En route to Waterford, a text comes in to say a cow is calving and may cause a couple of minutes’ delay, but to head in and grab a coffee. If Irish Country Living can’t make allowances for a calving cow, then what can we make allowances for? And so, taking in the expansive vista of the bay, we enter the bright blue and bold yellow of JJ’s Truck Stop.
Inside, you’re instantly hit with that authentic American diner feel, which many of us have only experienced in the movies. To your left there’s a fruit machine, on the bottom wall is a huge world map and almost all of the remaining wall space is covered by various number plate-style signs. 
What really compounds the US theme though, is the food. All-day breakfast and sausage sandwiches with chips are the order of the day. Diet, I’m told when I politely refuse grub (don’t have to be asked twice though) is a four letter word.
The man himself, JJ Fitzgerald, arrives almost at the same time as me. Cow calved and not a sign of it on him, spruced up in his jeans and shirt. Sitting down by one of the windows, JJ begins to explain how he went from farming and lorry driving, to running his own food truck. At a glance, the connection may not be glaring, but farm equals food and lorry equals pitstop. You with me so far?
Farm to fork, literally
Having inherited the home farm in Clashmore from his late father in the 1980s, JJ was originally in dairy. He supplemented this income with lorry driving and his wife Siobhán was a nurse. In the early 1990s, with four small kids at home, JJ says starting up the food 
truck was definitely not done on a whim.
“Why did I do it?” asks JJ of himself. “Necessity – I was driving artics myself, and I said, ‘It’s always hard to get a good place to eat, where you can park up as well’. I said sure, ‘We’ll try this and if it works, it works’.
“We were always cooking for ourselves at home. My mother taught us all to be self-sufficient, so the food side of things was covered. And, when you’re dealing with drivers, they’re always in a rush. They want it fast, they want it now and they want it reasonably priced. So that’s really how it came about.”
The first van in 1993 was much smaller than the one we’re in now. You couldn’t go in, just get food from the hatch, and it was on the other side of the bridge – the Déise side -– a bit down the N25.
The truck stop is a family affair for the Fitzgeralds, Tríona (pictured here with JJ) runs the social media accounts for the buisness. \ Donal O’Leary
Although JJ’s now has a litany of awards to its name – from Today FM’s Best Café to Visa Ireland’s Hidden Gem – the road wasn’t always smooth.
“People were rolling around on the ground laughing at me when I started off. Now it’s the longest-running food truck in Ireland.”
Irish Country Living asks was it tough in the beginning?
“Was it tough?” laughs JJ in reply, a knowing glint in his eye. “A lot of days you’d be just looking out the door.”
Slowly but surely though, through hard work and good food, JJ’s customer base grew and grew. After some time, they moved further up the N25 nearer to the bridge and in 1995, upgraded to a van you could sit in (although it was a tight squeeze).
Finally, in 1998, the decision was made to cross the Youghal Bridge to the current location. Notwithstanding the bridge name, JJ’s is still located in Waterford, by all accounts the Rebel crossover is never, ever, going to happen. After some to-ing and fro-ing with the council, this was the site they gave JJ a licence to operate on.
Despite its American influences, another main pillar of JJ’s is local suppliers. \ Donal O' Leary
Initially, JJ was apprehensive about the move, unsure of how it would affect business. However, he needn’t have worried. On this side it’s easier to park and the view is better. With this, JJ got the current van.
“It was originally a furniture trailer I bought,” recalls JJ. “We converted it; put in windows, insulated it, wired it and kitted it out with a kitchen up the top there.”
Until 2002, JJ both ran the food truck and milked cows. He then came out of dairy altogether and transitioned into sucklers, as business at JJ’s was on the up and milk price was low.
Community of customers
Employing three people part time, JJ himself is the first in every morning at 7am, getting the place ready to open for 8am. He always does the morning cooking, before going home to farm. For him, being there and actually chatting to the customers is really important.
Despite its American influences, another pillar of JJ’s is local suppliers. While we’re there Melleray Eggs from near Cappoquin deliver. And, such is the competition for pudding in this part of the world, they use white De Róiste Pudding from Ballyvourney and Clonakilty Black Pudding.
You don’t have to spend very long in or around JJ’s to realise there’s a strong sense of community about the place. Interviewing JJ is a group affair. He greets people as they come in and introduces us.
JJ Fitzgerald with staff member Marie Power at JJ's Truck Stop. \ Donal O' Leary
Everyone chips in with their two cents. Three women in the corner have been stopping off for 10 years, a lorry diver going between Rosslare and Cork regales us with tales of his youth and others simply just like the banter.
“Here’s one of my old customers now. This lady is from the Farmers Journal,” says JJ, as he makes introductions. “Are you going to take up the farming as well now JJ?” the old customer jokes.
“There’s a lot of slagging goes on here,” remarks JJ, a smile spreading broadly across his face.
