One of Dayton’s longest-running food trucks is for sale; owners plan restaurant

‘Our goal is to set up the next person for success,’ Harvest Mobile Cuisine owner Patrick Sartin says

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

After operating their food truck for eight years, the founders of Harvest Mobile Cuisine are putting their mobile unit up for sale as they plan for a bricks-and-mortar restaurant.

“We’ve had a good run, and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Patrick Sartin told this news outlet in a phone interview Sunday.

>> PHOTOS: Damage in the aftermath of Saturday protests in Dayton

Sartin is a Beavercreek native and chef who graduated in 2002 from the Culinary Institute of America, perhaps the top culinary school in the country. He launched the Harvest Mobile Cuisine food truck with his wife, Becky, in 2012, after returning to his hometown from a stint with a hotel and resort group in Maine, where he once prepared a meal (under the watchful eye of Secret Service agents) for then-President Obama and the first family.

The couple had their second child last year, and Sartin recently re-aggravated a back injury, which contributed to the couple’s decision to step away from the cramped, physically demanding food-truck business. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s the right call,” Sartin said.

>> Dayton restaurant to open location in Springfield

The couple still operate a busy catering business, and Sartin said he is actively looking for a location in the greater Dayton and Cincinnati region to open a bricks-and-mortar restaurant.

“That has always been the goal,” Sartin said. “So far, we haven’t found the right fit.”

Harvest Mobile Cuisine was a favorite at local food-truck events, focusing on local, farm-to-table ingredients, with a menu that changed seasonally.

In a post on the food truck’s Facebook page, the Sartins wrote that they enjoyed “the tremendous support of local food growers and producers in the area as well as the wholehearted support of our community of foodies alike. We are very proud and appreciative of this local bond we have built together as a community. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and look forward to the next time we can share our flavors with you.”

>> BACK TO BUSINESS: How fitness centers are finding new normal

The food-truck founder will work with the buyer of the food truck “to provide the next entrepreneur a turn-key business that is ready to run the minute they drive away,” Sartin said.

“Our goal is to set up the next person for success,” he said.

Those interested in possibly buying the food truck and equipment can contact Sartin via email at pat@harvestmobilecuisine.com or message him at the Harvest Mobile Cuisine Facebook page.

About the Author