By Victoria Wittenbrock
Intern
GREEN BAY – Carlos McNeal and his fiancé Malcum Kroll, best known to the community as the owners of Boss Dogs, are nearing their one-year mark of their journey in the food truck industry, and said they couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
McNeal, 36, a transplant from Chicago, and Kroll, 23, a Pulaski native, met while working together at Costco, and said their relationship grew quickly.
The two began to discuss their future, and when the idea of a food truck came up, McNeal said he knew it was the right path for them.
“I knew that was it,” he said. “We had to run with it. I started watching videos and doing research, and that’s how it started.”
Getting started
The couple said when the idea stuck, they hit the ground running.
In April 2021, McNeal said he began buying supplies and went to work on building the food truck from scratch.
He said he worked diligently all summer to make sure everything was built properly and correctly installed.
Describing himself as having an impatient personality, McNeal said he believes that was his principal motivation for “jumping into things right away.”
As soon as construction was completed, McNeal and Kroll said Boss Dogs opened for business, in winter, in Wisconsin.
Their philosophy, McNeal said, is if they began selling food in the winter, they could gain experience and be prepared for an anticipated increase in business over the summer.
In addition, McNeal said they would know what to expect, and foresee possible ways to ameliorate the lack of business that often plagues food trucks in colder temperatures.
Part of that includes Boss Dogs’ car-side service option, where customers wait in their parked cars after they order, and McNeal and Kroll personally run the food to them.
The Boss Dogs business philosophy is, “Even if it’s cold, people still gotta eat!”
Unique culinary expertise
Boss Dogs food truck combines the culinary expertise of both McNeal and Kroll in unique ways. McNeal said his fascination with cooking comes from his mother and grandmother.
With inspiration from the South, he said the two influenced his life heavily by exposing him to various family recipes and different renditions of otherwise common meals.
McNeal said he’s able to apply his knowledge of business in tandem with this experience in order to create a recipe for success.
Kroll also has a keen interest in cooking, one that started at a young age when he competed in culinary competitions in high school.
Together, the couple paired their expertise and recipes that make up the Boss Dogs menu.
Making connections
McNeal said his favorite part of the job is “feeding friends.”
A sentiment Kroll echoed, noting the most appealing part of the food truck business, to him, is “definitely meeting new people.”
Kroll said the conversations they have with the varying personalities of customers are often the times when they get their best ideas.
McNeal said he prides himself on his Philly Cheesesteak sliders.
One day, he said a customer requested it on a roll, and thought, “I can’t believe we haven’t been doing this.”
“We already have all of the ingredients,” McNeal said. “All we need are the rolls, and we have a brand-new menu-item.”
Since the release of this option, McNeal said it’s become a customer favorite.
As far as personal favorites, McNeal said his are the Italian Beef and Kroll’s specialty, the Loaded Nachos.
Boss Dogs prides itself on its made-from-scratch seasonings and sauces.
Their biggest claim-to-fame, McNeal said, is their Homemade Boss Sauce Mild Sauce., as are non-conventional food truck items, making Boss Dogs stand out.
“Lasagna was a very popular item that we had as a weekly special a few weeks ago,” McNeal said.
He said the truck often offers weekly special menu items that come as a result of ideas from customers, or suggestions from friends.
Competitive market
As a newcomer to the industry, McNeal and Kroll said it’s been a learning experience.
“At the end of the day, most food trucks sell different types of food,” he said. “If you want jerk chicken, you can go and get jerk chicken. If you want a Philly Cheesesteak, you can come get a Philly Cheesesteak. We are all here to help each other out. Besides, who doesn’t like a little friendly competition?”
As far as where to find Boss Dogs – McNeal said they go where the people are.
The truck can often be found in the parking lot between Jake’s Pizza and the Sardine Can on Broadway.
McNeal said the truck has also occasionally made appearances at special events as well.
Kroll said the food truck relies heavily on social media and word-of-mouth to spread the word of Boss Dogs.
“I handle the social media side of things, and (McNeal) handles a lot of the cooking,” Kroll said. “We have accounts on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.”
Truck locations and specials are posted on Boss Dogs social media platforms daily.
Family affair
The third, and potentially the most eager Boss Dog in the bunch is Desmond McNeal, McNeal’s son, who stressed the need for Boss Dogs to do what it can to give back.
Desmond said his father parked the food truck in the West De Pere Middle School parking lot and brought students through in groups to show them the ins and outs of how a food truck operates.
He said even the principal and administrators were fascinated.
“It was really cool that (my dad) was able to bring it to my school,” Desmond said.
Kroll said Desmond is “a big part of our business when he tells his friends about us and spreads the word.”