Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Carter.
Hi Samuel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started advertising my food online, mainly in Facebook groups such as the DFW Black Owned Restaurants. At that particular time I didn’t have a restaurant, a business or an idea of what I wanted to do. I just knew I had something that I wanted to share with the community. As my wife and I posted in the various groups, we started to have multiple people reach out about the food we were advertising. People were looking to spend money, and people wanted the food now. Although I do not encourage this, we started to sell food out of our own home. Over the first month, we built a great customer base and Sammy’s Wingz was quickly created.
Because business picked up so greatly, I knew I would need to make this business official and stop violating the many health and safety rules by preparing and selling food out of my own home. My wife and I browsed many opportunities from a brick and mortar, ghost kitchens and food trucks. Because we didn’t have much start up money we gravitated towards the food trailer. Luckily we were able to find a trailer that we felt would get us started to get the business off the ground. We were able to purchase the trailer in November 2020 and in January 2021 we had passed all inspections and were ready to open shop. We found a everyday parking spot in McKinney TX in which we set out to park everyday to sell food.
The first couple of months were ok but we were going through trial and error. We had to figure out how to run a mobile business and how to effectively push out quality orders in a timely manner. Once COVID started to ease up we were booked for events which really helped the business grow. As of now, we are completely booked for the next two months for events. What we thought was impossible a year ago has become reality today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were many challenges along the way, the main one being finances. Getting into the food trailer cost us a lot of money, most we didn’t have. We had to exhaust all of our funds, max out credit & borrow money from family . We also had to cut back on a lot of things to save money. This included going out, eating out, getting hair cuts, etc. It was definitely a challenge but if I had to do it again I would.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sammy’s Wingz. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sammy’s Wingz is a mobile food trailer that specializes in “Memphis Style Wings”. We offer a number of flavors from Hot, Lemon Pepper, Hot – Lemon Pepper, Seasoned & the famous Honey Gold & Honey Hot. We are proud to bring you flavors and a unique taste that you will only get at Sammy’s here in the DFW. We have a home base parking spot in which customers can easily access us to come get food. We also offer catering services, and services for events or festivals.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I don’t have much cooking experience as a “professional”. I did a lot of cooking at home growing up but I’ve never held jobs that required me to cook. I worked in one restaurant briefly after high school but I was mainly on salad duty. Oh and dish duty, lol.
Contact Info:
- Email: Sammywingz901@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sammywingz?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sammywingz
