Beach Grub Celebrates New Location and Two Years in Westport
On Saturday, August 9, Beach Grub owner Josh Dunlap will celebrate two years in business, and a new location. The party runs from 12–6 p.m., with the highlight being an outdoor oyster cookout and the return of Oyster Rockefeller, a dish Josh originally created for the Storms and Seafood event. It’s one customers keep asking for. Oysters will be served grilled, smoked, and fresh from an outdoor kitchen setup.
Where are all the oysters coming from? “Shoalwater Seafoods, of course,” says Josh.
“I'm planning for like 40 dozen oysters. My friend Abra will be here to help. She has some great recipes. She had this vision for an oyster pop-up a few years ago, so I said here’s your chance.”
Not into oysters? A special cheese steak, loaded fries, and Caesar salad will also be on offer.
Josh Dunlap stands in front of his Beach Grub Food Truck
New Location, Same Great Grub
In May, Josh moved his Beach Grub Food Truck from the marina behind A Whale of A Cone to his home property at 801 W Ocean Ave, just past Blackbeards Brewing on the way to the lighthouse. The move came after the marina property was sold, and rent increased significantly. Realizing his home was zoned for tourist-commercial use, Josh took a leap. It’s paid off.
“I’m happier, and I think my customers are more comfortable. My sales are up 30% and I’m getting a lot more local business with folks grabbing dinner on their way home from work. I’m also getting tourists headed to the lighthouse or staying at the condos.”
How It All Started
“Well, what brought me here was my family's business bought the old Islander,” Josh says. “I was living down in Southern Oregon and I was at a point in my life where I needed a change, so I came here to manage phase one of the motel remodel.”
When his contract ended, he turned to a longtime dream: starting a food truck.
“I've been working in restaurants since I was 14. I figured if it didn’t work out here, it’s got wheels, and I could go anywhere. So I talked to the city, found out all the rules, and had my trailer custom-built in Portland. There are a lot of strict health codes for food trucks, and I wanted to be able to do all the storage and prep on-site, so it had to be super customized.”
Menu Inspo and a One-Man Show
Beach Grub’s Original Smash Cheesburger
The Beach Grub menu tells a story of culinary influences collected over a lifetime. Teriyaki skewers are inspired by Josh’s mom and childhood camping trips. The poppy seed dressing and clam puffs are recipes from La Serre, a French-American restaurant in Yachats, Oregon, where Josh worked as a sous chef at age 19. The burgers are a nod to California’s In-N-Out, and the seafood showcases Westport’s coastal flavor.
“I had to pick and choose my recipes. Once I started the clam puffs, I realized everybody here loves crab, so I made crab puffs too. I recently added spinach puffs for a vegetarian option, and I probably eat as many as I sell!
The blue cheese burger is really popular, and the shrimp skewers sell like hotcakes because people come here to visit and they want seafood.”
Josh runs the truck solo, starting with early deliveries and works until the final cleaning at the end of the day. Although closed on Sundays and Mondays, those days are filled with tasks such as cleaning, inventory, laundry, and ordering supplies.
"It's a lot of work. I'm out here at eight in the morning, and it's twelve-hour days minimum,” he says. “Sometimes my customer service isn't great because I'm awkwardly honest and say smart-ass things to my customers, but it is what it is.”
Josh appreciates the patience. He doesn’t take call-in orders and has paused online ordering for the busy summer season to keep service focused on on-site customers.
Community Support
What strikes Josh most is the overwhelming local support. When he moved to the new location, none of his neighbors complained. They welcomed him.
"I am so blessed for all the local support. I can't thank the locals enough. I couldn't make it through the offseason without them. I have people that brave the weather and come out here in the rain to order food in the wintertime, and I'm blown away.
"I figured I'd have one grumpy neighbor or, you know, some tweaker trying to rob me or something. But this neighborhood right here is just really cool. I love it."
The challenges are real. But the rewards are evident in the steady stream of locals and tourists who’ve made Beach Grub the top-ranking restaurant in Westport on Google reviews.
If you haven’t tried Beach Grub yet, Josh and his dog Frankie hope you will stop by!