Artichoke’s food truck about to embark on its maiden voyage with 5 top sandwiches aboard
.jpg "The Artichoke Sandwichbar’s new food truck will make its first official outing on Saturday.")
Wichita has always loved the sandwiches at The Artichoke Sandwichbar, including the Famous #8, the Tweested Seester and the Reuben.
But soon, it’ll be easier for people who don’t often find themselves in the Midtown neighborhood to get some of The Artichoke’s most famous sandwiches in their bellies.
Owners Uche Onwugbufor and Tracy Rutledge recently announced via Facebook their plans to start a sister food truck, and its first official service will be this weekend. It’ll be part of a food truck party happening from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday in the parking lot of The Fusion Restaurant at 1812 W. Douglas.
When out, the truck will serve The Artichoke’s five most popular sandwiches: The Famous #8, the Tweested Seester, Nancy’s Roast Beef, the Reuben and the chicken bacon Cheddar ranch wrap. Customers will be able to get a sandwich, a bag of chips and a canned cola for $13. The list of sandwiches the truck carries could rotate in the future, Onwugbufor said.
The owners of The Artichoke, who took over when they bought the 38-year-old bar from founder Patrick Audley in 2019, had been thinking about adding a food truck for a while. Though they have fans all over town, Onwugbufor said, those fans don’t always get downtown.
“Out of sight out of mind,” Onwugbufor said. “But we thought, ‘What if we could bring it maybe a day to the east side and a day to the west side?’”
An interesting bit of trivia: The Artichoke’s new rig once held one of Wichita’s earliest food trucks. When they got serious about opening one, owner Tracy Rutledge’s husband, Joel, noticed a truck sitting in a driveway in North Riverside and contacted the owners about buying it.
The truck, it turned out, was the previous home of MMM Sandwiches, which Michael Awesome-Noyes and his wife, Meagan, opened in 2012 but closed the following year. They’d kept the truck at their house ever since, and passersby would notice the logo and get nostalgic. When Rutledge made the offer, the couple decided to accept it.
“I’m happy to see it running and feeding people again,” Meagan said.
The truck has been re-wrapped and decorated with The Artichoke’s recognizable logo and phone number. The trim and hubcaps have been painted bright green.
The Artichoke has brought on board an experienced food trucker to help. Kevin Amos, who once ran the Garden of Eatin’ food truck with his sister, Rebecca, then had his own truck called Famos Foods, helped rehab the truck and will also help staff it.
Onwugbufor said that he’s still figuring out exactly where the truck will park but it’ll likely go out to rallies and other big events. He’s already planning to have the truck somewhere in Winfield during this year’s Walnut Valley Festival.
Those who want to know where the new truck will be should follow The Artichoke’s Facebook page.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 6:33 PM.
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