They ran a double-decker food truck until 2018. Now, they have new 2-story plans.
They were best known for their double-decker vegan food bus, Kind Kravings, which was imported from London and would turn heads at food truck rallies or just driving down the street.
But Rochelle Collins and Shea West put their food business on hold in 2021 to focus on other ventures, including their Tribal Roots art collective — a collaborative project based out of a warehouse on South Washington.
Now, though, Collins and West are getting back in the hospitality business with a newer and much bigger double-decker rig. But before fans of Collins’ cauliflower tacos and cinnamon roll pancakes get too excited, they should know that the new business won’t serve food. Called The Upper Deck, it is a mobile bar set up in a massive double-decker Van Hool coach bus that was previously used to haul visitors around Walt Disney World in Florida.
The bus, which West has spent the past six months remodeling, is so big that it has ample space on the bottom level for bar service, which will happen though a pass-through window, and West has also turned the second story of the bus into a lounge that can seat about 30 people. The Upper Deck will include a wait staff that will serve people who are seated on the second level, accessible via a staircase by the driver’s seat.
The couple plans to debut The Upper Deck at a grand opening party that will last from 5 p.m. to midnight on May 9 at the Chainlink Gallery, 121 E. Douglas, and will include food trucks, fire spinners and music.
People also will be able to get a sneak preview of The Upper Deck at the ICT Veg Fest, which happens May 3 at Hidden Lake Venue, 537 W. MacArthur Road. They also plan to roll the bus out for a First Friday event on Aug. 7 under the bridge at Kellogg near Commerce Street.
The couple has several ideas about how to use the new bus bar. The main one: people putting on events like block parties or Christmas parties will be able to hire the bus and its owners for bar service.
The owners also have plans to use the bus in the future. Though they won’t be offering food now, West and Collins have been hunting for a venue where they could open a coffee shop and restaurant. (They also plan to keep the 11,000-square-foot warehouse next to Hephner TV on South Washington where they’ve put on events for the past seven years.)
Their vision is to eventually incorporate The Upper Deck into their future business and use it to put on “Beat Bus” events, during which the owners will serve drinks from the bottom half of the bus, station a DJ on the top, put up big speakers on the sides and project a light show onto the bus exterior. They also plan to build a big stage at their future venue.
Kind Kravings’ original double-decker bus was sold to a Mexican restaurant in Kentucky.
Though Collins misses her customers, she doesn’t miss the grueling work of preparing and serving from a food truck. But she hasn’t given up on serving food again once they find their new spot.
“We will get back to food,” she said. “We really want to get back to food.”
.jpg)