Inspiring Conversations with Sheri Eaton of Cluck Bucket LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheri Eaton.

Hi Sheri, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Cluck Bucket story, by Sheri Eaton, owner.

In the Fall of 2018 my family of 9 moved to Ludington, MI from Indiana to “put roots down in a new community that I had fallen in love with.” In September we moved into our home and started 4 of our children in Ludington Public Schools. In October my husband, Derek, started a Construction Company and began several jobs. On December 9 my husband woke up early with excruciating pain in his neck and head. I rushed him to the hospital and waited for word on what was going on. After many test they finally found that he had an aortic dissection! He was immediately airlifted to Grand Rapids, MI were he underwent emergent open heart surgery. After 11 hours of surgery the Doctor came out to meet me, she said my husband was very sick and that he’s got a long recovery. It’s a miracle that he’s alive!! We spent the next 15 days in the hospital and then were released on Christmas Eve to go home!! Christmas 2019 will always be a sweet memory with our 7 children ages 1-15 because we were together in our home in Ludington!!

February of 2019 we returned to the hospital for a post opp appointment and I remember the Doctor looking at my husband so strangely, like he was a ghost. She shared more of the incredible surgery and the stats on survivors, it IS a miracle he made it, God had Angels protecting him that day! At this appointment we also learned of the new lifestyle Derek would have to have. He was put on lifetime restrictions and Construction was no longer an option for him to do to provide for our family. The truth was I was going to have to become the provider for our family of 9, but what was I going to do? We had only lived here a few short months and my previous experiences were; Cosmetology, Restaurant, Mom raising 7 children and homeschooling.

On February 16 was when “Cluck Bucket” was first a real thought! We were with friends that night sharing this “idea” we had and by the next day we were planning and calling to start this “idea of Cluck Bucket” into a reality! The saying when life gives you lemons… make lemonade! Well that was exactly what I intended to do! What is so important to know is that I didn’t have business degree, culinary training, or even a business plan. I wasn’t placed at 3rd base and just needed to run to home plate.
What i did have was grit, desire to provide for my family, work ethic, a heart for serving people, and 42 years of God developing me for such a time as this! Derek was the brains behind designing the technically stuff and all that related to the construction. Our 7 children were hands on helping with every step they could. We had a very busy Spring! We had things that set us back and things that moved us forward. One of our big setbacks was our lot being smaller than a normal lot, but still having all the same setback and regulations to follow. During this time we learned that building was not the best option, but getting a food truck/trailer would be a great way to start.

May 23, 2019 on my oldest son’s 16 birthday we received our Health Department inspection at 5:00pm we passed and were ready to open the very next day! May 24, 2019, 12:00 was our opening, we had a line of people ready to try Cluck Bucket and show their support to us. We had friends and family from hours away there to support and help in any way they could! We were ready, or were we?? We didn’t know what we didn’t know… but for such a time as this God gave the wisdom and strength for what was an amazing opening weekend!! Opening weekend was also Memorial Day weekend and we had so much to be thankful for!

Cluck Bucket was open and it was a food truck parked in a permanent location. We had picnic tables for people to enjoy their food at our they could take it to go. I wanted to offer our community a spot to gather around a table and enjoy a meal with sandy feet from enjoying Ludington’s beautiful beaches and parks with their friends and family. I also wanted to offer our customers a great meal they could take with them back home, to the campground, hotel, park, or beach and enjoy! We have loved being apart of so many of their memories through great food! “Eat’n Good,” it’s more than a slogan it’s family!

2019 we were open May 24-October 26. Living in Michigan, operating a food truck and cooking on our Pit like we do meant that we could only be open seasonally. So during the “off season” was when I would take all the numbers and dive into what we did well, what we needed to change, and what new things we wanted to add.

Our menu of Chicken and Pit-tatoes with our homemade bbq sauce, “Red Sauce,” was a huge hit. We cook our chicken and Pit-Tatoes on our Pit, the food cooks over charcoal and it dips in our secret sauce! We start with fresh chicken and the outcome is delicious! Cluck & Pits was our most popular menu item, followed by our 1/2 chicken dinner. We also served chicken tacos, sandwiches, and sides.

2020 was a year that no one will forget… COVID! We had hoped to open in mid April, but with all the restrictions we worried it may not possible. After talking with our Health Department he told us to open! All our workers would be family and we had social distancing and curbside pickup ready to go! So we opened up for season 2 and had a blessed year! The menu recieved some additonal food items like Nachos and our Rice Bowls. They were a big hit!

Along this journey we learned new things with each season and made improvements in our “off season.” We added a pavilion at our Food truck spot. We added a swag shack to sell merchandise in. We added more outside seating and cornhole for families to enjoy. We were starting to understand that people were wanting our food not just in the summer and wanted us to cater their family events, weddings, business meetings, church picnic etc. So we started looking for where we could grow.

July 2022 we opened up in a brick and mortar location in downtown Ludington. This would be our second location as we still operated the Food Truck just 2 miles away at it’s permanent location on Pere Marquette Highway. After months of building out our kitchen in our leased space we opened up with an expanded menu! We added scratch made-fresh baked pretzels, yum!! These pretzels found their way into the mouths and hearts of many people that first year, “best pretzel in Michigan” was something we heard daily!

