Independent Operators

Fried chicken food truck returns to San Luis Obispo County, California

Photo: Adobe Stock

February 19, 2025

The Grinning Bear food truck is returning to San Luis Obispo County, California on Feb. 24. It closed a few years back and was the only fried chicken food truck in the area, according to a report by The Tribune.

Brenen Bonetti, owner and chef, said that he transitioned the food truck to pop-ups in the area in 2022, before joining Rambling Spirits as head chef. He still kept the food truck around, waiting for the right time to launch.

"I really was driving that thought, and I was going to do this again, and then all the gears have kind of been moving and everything's been falling in place, and found myself here right now," Bonetti said in the report.

The food truck will offer fried chicken sandwiches, along with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options.

"I worked on a recipe for my vegan fried chicken where I make a fake chicken breast, and I give it the same kind of dredge, the same fry that we do for a regular fried chicken," Bonetti said. "You know, vegan cheese, vegan mayo in the slaw, no egg or anything in the bun, just to make sure there's no questions — and it's delicious. I mean, I would eat this thing if I couldn't eat meat and had this fried chicken sandwich, I would be completely content with it."