Dogs on Wheels! Catch us if you can!

by | Nov 2022

CORTNEY WOOD, co-owner of C&J Dogs & More, is a naturally shy person. But when she’s in her food truck, she’s in her happy place.

When I’m in my little second home here, I’m comfortable and can talk to anybody,” she said.

Cortney’s husband Jeremey dreamed of opening a food truck but didn’t know exactly where to start. In 2021, Cortney got a job at the popular local food truck, Lupita’s Tacos, to learn the fundamentals and see if she’d like running a restaurant out of a trailer. After about eight months, Cortney determined that she didn’t just like it, she loved it.

[Lupita’s] food is so good. It’s delicious, and I learned a lot [by] working in her truck,” she said. “I never touched the grill, but I asked people what they wanted and gave them their orders. It was just a great experience.”

Photographed by Brooke Snyder.

Jeremey and Cortney opened C&J Dogs & More in Franklin County in May 2022. The couple decided to set up shop around Franklin County not only because it’s where Jeremey is from but also because “the people are just so nice.”

The owners of Lupita’s Tacos – Lupita and John – helped the couple get started by walking them through which business and food licenses to get, what needed to be done to stay up to code with the state, and helping them overcome the countless obstacles people face in opening their own small business. From helping them file their business name to finding contacts and setting up their trailer, other food truck owners have always been willing to help them out. Recently, they had a hard time hooking up to the electricity at Decherd City Park during an event, and the owner of GoGo Hoagies N’ More lent them a cord so they could have power.

“The food truck community is just amazing and very welcoming,” she said. “Everybody has been so nice and helpful. I can ask a question and always find an answer.”

Food Truck Friday in Winchester hosts over a dozen different food trucks in the area alone. Cortney said the food truck community is an excellent one to be a part of, even though at first she said she was very afraid of running a truck. While she had worked in retail before and had cut her teeth in the food truck industry with Lupita’s, she hadn’t ever worked at the grill and definitely hadn’t run her own business.

Photographed by Brooke Snyder.

“I was terrified, but once we got one thing down we’d move on to the second thing, and it just keeps going,” she said. “We were trying to dip our toes in to find out if we liked it, if we could do it, but it’s been a full bath.”

The couple serves hotdogs with all of the fixings, Jeremey’s homemade chili, hamburger sliders, fried bologna, Cortney’s special potato soup, patty melts, tater tots, and grilled cheese with carnitas supplied by Lupita’s Tacos.

C&J Dogs & More, in their bright yellow trailer, is parked at Decherd City Park on Tuesdays, the Tractor Supply parking lot on Wednesdays, the Tullahoma Airport on Thursdays, and The Pavillion (where the Winchester Farmers Market is held) for Food Truck Friday.

Jeremey still works full time but helps Cortney park the trailer at their various locations throughout the week. He works in the truck when they’re at events or have catering opportunities on the weekends. They have one helper, Robby, who works in the truck a few days a week.

Photographed by Brooke Snyder.

“I like being my own boss and meeting different kinds of people,” Cortney said. “It’s my favorite thing to do.”

Through C&J Dogs & More, she has been able to find her place, and the community response according to Cortney has been great. She said that one Thursday Jeremey set up the truck at the Tullahoma Airport for an air race, and the leaders at the airport liked them so much they asked them to come back every week.

“It’s pretty good if I can say so,” Cortney said of their growing menu. “We’ve gotten great feedback, and the community has been good to us.”

For anyone thinking about opening their own restaurant or food truck Cortney suggested giving it a try. And there’s no better place for it than in Franklin County.

“I was scared at first, but go for it and see what you can do,” she said “Just do one thing at a time and don’t be scared to do it.” GN

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