By Sarah Fertsch
When you’re feeling hot and sweaty wandering between vendors and performers at your favorite festivals, one truck stands out.
It looks almost like a pirate ship with barrels of delicious drinks tucked inside. Thirsty patrons clink their aluminum, wide-mouthed goblets, bubbles draping down the sides. There’s a variety of flavors to choose from, including Jolly Roger Root Beer, Blackbeard’s Black Cherry, Set Sail Ginger Ale, and Aargh Orange.
This is Pirate Pete’s Soda Pop Company, a community staple since 2016. The Shenkus Family noticed the upward trend of gourmet food trucks and thought folks will need something special to drink with that. They toyed with a couple of different names, but because of the connection with the Jersey Shore and the thrill of pirate lore, the name Pirate Pete stuck.
You can find Pirate Pete’s at almost every festival around South Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and even Delaware. They made an appearance at the State Barbeque Championship in Wildwood and will be attending the Jeep Beach Invasion on the same island. They also will later be serving up bubbles at the Cape May Craft Beer Festival.
Here’s how the truck works. Patrons can purchase soda pop either in a disposable cup or a souvenir beer mug, which comes with free refills during that day as a perk. If you bring your pre-purchased Pirate Pete mug from a previous event, you get a discount on your soda pop.
This week, Pirate Pete’s will debut a brand-new soda: Barnacle Butterscotch Beer. Eric Shenkus, the owner of the soda pop company, says that Harry Potter fans will love this local, swashbuckler interpretation of butter beer, a non-alcoholic toffee/butterscotch ale. Jeep Fest attendees and Beer Fest guests will be able to try this drink for the first time and relish its sweet flavor.
Shenkus is proud to share this business with his wife Barbara and their three children: Emily, 19; Tommy, 17; and Sarah, 13. “We don’t have any special roles or titles or anything, but everyone always lends a hand,” said Shenkus.
What’s it like to run a beverage truck? Shenkus says to always prepare for the unexpected. The long days can be grueling, but the Shenkus family loves connecting with customers and bringing smiles to people’s faces.
As for the future, Pirate Pete’s will continue to quench the thirst of festival-goers in the years to come. Ultimately, the Shenkus family hopes to bottle their soda so that people can enjoy their beverages beyond the context of a street fair. “Cannonball Vanilla Cream is by far our most popular flavor,” said Shenkus.
