Truck & Tap’s Zach Yurchuck

Zach Yurchuck (left) with partner Cliff Crider

ZACH YURCHUCK
Co-Founder of Truck & Tap, a Paddle4Tomorrow Sponsor

By MICHAEL SCHWARTZ

When Zach Yurchuck was bitten by the kayak fishing bug as a teenager, he had no idea that years later he would be helping put youngsters of all ages and backgrounds into kayaks, too.

Today, he is one of three co-founders of Truck & Tap, one of Paddle4Tomorrow’s dedicated sponsors. He says it’s a role that gives him a boatload of satisfaction.

“What I can say about Paddle4Tomorrow is your dollar is making an impact directly in your community,” Yurchuck said, “and this is an organization that’s using your dollar better than maybe anyone.”

In the beginning…

Yurchuck, 34, was first associated with Paddle4Tomorrow [P4T] when he was still a teenager and after he linked up with the Georgia Kayak Fishing club. P4T co-founder Tony Narcisse was also a member of the GKF club, and when he decided to create a separate non-profit paddling organization Yurchuck was one of its first board members.

Fast forward a few years and Yurchuck, a University of Georgia Terry College of Business grad, returned to his hometown of Woodstock.

In addition to kayak fishing he also was a home brewer and craft beer enthusiast, which led him to open a growler shop “Barrel and Barley” in 2013. Through that business he became acquainted with local developers Cliff Crider and Mitchel Jaffe.

Between the three of them, they came up with the Truck & Tap concept – a down-to-earth bar that specialized in a wide selection of craft beers, as well as wine and later spirits. They added to the business model a rotating selection of food trucks parked outside serving a variety of cuisines.

The first Truck & Tap opened in Woodstock in 2015. Their sales in the first year were twice what they anticipated.

“We were like, all right, people like this more than we thought they were going to like it,” Yurchuck recalled.

Indeed.

Over the next eight years they opened Truck & Tap locations in Alpharetta, Duluth, Lawrenceville, as well as a bar in the Ph’east Asian food hall at the Truist Park Braves Stadium.

Today Yurchuck is the Vice President of Operations, which can include everything from picking the beers every week and designing menus to running team meetings, running a team of managers and a small marketing team, and being hands-on with the accountants and bookkeepers.

“Whatever needs to be done to keep the restaurants running,” Yurchuck said. “But I also have a fantastic team.”

And just to round out his “duties,” Yurchuck and his wife Taylor are parents of four children ages nine months to 7-years-old.

The Truck & Tap Vibe

Yurchuck said he and his partners like to locate Truck & Tap bars in downtown areas with a lot of great restaurants “where we think we can add something to that community.”

“We create an environment that is relaxed and laid back and friendly and non-pretentious,” Yurchuck said. “We take a lot of pride in our craft beer selection and picking the best beers every week and securing some of the fanciest bourbons and making great cocktails, but you also can get a Genesee Cream Ale.”

He also said the goal is to “create a place that folks can relax and be themselves.”

That was illustrated, Yurchuck remembered, when on a single night in one of the Truck & Taps there was a bachelor party going on for a gentleman well past retirement age, and at the same time a family celebrating one of their kid’s 21 st birthday and getting his first legal alcoholic drink.

“So that is like this great example of we know we can't be all things to all people, of course,” Yurchuck said, “but we somehow have tapped into a place where a wide variety of people feel comfortable.”

The Truck & Tap – Paddle4Tomorrow Partnership

Yurchuck acknowledges that there are many well-meaning non-profits that are serving their communities, but having watched P4T’s evolution over the years has convinced him that it’s an organization that makes a difference in children’s lives.

The organization’s mission of teaching young people from diverse backgrounds how to be kind to the planet and to each other through group activities such as nature art classes and nature walks resonates with Yurchuck. But given his own experience as a kayaker, he knows transformation can occur when a kid who may be used to being told what to do much of the time becomes “the captain of his own ship.”

“It’s that freedom, right?” Yurchuck said. “For the first time they can decide this paddle stroke takes me here, and I get to do this, and I didn’t think I could, and I was afraid, and I overcame that, and it’s a really special thing to get to experience.”

That’s why he relishes the chance to support their efforts. And Truck & Tap does it in a meaningful way.

One month out of the year the company highlights a specific brewery and for every one of their beers purchased during the month $1 is contributed to P4T. Yurchuck wholeheartedly believes it’s money well spent.

“I know the people involved and I know where their hearts are,” Yurchuck said, “and I know this is an organization that is out using every dollar for the kids. It makes being a donor a no-brainer. The money that we raise for the kids is the least we can do.”

As for the founders of P4T, their appreciation of Truck & Tap also runs deep and personal.

“Zach Yurchuck and Truck & Tap exemplify a deep-rooted commitment to community service as both a lifestyle and a business model,” said P4T co-founder Tony Narcisse. “Paddle4Tomorrow is a stronger organization because of their unwavering support. I’ve long admired Zach for his leadership, and I’m proud to call him a friend.”

Truck & Tap’s Call To Action

Which leads to Yurchuck’s message to other individuals or businesses who might consider being a P4T sponsor.

He recognizes that businesses in particular are often inundated with requests for support from an array of well-meaning organizations. But for him and Truck & Tap, P4T stands out for the visible impact they have on kids and communities overall.

“What I can say about Paddle4Tomorrow is your dollar is making an impact directly in your community,” Yurchuck said, “and this is an organization that’s using your dollar better than maybe anyone.

“You’re making an investment in the long-term health of your community. You are providing an opportunity for parents and kids in these communities to share an experience in the outdoors that they so often don’t get a chance to.

“You can watch friendships develop. You can watch kids build confidence and independence and learn about parts of the world around them that they may not ever get a chance to learn.

There’s an ROI to this investment in your community that goes above and beyond what a lot of causes can do.”

To learn more about the Truck and Tap locations, follow these links:

Alpharetta
https://truckandtap.com/alpharetta/

Duluth
https://truckandtap.com/duluth/

Lawrenceveille
https://truckandtap.com/lawrenceville/

Woodstock
https://truckandtap.com/woodstock/