University general business juniors Morgan Daigle and Victoria Waguespack are ready to unleash a new business upon the Tigerland community — a food truck offering gourmet fries.
But these aren’t just any old french fries. These students are selling waffle fries smothered in Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, popped in the melter before being covered with your favorite toppings.
“We put a lot of pride in the execution of our fries,” Waguespack said. “We really have taken the time to figure out how much cheese, how long does it need to be in the fryer and how long does it need to be in the melter.”
Daigle and Waguespack, who have been working on this fresh, savory plan since December, said they were inspired by the dangerous combination of being drunk, hungry and close to a large intersection.
“We thought we needed a place for bars,” Daigle explains. “Everyone has to drive somewhere to get food, and no one wants drunk driving. So if we come to them, we think it’ll decrease the risk.”
Library information science graduate student Kelly Grant agreed, saying that while she doesn’t go out to Tigerland often, the business sounds like a good idea to keep people from drinking and driving.
Along with selling water and Powerade to boost low levels of electrolytes, Frybaby has released five gourmet fry plates so far, ranging from $4 to $8.
The original Frybaby is covered with the basics: cheese and chives. The second plate, the Crybaby, adds jalapeños and sour cream to the cheese-coated potatoes.
The Bakin’ Baby is reminiscent of a baked potato, smothered in bacon, cheese and ranch, and the Get Dirty Baby is covered in chili and cheese.
The Mybaby is the most customizable option. This make-it-your-own plate allows guests to choose from an array of toppings.
And for those with a sweet tooth, Frybaby offers the Sugarbaby, flash fried donut holes showered in powdered sugar with your choice of either chocolate syrup or Nutella.
“We’re keeping our menu simple to start off with, but we plan to expand to new items,” Daigle said.
The two already came up with their own social media hashtag, #Frygerland.
“Our goal is to correlate Tigerland with Frybaby,” Waguespack said.
Eventually, the duo hopes to expand to other college campuses in order to create a gourmet fry/college bar culture.
Construction management junior Chase Hannaman said he sees the potential in the Tigerland food truck.
“It’s obviously going to do really well. It may change a few people’s minds when they walk out of the bar,” Hannaman said. “When you’re in there with no food for four to five hours, walking outside and being able to eat? They’ll do really well.”
To keep up with Frybaby’s location and expanding menu, you can follow fry_baby on Instagram and facebook.com/frybaby.