Neko Taiyaki started in July of 2023 after 5 years of slowly dreaming, then planning, then building. Sam spent a year in Japan teaching English and fell in love with Japanese culture and food. When he returned to Grand Rapids, he made it his goal to open a food truck and bring people taiyaki.
In 2023, we wanted to test the market and see if anyone even cared about what we were making, and to our delight, people LOVE our waffles. Since last summer we have done a handful of events and pop-ups and every event has drawn more of a crowd than the last.
Now that we’ve validated our proof of concept, it’s time to grow. We’re actively looking for a food truck so that we can have a more regular schedule, vend at larger events, and visit more places around Michigan.