Chef Joe's at Roadhouse · for Miles & TW
The menu, the prices, and exactly what Delta Roadhouse receives from every plate that leaves the trailer — under each way the per-plate wording could be read. Written to be argued with.
the short version
Worth saying plainly: the term sheet does not require any of this. It says the Roadhouse will “likely NOT charge for facility usage in 2026, with revenue coming from food and beverage sales instead” for 2026, and the facility fee is currently recorded as $0. Everything on this page is what it looks like if we do pay one — because a courtyard that costs you nothing and returns you nothing is not a partnership either of us would want in year two.
the wording
A burger, fries and a drink is one order and three items. Nobody has written down which one we meant, and the gap is the largest recurring number between the two businesses. Both readings are below.
| Reading | A service | A month | Of courtyard sales |
|---|
We have been building on the per-order reading, because the words were “a dollar from each plate” and a plate has meant an order throughout. That is an assumption on our side, not something either of you confirmed — so if it is wrong, now is the cheap moment to say so.
Milkshake, 16 oz and Ice Cream Cone, waffle and Ice Cream Cone, single scoop carry the dollar too, even though they ride along with an order rather than being one. That was our choice rather than a term anyone asked for. It is also what lifts the figure to 6.1% of sales — without it the per-order reading comes to 5.4%, under the conventional floor.
the board
Opening prices. Everything is cooked in the trailer and sold through the Roadhouse POS.
The items marked “no fee” are the bottled drinks and the burger add-ons — a sauce or an extra slice of cheese on an order that has already paid its dollar. Say the word if you read those differently.
the draw
Smoked half-pound blend, basted in garlic butter to order, with pecorino-and-seasoning fries and a drink.
32 a service, and when they are gone they are gone. That is not scarcity marketing — it is one batch in the smoker, and a batch makes exactly 32.
Why it matters to your side of the courtyard: a limited item gives somebody a reason to turn up on a particular night rather than some night. People who arrive early for a burger that might sell out are people standing in your courtyard with time to spend, and the trailer does not sell beer.
It is not on sale yet. The smoking process needs written Delta County Health sign-off before it can be served to anybody. It is on the menu here so you can see where the courtyard is heading, not because it is ready this month.
suggestions
Offered as a starting point rather than a plan — most of them need something only you two know.
The trailer can run a short fixed menu for a known crowd far better than a full board for an unknown one, and a limited item sells out fastest on a night that already has people in the courtyard.
What we need: your 2026 dates, as early as you have them.
The trailer caters off-site, and those jobs land on days the courtyard is otherwise open. A courtyard with no food is worse for both of us than one where everybody knew a week ahead.
What we need: how much notice you want, and whether you would rather we turn work down for certain nights.
We sell bottled soda and water; you sell everything worth selling. THE SMOKE includes a drink in its price, which is a beverage sale that does not happen at your bar. We would rather raise that than have you notice it.
What we need: a line we can both point at. We will move ours to fit.
Two sites are being built. Cross-linking costs nothing, and the courtyard is the thing neither business can offer on its own.
What we need: who looks after your site, and whether we can send you a block to drop in.
Catering is becoming the busier half of this business, and a booking that uses your room and our kitchen is revenue neither of us has to share with anybody outside.
What we need: to know when you are turning enquiries away, and why.
Every figure here is a forecast. Two months of actual tickets will tell us more than any of this, and a number set now should not be the number forever.
What we need: a date to look again. We suggest sixty days after opening.
over to you
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