Old-time taste on wagon wheels: Old-fashioned soda rolls into Saratoga

The town of Saratoga ran out of ice July 4 before residents and tourists could get their fill of old-fashioned soda provided by the S&J Chuck Wagon Soda Co.

Stephen and JoDell Hone, who run the wagon, exhausted their own ice supply during the Fourth of July parade.

She said she searched Kum & Go, Conoco and Valley Foods for more ice, but it still wasn’t enough to quench the thirst of the crowd.

“We ran out of ice in the town of Saratoga, otherwise we would have probably still been sitting on the corner of Bridge Street selling root beer,” JoDell said.

The Chuck Wagon had to start turning people away, until Saratoga resident Richard Hodges brought two more bags of ice.

“He handed me these two sacks of ice and the people came like flies,” she said. “They just swarmed in because they had heard we had ice again.”

JoDell said the business did very well in Saratoga, despite being warned by her headquarters not to do business at an event with less than 5,000 people.

“When we bought this system, they told us don’t mess with doing anything for under 5,000 people,” she said. “So we have never done anything in Saratoga.”

They bought the system about three years ago, and have attended events from chili cook-offs to ostrich racing events.

Despite being warned not to do business with smaller crowds, the couple set up the soda wagon at the end of the parade, and made sales that exceeded expectations.

The couple ended up selling more than 200 tin cups filled with their old-fashioned soda during the parade, which didn’t include refills, JoDell said.

“We did very well,” she said.

Soda start-up

The couple, retired retail workers, wanted to get back into selling products, JoDell said. The couple were in Cedar City, Utah in 2010 when they saw soda vendors, one of which being an S&J Chuck Wagon Soda vendor.

The vendors sell soda, some that are 100-year-old recipes, in tin cups. The wagon sells her soda for about $6 per tin mug and $3 per refill.

“I bought one of their sodas and drank it. I was reading the cup and I told Stephen we need to get online and see about this,” JoDell said.

The couple then called a man in Pennsylvania and asked him about setting up a moving soda wagon in Wyoming. A few days later, the couple picked up their wagon and supplies in Craig, Colo.

JoDell said she liked the taste of the soda.

“There is no caffeine, no preservatives and no additives. It is all natural,” she said. “It is pure cane sugar water and flavoring.”

The couple travels around the United States selling the product at various different events.

Stephen was interested in the soda aspect of the business because he had worked in the restaurant industry for most of his life. The couple also enjoys the customer service aspect of the job.

However, JoDell said her favorite part of the business was meeting new friends and other vendors while traveling.

Hard times

The couple loved running the business and traveling, but they were forced to put a brake on the traveling business in 2012 after Stephen had a stroke May 2.

The couple were scheduled to be in Las Vegas May 3, but Stephen woke up the morning of May 2, paralyzed on his right side.

Stephen was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County for care. After, he was admitted into a rehabilitation clinic in Casper.

The couple were able to get back on the road in July, but JoDell had to do most of the work, she said.

JoDell said she almost chose not to run the business this year because she was exhausted from unloading. However, Stephen gained back some of his strength, enabling him to help a little bit more and convincing JoDell to keep running the business.

“He just got stronger and stronger until he could do more,” she said.

Back on the wagon

After a rocky year last year, the couple are ready to get back on the road and bring the Chuck Wagon to different events across the United States once again.

“The next few months, we will be home very little,” JoDell said.

Their first stop will be in Vernal, Utah for a three-day event.

Although the couple are back on the road, doing what the Chuck Wagon was meant to do, they won’t forget about the overwhelming support and business they received in Saratoga.