July 1 of 2023, Ruby Food truck was at it’s first event selling our delicious Chicken, Pit-Tatoes, and Pretzels!! Ruby, our mobile food truck has been an amazing addition allowing us to be mobile and serve at festivals, events, weddings, graduations, parties, picnics, appreciations and more!
In 2024 we joined “The 10 Spot” a food truck park in our town and Ruby serves there during the summer. Her menu includes Pretzels of course, Cluck Cups, Mac& Cheese (yes it’s scratch made!) and sandwiches. Ruby Food Truck is open Tuesday-Fridays allowing us to do events and festivals on weekends.

December 26, 2023 was a BIG day, we took possession of a beautiful downtown building, along with our friends and owners of Spindrift. Spindrift would have half the building and Cluck Bucket would have the other half. So once again we were at it building out our kitchen!! We ended our lease with our landlord at our previous location the end of January 2024 and opened up in our new location at 102 W Ludington Ave Downtown Ludington on April 19, 2024. Opening this location was something I had been dreaming about for 3 years and feel blessed that God gave us this opportuntiy!

The Coffee Coop opened May 12, 2024. The Coffee Coop is our coffee spot that is located inside our downtown location serving up hot, iced, and blended espresso drinks, coffee, chai, affogatos, fresh fruit smoothies, and Acai bowls! The Coffee Coop has been such a fun addition. My daughters and I enjoy drinking great coffee and now we get to create amazing coffee drinks for our community!

The summer of 2024 was a busy summer! We had our Original location Food Truck open, our Downtown location open, our Coffee shop open, and our Ruby Food Truck open. We also were blessed to be a part of so many catering opportunities. Graduations, Weddings, Rehearsal dinners, parties, Business lunches, School events, Corporate picnics, Church picnics, Teacher appreciations, Customer appreciations, events and festivals it was a fun filled year!! One thing we learned during 2024 was having multiple “Cluck Bucket’s” with different menus was confusing to people.

Spring 2025 we are rebranding our OG, original location food truck, into PITBowls! This includes getting a fresh wrap on our food truck, new menu, and changing up our layout a little. PITBowls menu is fresh, flavorful, and pit inspired! We have 5 Signature bowls; BBQ, Teriyaki, Mediterranean, Chipotle, and Hot Honey. Also available are build your own bowls were you pick your base; white rice, brown rice, grains, or greens. Then pick your protein; chicken, beef, or pork. Then pick your toppings from a variety like beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, hard boiled eggs, onions, salsas, veggies, and fruits. Lastly pick a sauce from our variety of sauces. PITBowls allow you to pick what you want and offers a great meal for those with dietary restrictions, Gluten free, Vegan, and Keto. PITBowls is planning to open mid May 2025!

It’s been a busy few years as we have developed Cluck Bucket, learned, grown, and upgraded. I am thankful to my Husband for all his support and construction knowledge. I am thankful for my children who are now 7-21, they have watched Cluck Bucket grow and helped us along the way. I hope when they look back they’ll be proud of what we’ve built together and maybe some of them will want to take over when they are ready?! I am thankful for my faith in Jesus that has helped keep me going even when things have been hard! I am thankful for a great community, supporters, and customers who have become friends!! We are blessed, “Eat’n Good,” it more than a slogan it’s family!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think in the definition of “Small business owner” it’s says “Will have struggles!”
There’s been struggles!
1-our township. What we were wanting to do was different and in the beginning I was seeking advice and asking questions and it opened up things that didn’t even pertain to us. We got through it!
2-Learning that time lines and lot size didn’t work best for building, so we went with a food truck/trailer instead. Changing up our plans completely but worked out very well in the end.
3-delays on everything, but we were determined to get things done and we just kept working. If we couldn’t do A today we would work on B and then work on A later.
4-COVID
5-Food shortages
6-Supply shortages/ shipping battles

These are just a few.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Cluck Bucket, “Eat’n Good!”
We say Eat’n Good is more than a slogan it’s family!

For 2025 we will have the following:
-Cluck Bucket Downtown @ 102 W Ludington Ave in Downtown Ludington, MI. We are right on Legacy Plaza where you can relax and enjoy food outside all summer long. Catch some tunes when we have live bands, play yard games and more.
-The Coffee Coop our coffee spot located inside of Cluck Bucket Downtown. Serving hot, iced, or blended espresso drinks, coffee, chai, affogatos, real fruit smothies, and Acai bowls.
-Cluck Bucket Food Truck “Ruby” parked at “The 10 Spot,” in ludington May-July and out on location as well.
-PITBowls Food Truck, opening mid-May this is our rebranded Truck with a new menu! We are excited for our Grand opening!

Started with a food truck on our 88 S PMHwy lot in Ludington Mi. The truck stays there as that is where our “PIT” is. We cook all our protein and potatoes on our PIT. Using charcoal to cook and a secret sauce our food is amazing! We use fresh meat and cook daily May-October. We use fresh ingredients and make our sides from scratch. Our “Red Sauce,” is our homemade BBQ. This is what sets our menu apart from others.

The Eaton family started Cluck Bucket it’s not a chain. Our family has created different recipes and bring fresh and favorful to our menus.

Sratch made-Baked fresh soft pretzels is OUR THING too!!!

We have lots of gluten friendly options on our menus. We love serving our delicious food to our community and customers!

We enjoy catering all types of events!

LOTS of GF options on our menu!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Being at my Grandma’s her kitchen always smelled soooo good!!

Camping with my family at Ludington State Park!! Always came for 15 days over 4th of July! A tradition that i started with my husband when we married!

Pricing:

• pretzel and dip $6-7
• meals $12-17
• coffees $5 and up

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cluckbucketmi.com
• Facebook: Cluck Bucket- Downtown. The Coffee Coop. Cluck Bucket-Food Truck