DICKSON, Tenn. (WTVF) — Fredrick Russell, the owner of "This Turkey Here" food truck, always dreamed of owning his own restaurant.
"I worked myself up from a server to a manager to GM, and when I had the opportunity, I had to go pursue my dreams," Russell recounts.
Four years ago, he launched his food truck venture, renowned for its hand-pressed turkey tenders.
"We hand press our turkey tenders, cutting, slicing it, and breading it up," Russell explains.
However, last month, disaster struck when the company truck transporting his mobile kitchen was involved in a wreck, rendering it totaled. While insurance provided funds for a replacement, Russell ventured outside Nashville in search of a suitable food truck.
He found one that seemed promising on Equipment Reliability Consulting LLC's website.
After a week of negotiations, Russell paid nearly $15,000 for the truck, opting for delivery rather than personal pickup.
"Maybe I would've run into issues on the road, so I said that was the game changer because they shipped the vehicle to me," Russell explains his decision.
Days passed, but the truck never arrived. "I was ashamed to call my wife and say the truck isn't here or call the authorities. I thought I'd give it a couple of hours after the time to make sure I'm just not panicking. Come to find out, it was time to panic in that situation," Russell said.
Russell did reach out to verify the legitimacy of the seller.
"I contacted the Secretary of State to verify if it's a legit company, and they told me it was, and been in business for 4 years and currently active," he explains.
He said the truck never arrived. Russell now relies on the generosity of a loyal customer, using their vehicle to pull his food truck as he remains hopeful for a resolution.
"I can be upset about it and embarrassed by it, or I can turn my shame into purpose," Russell reflects.
Despite the setback, Russell remains committed to his family and his dreams.
"We're going to continue to serve great food and show the world how turkey should eat," he asserts.
Russell has filed a police report, and an investigation is underway. We reached out to Equipment Reliability Consulting LLC for comment, but they didn't return our call.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
