Hometown Bubba: From Food Carts to Restaurant

We don’t usually report about features outside of Clare county, but exceptions are made when a Harrison graduate opens a new business. B&D’s Bubba-Q opened recently in the Mobil gas station off US-127 in Rosebush.

Brian Baldwin has run successful food carts in the mid-Michigan area for several years. You may have seen Baldwin in his signature hat and tasted his unique turbo dog, walking taco or more at the Clare County Fair and other events in Harrison and Clare in his Bubba-Q Food Cart.

Baldwin met his wife Darcy three years ago and she began to run a second cart on her days off.  The food carts became so busy Darcy quit her job as a Certified Medical Assistant last May. A third cart has since been added with their logo and red, white, and blue Americana theme. That cart served as a backdrop to the couple’s July 4, 2020 nuptials.

While the pandemic led to changes in all food service and created challenges to the Bubba-Q business it also created some opportunities. Invited to set up at Mobil gas stations in Rosebush, Alma and the Sanford Citgo during a time when take-out was the new normal.

The Bubba-Q food cart was busy in Rosebush and Darcy said, “At first it was a lot of the windmill workers but then as I was here more and more regular customers started coming in.” It was those customers that started telling the Baldwins they should rent the available restaurant space inside the gas station. “It was really customer demand that made us think seriously about the restaurant.”

With a good working relationship and product sales understanding with the owner of Pump and Pour Mobil Gas Station and a lot of planning and hard work, the restaurant opened in December.

The food cart menu was expanded for the restaurant to include some new items including the Cain-O; an elephant ear with cinnamon and sugar, pulled pork and their signature BBQ Sauce. Several pizza varieties, oven baked sandwiches, loaded mac n’ cheese, Q-Balls (perfect kid-size pizza balls), and even a cauliflower crust pizza. If you missed fairs and other venues last year you can get carnival style desserts too; grilled pineapple slices with ice cream, deep fried Oreos, deep fried cheesecake, and elephant ears-pulled BBQ pork optional.

Fans of the Bubba-Q food cart will be happy to hear that the regular “Turbo Menu” will be available all the time at the Rosebush location. Their menu touts “Home of the Twin Turbo” which leads to the question what is the Twin Turbo? Twin turbo refers to the special BBQ sauce created by Baldwin and original partner Christopher Carswell. That sauce will soon be bottled and available for sale at the restaurant and Bubba-Q food carts.

Ever intent on improvement and serving their fans they are still thinking of future ideas for the restaurant. Hand dipped ice cream and seating arrangements for dine-in when allowed are in the works for 2021. Catering is also available.

No doubt it has been a big year for the Baldwin’s, and they invite you to stop by and see them in their new (ad)venture in Rosebush.