bar on the south end over 20 years ago.
They named the food trailer Papa Wheelie’s because Moore, an avid bike rider and stuntman, often heard kids shout “Hey! Pop a wheelie!” as he rode by.
“I used to do bike shows when I was younger,” Moore said. “I’ve got a lot of experience doing wheelies in front of crowds.”
Bobinchuck, who operates Catch-22 American restaurant on the island, said the trailer is a good way to get out of the restaurant and switch his career up a bit.
“After 20 years of being in that business, we were looking for something a little simpler, a little more flexible and lightweight,” he said.
Here’s the menu:
- Two sliders (with smoked pork, chicken or chicken salad): $9
- Wrap (with smoked pork, chicken or chicken salad): $9
- Nachos (with smoked pork, chicken or chicken salad): $9
- Chili cheese dog: $6
- Chips, desserts and drinks: $1
- Wheelies served “on request” and “when they’re in season,” according to Moore: FREE
The trailer is parked on a 15-foot by 10-foot slab of concrete across from ESPY Lumber on the south end and is cash-only.
The duo has a six-month lease on the parking spot and then plans to relocate.
In good company
The newest food trailer hops into a food truck scene on Hilton Head that’s been getting a lot of attention.
In early April, Food Network and celebrity host Tyler Florence rolled onto the island with competing food truck teams and set up one of the most competitive lunch dates the island had ever seen: The Great Food Truck Race.
The filming got Bobinchuck’s attention because he said he’d been trying to start a food trailer business on the island for “several months” but was running into issues getting permitted by the town government.
After the Food Network show, Bobinchuck said his permit was approved, and the pair opened for business on May 6.
A few weeks later, RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing brought a food truck village to the tournament for the first time ever.
At the same time, Gullah business owner Taiwan Scott was making the case for his food truck and commissary kitchen on his property on Marshland Road.
After a marathon hearing, his license renewal was denied because of pre-existing violations of the town’s land management ordinance.
Papa Wheelie’s opening also comes just a few weeks before the Sea Pines food truck festival.
Although complicated, Hilton Head’s relationship with food trucks has evolved.
Town of Hilton Head Island staff told The Island Packet in April that they were drafting language for the land management ordinance so it would be more straightforward to permit new mobile businesses.
Now, the new task for business owners is finding places to park on the island.
“A lot of landlords aren’t quite sure how to price it,” Bobinchuck said. “It basically takes up a parking space for a five-hour chunk of the day and that’s it.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2019 at 2:23 PM.
