TAPPING IN

ROOM SERVICE ON WHEELS LAUNCHES SIT-DOWN RESTAURANT AND BREWERY CONCEPT

Room Service on Wheels, a company founded on the idea of customerservice-based food delivery, has decided to settle down.

The ghost kitchen will open a restaurant and beer garden at its current walk-up location on Lantern Road, just off the Nickel Plate Trail, this spring.

Randy De John, owner of Room Service on Wheels, is partnering with Michael Finnegan and John Jakob of King Jugg Brewing Company out of Indianapolis.

“We’re just bringing another concept to our business,” De John says. “We were a ghost kitchen and now we’re a full-size restaurant. We really came out of the gate strong with the delivery part of the business, but we didn’t have any indoor seating. We started having concerts out here because we have this large lawn area, and they were really successful but everybody was bringing in their own beer and wine because we didn’t have that license at the time. So it was just perfect timing.”

Currently, Room Service on Wheels prides itself on delivering fast, easily transportable food from its scratch kitchen. With the new seating space, however, De John says he is excited to launch new menu items such as nachos and more. King Jugg Brewing will provide eight to nine home-brewed beers that will be served alongside craft beer and wine.

De John started Room Service on Wheels after spending 36 years in the restaurant business, and as a rule of thumb, he did not cook at home, which resulted in lots of delivery. As he got tired of paying extra for delivery fees, and waiting an absurd amount of time for food that didn’t always travel well, he decided he could step out of the kitchen and into the delivery scene. As the new concept opens, De John says his company will continue to provide the customer service that Room Service on Wheels is founded on. Now, he is excited to bring that customer service to the sit-down restaurant and brewery concept.

“The whole concept of [Room Service on Wheels] is we bring that customer service back that you might not see with other delivery services,” he says. “Everything’s under 30 minutes. Everything’s fresh. Everything’s hot. You meet our own people with a name tag. They’re going to call you by name when they come to the door. We just wanted to give that personal touch. That’s what sets us apart from everybody else.”

The new concept will have a bar. Outside there will be an enclosed patio with about 12 tables inside. The enclosed patio will hold about 50 to 60 people and the lawn will become a beer garden that can house 200 to 250 people. De John says overall, he wants the brewery to have an inviting ambiance.

“The atmosphere is going to be really warm with a lot of open wood everywhere,” he says. “Then you have these beautiful, big garage doors so you can walk right into the bar, right out on the patio, and in the summertime we’ll have live music out there.”

In the summer, De John says he plans to have live music every Thursday and Saturday starting June 4. Currently Andrew Young, an Indianapolis artist, is scheduled to perform every Sunday after June 4.

De John, a 20-year Fishers resident, says the growth of the city and growing popularity around the Nickel Plate Trail has put his ghost kitchen in a prime location. Located just off the trail, Room Service on Wheels delivery drivers utilize a variety of transportation methods including bicycles, mopeds and golf carts. Customers can also walk up to the pickup window on weekends and enjoy a complimentary chocolate chip cookie.

Room Service on Wheels is also dog friendly in the courtyard and encourages patrons to bring their dogs and snap a photo

“I LOVE OUR LOCATION. WE’LL HAVE THE INDY FUEL [HOCKEY ARENA] COMING ACROSS THE STREET AND THE ANDRETTI FACTORY TWO BLOCKS AWAY THAT’S COMING, NOT TO MENTION I CAN THROW A BASEBALL TO THE TRAIL FROM HERE, SO I THINK IT IS IN A GREAT LOCATION WITH WHAT’S GOING ON WITH ALL THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CITY.” for their dog wall. Dogs will also receive a dog treat on every visit.

“We’re right in the middle of everything,” De John says. “I love our location. We’ll have the Indy Fuel [hockey arena] coming across the street and the Andretti factory two blocks away that’s coming, not to mention I can throw a baseball to the trail from here, so I think [Room Service on Wheels] is in a great location with what’s going on with all the new developments in the city.”

Room Service on Wheels is located at 11110 Lantern Road in Fishers. For more information or to place an order, call 317578-FAST or visit roomserviceonwheels. com. To learn more about King Jugg Brewing Company, visit kingjuggbrewing.com.