One of Williamsburg’s food trucks has parked and closed down business for good.
But the owners, a mother-son duo who have lived in the area more than 12 years, said it’s not a bad thing.
The German Snack Shack closed for business Dec. 31, owners Maggie and David Lawrence said. The small trailer spent the last year and a half bringing authentic German food to the Virginia Peninsula. It would have celebrated its second anniversary in April.
“We definitely want to thank everybody for supporting us,” Maggie Lawrence said.
The Lawrences are shutting down their business because Bill Lawrence, Maggie’s husband and David’s father, is getting a new job — which is likely to take him and Maggie Lawrence out of state, or even out of country.
Bill Lawrence is a civil service worker for the Air Force.
“The closure is positive,” David Lawrence said.
David Lawrence is recently engaged, and plans to stay in Williamsburg and attend school at Thomas Nelson Community College. His fiancee also recently got a job in the Williamsburg area that could help build the couple’s future, he said.
David Lawrence said he didn’t want to continue the business without his mother because he “can’t replicate” his mother’s authentic German cooking.
“We love the food truck, but I’m not going to continue it without my mom,” David Lawrence said. “We can’t lose what my mom brings to the food.”
David Lawrence also said the duo decided teaching another person how to operate the food truck and make the dishes.
“Many people said we brought back memories of when they were stationed in Germany, or if their mother was German, it reminded them of their mom’s cooking,” Maggie Lawrence said.
The Lawrences also thought about searching for a storefront, but couldn’t find a space they thought would work.
Maggie Lawrence has worked in the food industry for years, and hopes to open up a new restaurant wherever she and her husband move next. They should find out their next location within a month.
David Lawrence said his mother has always dreamed of opening up a small lunch spot or deli that would be easy to manage. His mother agrees this move could be an opportunity for her to pursue that dream.
For now, the family is selling their equipment and starting a new chapter.
“There’s so many things we’re going to miss about it,” David Lawrence said.
