NORTH PORT, Fla. — A beloved local food truck business is working to rebuild after losing nearly everything in a crash early last week.
Allen McLeod and Laneatha Daily, the proprietors of Allens BBQ and Seafood, were on U.S. 17 in DeSoto County around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, heading to Wauchula in Hardee County, when calamity hit.
“[I] had a blowout on my truck, lost control, [the] trailer flipped over, jackknifed the trailer — just a terrible situation,” McLeod said.
The couple says their food trailer was completely crushed in the crash, destroying all of their supplies and equipment.
“With everything we lost, I would say maybe $40,000 in damages,” McLeod said
The two have since launched a GoFundMe campaign after encouragement from community members.
“Many people were reaching out, wondering about the delay,” Daily mentioned. “They were eager for updates and ready to help, emphasizing how essential our food is to the community’s needs.”
McLeod and Daily explained the business began with what they describe as a calling.
“I would say God gave us a vision to start selling food on the side of the road,” McLeod said.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple began operating their food truck in North Port, Punta Gorda, Arcadia, and Wauchula.
Their customer base quickly grew as restaurants and stores were closed and people turned to them for meals.
Daily noted, “We were engaged by Walmart distribution centers, local Walmart Supercenters, Lowe’s, and even dialysis centers, which led to a significant business boom since everything else was shut down.”
Among their most popular dishes: smoked brisket and shrimp linguine.
Despite the crash, the couple hasn’t stopped working as they have continued selling food using a rented U-Haul truck.
Daily added the community has been a great assistance in the rebuilding process.
“Our community’s support has been overwhelming,” Daily expressed. “They love us dearly and have demonstrated it by offering three different food trailers and a friend even volunteered their work truck to help us resume operations.”
With this assistance, Daily said she and McLeod will be able to go out and serve food once again.
“We got kids at home. We can’t stop,” McLeod said. “So either way it goes, we’ve got to figure it out. Keep going.”
As of the latest updates, the couple has accumulated over $4,300 to aid their recovery efforts and expressed immense gratitude for the support and their survival.
To visit the couple’s GoFundMe campaign, click here.
