Encore Rouge has been one of the Magic City’s most consistent and cherished food trucks since they first started operating in 2017. Customer favorites like their chicken alfredo, bayou burger, and top-notch selection of wings including their G Sauce-topped variety and Lemon Kush flavors have kept even the pickiest of eaters coming back for more. Four years later, owners Antoinne and Shantale Davis along with the rest of their team are making their biggest move yet. The restaurant’s first brick-and-mortar location is coming this November giving fans of this mouth-watering food truck a permanent location to satisfy their cravings next to Taco Mama at The Waites in Southside!
Success has come quickly thanks to great food and customer service, which makes it even more impressive that Antoinne initially had no plans of becoming a food entrepreneur. He helped his mom and grandmother prepare chicken salad and other dishes that were taken to coworkers on holidays while growing up. He enjoyed being in the kitchen but was also working at an automotive factory simply trying to make ends meet. He started preparing his own lunch to save some money, and it didn’t take long before coworkers asked where he got his fantastic looking meals from. They were shocked when he said he made the delicious plates himself and soon many were asking him to bring them some.
“My first time taking orders, I ended up getting like 50 orders,” shared Antoinne. And the demand rapidly grew as word about his cooking traveled throughout the plant. He started posting pictures of his meals to social media, and his following once again swelled to new heights. The Davis’s decided to focus on delivering and catering, but one delivery truck quickly grew to five cars around the city, and the entrepreneurial couple determined it was time to get a food truck.
Just like every other venture they pursued, the truck was a quick success and word spread rapidly. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we’re at today,” Antoinne commented on the constant support and word-of-mouth marketing they’ve received from the city’s residents. That support has helped them open doors to new successes. In November, they have several exciting plans to bring special experiences and new menu items to the residents of Birmingham.
As Antoinne looks at the journey his restaurant has made from make-at-home lunches to a successful food truck and a new physical location on the way, he encourages others in the city to do the same. “Just do it, start somewhere you know? Make sure you never let up and keep pushing forward,” he shares, and we’re thankful he took his own advice to create this classic concept.
All Images: Encore Rouge.
