As always, Delaware's Mark Briscoe to honor brother Jay when he wrestles for Ring of Honor title

'Uncle John' makes more than just lunch. He probably made your favorite food truck, too.

Ryan Cormier
The News Journal
John Berl, owner of Custom Concessions, a food truck-building and repair business, stands with his fellow employees.

When Claymont's John Berl decided to get into the food truck business about five years ago, one of his first decisions was a bad one.

He bought his 20-foot box trailer from a guy in New York and it was, well, a piece of crap.

At a time when Berl was supposed to be focused on ribs and brisket for his new Uncle John's BBQ food truck, he was instead forced to build himself a truck.

And then when he was done, he built one for another guy. And then another one through word of mouth.

Half a decade later, Berl and his three-man crew at Custom Concessions near Newport have built more than 80 trucks, including some well-known Wilmington ones such as Mojo Loco, DeerheadCajun-Sno and Maiale.

While Uncle John's BBQ still serves lunches at 405 Silverside Road in Holly Oak, not far from where the food truck first got its start in front of the former Mojo 13, Custom Concessions has proven to be the big money-maker.

John Berl, owner of Uncle John's BBQ food truck and Custom Concessions, a food truck building and repair business, sits with his french bulldog Chauncey.

"We're taking '70s and '80s roach coaches and transforming them into commercial-grade gourmet kitchens," Berl says. "I got in just at the right time."

His food-truck-building business, which also doubles as a repair shop that carries extra food truck parts and equipment for emergencies, got started just as the food truck boom began in Delaware. It was finally spreading in the East Coast after long being popular in warmer locales across the country.

"I outgrew my backyard, quick. Within three months, my neighbors disliked me because I had three trailers in the back. Hopefully we're going to break $1 million in sales this year," says Berl, who eventually opened a shop at 473 Old Airport Road where employees David Owens, David Walker and Michael Turssline sometimes work 14-hour days on deadline.

Berl's shop puts him in a unique position. As a food truck operator, he often finds himself in the business of helping his competitors, either by selling them a truck or working on their vehicles when in need. 

In some industries, that would be unthinkable. But not in the small world of Delaware food trucks.

"A lot of people ask me about that, like, 'You don't want to keep people from being out there?'" Berl says. "They aren't competitors. They make their own money, but we're representing food trucks as a whole. We all support each other."

John Berl, owner of Uncle John's BBQ food truck, Custom Concessions, a food truck building and repair business, works with employees on constructing the interior of a food truck.

Even so, he still shakes his head at the turn his life has taken thanks to his four-wheeled kitchens.

Before all this, Berl worked everywhere from Timothy's on the Riverfront in Wilmington to Holly Oak's Mr. Pasta before deciding to strike out on his own. He had spent some time in California and was drawn to the concept.

And once he was forced to build his own trailer -- he also owns his own contracting company -- he realized he had special insight as both a builder and as someone who would be cooking inside.

Now, he and his team can create any kind of tricked-out truck, whether it be with a full-sized fryer, kitchen-sized sinks and more, all while keeping the flow of the kitchen in mind for those who will be working long hours inside. "We understand what they need," Berl says. 

Mojo Loco's chef/owner Steve Ruiz says buying from Berl two years back gave him the opportunity to do what Berl was never able to do with his first truck: track how it's going in person.

The result was a red and yellow trailer with Mojo Loco's eye-catching skull logo -- an unmistakable sight that can leave fans of their pork tacos and Mexican street corn drooling from across the street. It was a big step up from the upgraded hot dog cart he had been using.

"He's local and I could see every stage of the build," he says. "When you're dealing with that kind of money, it's nice to go and look at the progress."

John Berl built his own Uncle John's BBQ food truck, but he also builds  and repairs custom concession trucks for others in Delaware at his Custom Concessions shop in New Castle.

Trailers cost less than a fully-operational, decorated used food truck, which generally sell for about $50,000 with overhauled engines and bodies. The standard wait time for a rebuilt truck, top to bottom, is seven to nine weeks, Berl says. During busy times, it can sometimes stretch to 14 months.

Berl isn't the only one in his shop who jumps between gourmet and the garage. One of his fabricators, Turssline, got his start working contacting jobs before running Berl's barbecue stand. 

When Custom Concessions' business took off, Turssline, 30, made the switch and has been working on food trucks ever since. 

While he doesn't see smiling customers chowing down anymore, he does sometimes still see his creations: "It's pretty cool to see something that we've done out there on the streets."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).