A mix of people come into JJ’s, from truck drivers to farmers, commuters, families out for the day and even celebrities. Aoibhín Garrihy, Marty Morrissey, George Hook and Gary O’Donovan have all been spotted in the establishment on occasion.
The chatting and comradery really is a draw, feels JJ. “It’s like a pub with no beer. You could be chatting in here to someone from anywhere. When people come from different countries, the first thing they do is look for their home place on the map. You get everybody here.”
JJ’s daughter Tríona is a home economics teacher. She runs the business’s social media accounts. Along with her brothers Jamie and Ronan and sister Saoirse, they all worked in JJ’s through their teenage and college years.
Tríona agrees that the social side of the food truck is paramount. “One day there was a man sitting here,” remembers Tríona. “Just by chance I was cleaning around him and I said, ‘How’re you getting on?’ and he said, ‘I’m coming in here with 20 years, but it’s my first time without my wife’. They used to always go for a spin to Tramore from Cork city.
JJ’s truck stop is the longest-running food truck in the country. \ Donal O' Leary
“Every Sunday, they’d come in here and she had passed away two months previous. I was nearly bawling. If you didn’t chat to people you’d never know these things. Just by chance, I started talking to him. There’s a lot of loneliness too, a lot of people wouldn’t even be hungry, they’d come in for a cup of tea and a chat.”
The old, new and enduring
As you’ve probably gathered, JJ’s is very much rooted in old-style community values. And too, it could be said, old-style food. 
You won’t find any avocados, pomegranates or sourdough here. Even though these ingredients are perceived to be some of the mainstays of social media food culture, Tríona felt the authenticity of JJ’s would appeal to the online world. Also, getting set up on social media was a vital step post Celtic Tiger, when business slacked off a little.
“I said to Dad, ‘People are driving by because they don’t know what the inside is like’. The heart, the atmosphere, how it looks. We were so busy with all the builders and farmers, then the recession hit and we slowed down. I said, ‘Dad we have to get online’. He said, ‘What if people slate us?’ I said, ‘Just give it a chance’.
JJ believes that because truck drivers and commuters are always rushing, they want food fast, they want it now and they want it reasonably priced. \ Donal O'Leary
“Dad is great, I learned so much from him, that the really important things are the food and meeting people, but then I could help him with social media. It really made a difference to business. I think a lot of great established family businesses need someone to help them with that.”
From young to old, there’s a welcome waiting at JJ’s. And, a well-needed feed too after calving a cow.
Read more
Mastering every challenge that comes their way
From a cowshed to a café, meet Caitriona Considine of Moher Cottage
En route to Waterford, a text comes in to say a cow is calving and may cause a couple of minutes’ delay, but to head in and grab a coffee. If Irish Country Living can’t make allowances for a calving cow, then what can we make allowances for? And so, taking in the expansive vista of the bay, we enter the bright blue and bold yellow of JJ’s Truck Stop.
Inside, you’re instantly hit with that authentic American diner feel, which many of us have only experienced in the movies. To your left there’s a fruit machine, on the bottom wall is a huge world map and almost all of the remaining wall space is covered by various number plate-style signs.
What really compounds the US theme though, is the food. All-day breakfast and sausage sandwiches with chips are the order of the day. Diet, I’m told when I politely refuse grub (don’t have to be asked twice though) is a four letter word.
The man himself, JJ Fitzgerald, arrives almost at the same time as me. Cow calved and not a sign of it on him, spruced up in his jeans and shirt. Sitting down by one of the windows, JJ begins to explain how he went from farming and lorry driving, to running his own food truck. At a glance, the connection may not be glaring, but farm equals food and lorry equals pitstop. You with me so far?
Farm to fork, literally
Having inherited the home farm in Clashmore from his late father in the 1980s, JJ was originally in dairy. He supplemented this income with lorry driving and his wife Siobhán was a nurse. In the early 1990s, with four small kids at home, JJ says starting up the food
truck was definitely not done on a whim.
“Why did I do it?” asks JJ of himself. “Necessity – I was driving artics myself, and I said, ‘It’s always hard to get a good place to eat, where you can park up as well’. I said sure, ‘We’ll try this and if it works, it works’.
“We were always cooking for ourselves at home. My mother taught us all to be self-sufficient, so the food side of things was covered. And, when you’re dealing with drivers, they’re always in a rush. They want it fast, they want it now and they want it reasonably priced. So that’s really how it came about.”
The first van in 1993 was much smaller than the one we’re in now. You couldn’t go in, just get food from the hatch, and it was on the other side of the bridge – the Déise side -– a bit down the N25.
The truck stop is a family affair for the Fitzgeralds, Tríona (pictured here with JJ) runs the social media accounts for the buisness. \ Donal O’Leary
Although JJ’s now has a litany of awards to its name – from Today FM’s Best Café to Visa Ireland’s Hidden Gem – the road wasn’t always smooth.
“People were rolling around on the ground laughing at me when I started off. Now it’s the longest-running food truck in Ireland.”
Irish Country Living asks was it tough in the beginning?
