OUR STORY
By Owner Michael Triscaro
The Short
Smooth Rider is Cleveland, Ohio's premiere smoothie food truck and Smoothie Cafe in Ohio City.
"At Smooth Rider we blend passion and energy within our community through an endless determination to inspire a positive well being in others."
The LONG
In 2016 I founded Smooth Rider to meet the need for a healthy food option on the move! Shortly after our hometown team the Cleveland Cavaliers brought the city a world championship that June, Smooth Rider hit the streets.
In an already booming food truck scene in Cleveland it didn't take long to welcome its missing piece. From the very first event Smooth Rider was a hit. Customers lined up no matter how long the wait to get a taste of the best smoothies in #theland.
Over the next several years during what we call “food truck season” in Northeast Ohio, Smooth Rider became one of the most popular food trucks and a founding member of the Northeast Ohio Food Truck Association. The food truck became a staple at some of the biggest events such as the Cleveland Flea, Walnut Wednesday’s, Edgewater Live and Pride in the CLE just to name a few.
At the start of the 2018 food truck season I signed a lease to open a brick-and-mortar in Cleveland's Ohio City Neighborhood and began construction that June. The ribbon was cut in October welcoming loyal customers to our product year round. Residing across the street from Saint Ignatius High School we quickly gained a following from students and staff alike. There was no longer an "off season" and the challenge was rewarding.
In 2019 Smooth Rider had its busiest food truck season combined with the first full year with the brick-and-mortar. Nearing the end of September and one month to go in the season I received a call no one wants to get. A fire had broken out at the building I stored my truck at. I was devastated. Everything I had built from the ground up and all the blood sweat and tears went up in flames, LITERALLY. My first baby was destroyed.
From that day forward things didn't get easier. Shortly after purchasing a new step van to build out another food truck, COVID-19 came out of no where.
2020 was by far the most challenging year in business. I decided to put the new food truck buildout on hold and focus on keeping the storefront afloat. Between government shutdowns which had our doors closed for nearly two months, to the slowed economy, I told myself I would never give up. 2020 was humbling to say the least for not only us, but many fellow American citizens and small business owners.
The challenge was great but in 2021 Smooth Rider is making a comeback. In April we will be launching our new food truck. The Ohio City location has been converted into a Cafe serving sandwiches to go with our smoothies. Business is picking up as life is finally getting back to more normal times. There is light at the end of tunnel and Smooth Rider will be there ready for post quarantine life.