By Tabitha Evans Moore | EDITOR & PUBLISHER

LYNCHBURG, Tenn, — It’s a random Friday afternoon and Lynchburg resident Rebecca and Jacob Cooper meticulously move through their Whiskey Waffle food truck strapping down every piece of equipment. The waffle makers, the serving utensils, even the cash register needs to be secured to make the short 39 miles drive to Grundy County to serve waffles to a hungry crowd at The Caverns — a unique subterranean music venue nestled inside a historic cave at the base of Monteagle Mountain.

“I think people think it’s just show up and open the window, but it is so much more than that,” Rebecca says. “It is not like a restaurant where you just walk in and start cooking. There is so much packing and unpacking to do at open and closing time every day.”

Though they both graduated from Tullahoma High School, the millennial couple moved to Moore County not long after high school graduation. Before launching her small business, Rebecca worked at other local brick-and-mortar Lynchburg eateries like the Barbecue Caboose, Iron Kettle, and Barrel House BBQ.

“While working at Barrel House BBQ, I quickly realized that I loved to cook. I loved the feeling of chaos and lines out the door while running around just trying to survive,” she says. “A lot of people don’t thrive in that type of setting, but I do.”

{EDITOR’S NOTE: Locally-owned, small businesses are the lifeblood of small, rural towns. Our small business profiles are sponsored by our community partners at First Community Bank. Please support the local businesses that support your community newspaper.}

Making the leap

Making the leap from employee to small business owner is often less about a single moment of inspiration and more about a slow-burning realization that something’s not working.  Rebecca says that’s exactly what happened with The Whiskey Waffle.

While she ground away each day at her day job, at night she often lost herself in a bottle of local product. A problem Rebecca vulnerably admits she had for nearly 10 years.

“In 2020, something happened to me, and I thankfully got sober,” she says. “I had been blacking out every single night for the past 10 years with my old friend Jack Daniel’s. Once I got stone cold sober, it was very clear that it was my time to go.”

The Coopers are an example of opposites attract. Jacob’s a natural extrovert who loves talking to people and embraces the crowd, and Rebecca says she’s an introvert who gets anxious making phone calls. Surprisingly, though Rebecca prefers to be cozied up with a good book than attending a big party, she says making a leap of faith into the unknown is her favorite thing to do.

“I don’t fear change. I actually love it.”

So, in April 2022, the Coopers purchased a tiny pink food trailer. It sat in their backyard for several months as they weighed their options. Finally, Rebecca — ever the savvy businesswoman — came up with an idea that felt both unique and practical.

“My husband begged me to do BBQ because it was all I knew, and I was so good at it, but I didn’t want to smell barbecue ever again. I also didn’t want to step on any toes in other small business toes in Lynchburg,” she says.

A practical and unique idea

Though Rebecca says she’s not particularly passionate about waffles, she is passionate about the business she created — one born out of practicality and hunch for a potential market. It’s an idea that came to her — as many ideas do — while scrolling social media.

“The food trailer I bought didn’t have a hood installed in it — meaning I couldn’t have a grill or fryers. I was trying to come up with something that didn’t require a hood,” she says. “When I saw waffles, I researched and discovered that state fire inspectors do not require a commercial hood or fire suppression system for waffle makers. Once I learned that, I ordered an American flag, Mickey Mouse, dinosaur, stuffed, and regular waffle makers and started building a menu.”

Then one day out of nowhere, the name Whiskey Waffle popped into Rebecca’s head.

“That name flowed so well for me that I brainstormed a little longer and decided I’ll add whiskey to the syrup.”

Menu is constantly evolving

Though they originally launched on the historic Lynchburg Square, the couple eventually decided to travel around southern, middle Tennessee events like Cave Jam in Pelham or the Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville. They also occasionally set up at the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead here in Lynchburg and cater for waffle bars at special events and corporate events.

Their original menu launched with fan favorites like their signature Waffle in a Cup, Chicken & Waffles, and Banana Pudding, but Rebecca says it is constantly evolving.

“I am constantly changing my menu. If something isn’t selling, it doesn’t stay long. It’s all trial and error. Only the strong survive the Whiskey Waffle menu,” she jokes.

“I appreciate every customer and event that has ever supported my little business, but I think my favorite thing is someone looking at our menu in awe. It’s usually followed by them telling us how creative and unique our food trailer is.”

Dreams of a brick-and-mortar

The Coopers say if money were no object, they’d love to open a local storefront. Though the margins are better, Rebecca says the food truck life ain’t easy.

“I love Whiskey Waffle, but hauling a mobile kitchen around then getting it set up and broken down is not fun to me in any way. The real goal is to own a brick and mortar one day.”

Rebecca says they get approached at nearly every event by another would-be entrepreneur saying they want to own their own food truck.

“And every single time I shrug and say, do it,” she says. “That’s literally the only advice I have. That’s what I did. I had no game plan other than a menu. I’m just winging it.”

Friday is National Food Truck Day and so, I asked the Coopers what they want people to understand about the passion and hustle behind that serving window, and she’s quick to respond.

“Support your local, small businesses,” she emphatically answers. “Not just food trucks, but all the small businesses. Inside every food truck is someone just trying to pay their bills and make all their dreams come true. It’s so hot, it’s exhausting, and it’s incredibly hard. But it is very rewarding at the same time.”

If you’d like to learn more about this Lynchburg small business, you can learn more at their website. If you’d like to know where they are headed out, go follow their Facebook page. •

About The Lynchburg Times
The Lynchburg Times is an independent, woman-owned newspaper rooted in the heart of southern middle Tennessee. Led by a Tulane-educated journalist with over two decades of experience covering this region, we shine a light on the people, politics, and cultural pulse of a changing South. From breaking news to slow storytelling, we believe local journalism should inform, empower, and preserve what makes this place unique. Supported by readers and community partners, we’re proud to be part of the new Southern narrative – one story at a time. [Support us here.]