“Was it tough?” laughs JJ in reply, a knowing glint in his eye. “A lot of days you’d be just looking out the door.”
Slowly but surely though, through hard work and good food, JJ’s customer base grew and grew. After some time, they moved further up the N25 nearer to the bridge and in 1995, upgraded to a van you could sit in (although it was a tight squeeze).
Finally, in 1998, the decision was made to cross the Youghal Bridge to the current location. Notwithstanding the bridge name, JJ’s is still located in Waterford, by all accounts the Rebel crossover is never, ever, going to happen. After some to-ing and fro-ing with the council, this was the site they gave JJ a licence to operate on.
Despite its American influences, another main pillar of JJ’s is local suppliers. \ Donal O' Leary
Initially, JJ was apprehensive about the move, unsure of how it would affect business. However, he needn’t have worried. On this side it’s easier to park and the view is better. With this, JJ got the current van.
“It was originally a furniture trailer I bought,” recalls JJ. “We converted it; put in windows, insulated it, wired it and kitted it out with a kitchen up the top there.”
Until 2002, JJ both ran the food truck and milked cows. He then came out of dairy altogether and transitioned into sucklers, as business at JJ’s was on the up and milk price was low.
Community of customers
Employing three people part time, JJ himself is the first in every morning at 7am, getting the place ready to open for 8am. He always does the morning cooking, before going home to farm. For him, being there and actually chatting to the customers is really important.
Despite its American influences, another pillar of JJ’s is local suppliers. While we’re there Melleray Eggs from near Cappoquin deliver. And, such is the competition for pudding in this part of the world, they use white De Róiste Pudding from Ballyvourney and Clonakilty Black Pudding.
You don’t have to spend very long in or around JJ’s to realise there’s a strong sense of community about the place. Interviewing JJ is a group affair. He greets people as they come in and introduces us.
JJ Fitzgerald with staff member Marie Power at JJ's Truck Stop. \ Donal O' Leary
Everyone chips in with their two cents. Three women in the corner have been stopping off for 10 years, a lorry diver going between Rosslare and Cork regales us with tales of his youth and others simply just like the banter.
“Here’s one of my old customers now. This lady is from the Farmers Journal,” says JJ, as he makes introductions. “Are you going to take up the farming as well now JJ?” the old customer jokes.
“There’s a lot of slagging goes on here,” remarks JJ, a smile spreading broadly across his face.
A mix of people come into JJ’s, from truck drivers to farmers, commuters, families out for the day and even celebrities. Aoibhín Garrihy, Marty Morrissey, George Hook and Gary O’Donovan have all been spotted in the establishment on occasion.
The chatting and comradery really is a draw, feels JJ. “It’s like a pub with no beer. You could be chatting in here to someone from anywhere. When people come from different countries, the first thing they do is look for their home place on the map. You get everybody here.”
JJ’s daughter Tríona is a home economics teacher. She runs the business’s social media accounts. Along with her brothers Jamie and Ronan and sister Saoirse, they all worked in JJ’s through their teenage and college years.
Tríona agrees that the social side of the food truck is paramount. “One day there was a man sitting here,” remembers Tríona. “Just by chance I was cleaning around him and I said, ‘How’re you getting on?’ and he said, ‘I’m coming in here with 20 years, but it’s my first time without my wife’. They used to always go for a spin to Tramore from Cork city.
JJ’s truck stop is the longest-running food truck in the country. \ Donal O' Leary
“Every Sunday, they’d come in here and she had passed away two months previous. I was nearly bawling. If you didn’t chat to people you’d never know these things. Just by chance, I started talking to him. There’s a lot of loneliness too, a lot of people wouldn’t even be hungry, they’d come in for a cup of tea and a chat.”
The old, new and enduring
As you’ve probably gathered, JJ’s is very much rooted in old-style community values. And too, it could be said, old-style food.
You won’t find any avocados, pomegranates or sourdough here. Even though these ingredients are perceived to be some of the mainstays of social media food culture, Tríona felt the authenticity of JJ’s would appeal to the online world. Also, getting set up on social media was a vital step post Celtic Tiger, when business slacked off a little.
“I said to Dad, ‘People are driving by because they don’t know what the inside is like’. The heart, the atmosphere, how it looks. We were so busy with all the builders and farmers, then the recession hit and we slowed down. I said, ‘Dad we have to get online’. He said, ‘What if people slate us?’ I said, ‘Just give it a chance’.
JJ believes that because truck drivers and commuters are always rushing, they want food fast, they want it now and they want it reasonably priced. \ Donal O'Leary
“Dad is great, I learned so much from him, that the really important things are the food and meeting people, but then I could help him with social media. It really made a difference to business. I think a lot of great established family businesses need someone to help them with that.”
From young to old, there’s a welcome waiting at JJ’s. And, a well-needed feed too after calving a cow.
Read more
Mastering every challenge that comes their way
From a cowshed to a café, meet Caitriona Considine of Moher Cottage
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