SWAT Ghost Kitchen Opening Nov. 9 at Post 6768 with Special Menu
By Emily Chesnic
A local food truck is back in service and cooking up something fresh, specifically for the sake of military and war veterans.
Next month, Dan Molnar, owner and operator of his well-established business, SWAT Food Truck & Catering, will begin preparing novel menu items – including seafood boil bags and steaks – for the community from a new location. He is doing so especially for past and present members of the U.S. Armed Forces, bolstering the benefits available to them and their families.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post No. 6768, of Northfield Center, is participating with SWAT on the joint mission – operation SWAT Ghost Kitchen – a new takeout meal option at the Northfield VFW, 8584 Olde 8 Road. SWAT Ghost Kitchen officially launches Nov. 9, just ahead of Veteran’s Day, with a portion of all sales going directly to assist local vets through the VFW.
The entire community can join in on the cause, as ordering a meal online from SWAT Ghost Kitchen simultaneously supports small, local business and area active-duty and retired soldiers and their families. While a “ghost kitchen” traditionally is a kitchen in which restaurant meals are prepared for take-out only, members of VFW Post No. 6768 are invited to dine in to order off a canteen menu for a discounted rate.
Molnar dishes up stuffed burgers, chicken wraps and appetizers, including “fully loaded tots,” from his SWAT Food Truck. In addition to his traditional menu items, Molnar also is creating dishes uniquely for the VFW, with his seafood boil bags – a concept still new to the area – being served with snow crab legs, scallops or other shellfish, and including red skin potatoes and corn on the cob. The one ordering a seafood boil bag selects his or her sauce and level of spice, said Molnar. He will be running daily specials, offering homemade soups, among other specialty items.
His steaks will include ribeye, with Molnar noting all his meats come from Duma’s Meats in Mogadore, as the family-owned, farm market offers fresh, “healthy” meats, free of fillers and other additives. He credits Duma’s for the popularity of his burgers, as they are made using the “highest quality” of meat, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues cancelling area events that would have featured Molnar’s food truck. He has been seeking innovative ways to stay in operation, finding success earlier this year at the corner of Route 82 and Valley View Road.
“We have been basically rolling with the punches all of COVID. It has been difficult, but I am humbled by the support I have received,” said Molnar, who also is a winter team member for Reliable Snow Plowing.
Since the Northfield VFW also has been seeking to be a stronger “staple in the community,” teaming up with SWAT was a favorable concept, which was first discussed about three months ago, said VFW Commander Clint Ulrich.
“We want to establish a steady flow of patrons and get even more people involved here,” he said.
The VFW, a not-for-profit organization, and Post. No. 6768 exist to come alongside veterans, as well as those on the frontlines, to ensure they and their loved ones have access to quality healthcare; medical insurance; monetary assistance during unforeseen circumstances; financial aid for funerals; scholarships to further their education; and much more, said Ulrich.
“There are numerous things we do for vets and their families,” he said.
Donations to help veterans through the VFW can be made at the post. The Northfield VFW also rents out the hall for events, in concordance with COVID guidelines, with SWAT Ghost Kitchen serving as the onsite caterer.
Anyone hungering to help vets and sample SWAT’s newest menu items can eat from SWAT Ghost Kitchen very soon. SWAT Ghost Kitchen, located inside the Northfield VFW, currently is being configured, with equipment being added, in preparation for opening day, said Molnar.
The hours of operation for SWAT Ghost Kitchen tentatively are 3-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and Noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. While the preferred method for ordering is online at online@orders.swatfoodtruck.
After placing an online order, pull up to one of 10 designated spots at the VFW and text the number on the website so the food can be brought right out, explained Molnar.
Since Uber Eats and DoorDash take a significant portion of a restaurant’s sale amount, Molnar said SWAT Ghost Kitchen will not be working with delivery companies. He would like the new endeavor to be as profitable as possible for veterans, while helping his business make ends meet.
“We want this to be all community-based,” he said.
