Boaters and landlubbers alike can snag some seafood, sunglasses or sun block from the new Food Yacht on the Intracoastal Waterway starting Sunday, Jan. 31.
The Town of Jupiter approved the Food Yacht’s four-year charter to serve food on the Intracoastal Jan. 19, and owner Justin Lindemann has been preparing his dream boat for business since.
The 40-foot catamaran will be anchored near the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, east of the A1A Bridge, every Sunday. Lindemann hopes to be on the water this Sunday from around noon until sunset.
Long-term, Lindemann plans to operate the Food Yacht from sunrise to sunset on Sundays, expanding to Friday and Saturday service as demand grows.
Lindemann has talked about serving gourmet seafood and other items that people can take to-go, such as ceviche, lobster rolls and caprese salad, but he has realized that launching during the cooler winter months means selling hot food that keeps beachgoers warm.
Shrimp quesadillas, burgers and hot dogs are a few of the items Lindemann is considering starting out with, but he ultimately plans to base his menu on what people want.
“I’m keeping it simple for the next couple of Sundays to work out the details, then going with a larger menu,” he said.
This Sunday, a bartender friend of Lindemann’s will also be on-board, whipping up non-alcoholic frozen drinks and fruit smoothies.
In addition to selling food and drinks, the Food Yacht will also act as a ship store, selling Ocean Eyes sunglasses, hats, sunblock and more.
News of the Food Yacht has started to spread around town, through press coverage and word of mouth at The Food Shack, where Lindemann works during the week as a cook.
“I’m surprised as many people know about it as they do,” he said. “Everyone at the restaurant has been telling people about it.”
To help spread the word even more, Lindemann plans to give out samples this weekend and meet and greet locals at the beach.
For the time being, Lindemann’s boat will be staffed by friends willing to lend a helping hand.
“Everyone’s kinda like, ‘Yeah, go hang on the boat and play with some food? Sure.’ It’s not a hard sell,” Lindemann said.
Ultimately, if there’s a need for it, Lindemann would like to introduce a delivery skiff, which could deliver people’s orders directly to their docks, homes on the water or the sand bar.
(Photo courtesy Justin Lindemann)
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