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Our story: twelve years on wheels

Maya ReidMaya Reid August 2, 2026 1 min read
Our story: twelve years on wheels

From one second-hand van to Brookfield's yellow truck — why our menu stays short on purpose.

Twelve years, one second-hand van, and a family smash-burger recipe — this is how Fork & Wheel grew from a single lunch pitch into Brookfield's yellow truck. We talk about the early burnt batches, the regulars who kept us going, and why the menu stays short on purpose.

From a folding table to the yellow truck

It started in 2014 outside a football ground: a folding table, a two-burner grill, and forty people who waited while June learned to smash patties to order. The food sold out in an hour. The van came a year later — second-hand, dented, and ours.

The early years were burnt batches and broken generators. What saved us was the queue itself: office workers who told us which corner had shade, market managers who held us a bay, kids who named the churro bites.

Why the menu stays short on purpose

  • Grill space is limited. Nine dishes cooked properly beat twenty done halfway.
  • Speed matters. A short board means your burger hits the grill the second you pay.
  • Less waste. Fewer ingredients, fresher stock, surplus donated nightly.

Short menu, honest prices, food off the grill seconds before you get it. That rule has not changed since 2014 — and if you ask the Saturday queue, it should not.

Maya Reid

Maya Reid

Cooking and writing from the Fork & Wheel hatch — follow the yellow truck for the next story.