Nom Nom Stop Plans to Leave Its Lacey Storefront for Three Food Trucks
Nom Nom Stop, the Lacey sweets business known for cheesecake on a stick, plans to leave its College Street storefront and operate from three food trucks. Its owners say the trucks bring in more revenue than the shop, while a move to mobile service could reduce rent and utility costs. The announcement did not identify a calendar year for the planned transition.
The plan is a change in format, not a stated end to the business. Nom Nom Stop’s owners described a shift away from a fixed retail location and toward a small fleet that can serve customers at different sites. That distinction matters: the storefront’s future and the company’s future are not the same question.
The announcement does not settle every practical detail. It gives no exact closing date, truck schedule, menu prices, or confirmed list of locations beyond one possible stop. Nor does it establish whether the three trucks would begin service at once. Those points should be treated as open until the owners provide updates.
The report identifies the storefront’s last planned period as extending through the end of the year, but it does not name the calendar year. Readers should not assume that the store remains open now, or that the trucks are already operating on a particular schedule. For current hours and locations, the owners have directed customers to the business’s Facebook updates.
What Is Nom Nom Stop?
Nom Nom Stop is a five-year-old, Lacey-based food business whose owners are Tiberio Serbanescu and Ada Gheorghiu. It is known for sweets, including cheesecake on a stick, and also offers savory food. The company has operated from a storefront at 1107 College St. SE, a location the owners decided not to lease beyond the current agreement described in their announcement.
That mix of products is central to understanding the move. Cheesecake on a stick is a portable dessert; loaded hot dogs and Romanian-style skinless sausages can be served as quick meals; coffee and specialty drinks can draw a separate stream of customers. The owners’ plan divides those offerings between trucks rather than trying to fit every product into a single vehicle. Whether the eventual menus and schedules follow that plan exactly has not been reported.
The business’s name and its best-known dessert may suggest a sweets-only shop. That is no longer a complete description of the operation the owners outlined. Two trucks are expected to carry both sweet and savory items, while the third is intended for coffee and drinks. It is a broader menu than a dessert counter, though the owners have not published a full truck-by-truck menu in the information available.
I read the announcement as a business-format decision, not evidence that customers have stopped coming. Gheorghiu said the trucks bring in more revenue than the store. That is a clear explanation from an owner, but it is not a public financial statement: no sales totals, time period, profit figures, or comparison of operating costs were given. Revenue alone also does not say how much money remains after ingredients, labor, fuel, maintenance, permits, and other expenses.
That distinction deserves a little skepticism. A business can sell more from one channel while still weighing whether that channel is more profitable after expenses. The owners specifically cited lower overhead as a goal, including rent and utilities, and the reported revenue comparison helps explain their decision. But outsiders cannot calculate the expected savings from the details announced so far.
Core Details and Business Context
The owners’ stated plan has three main parts: end the College Street lease, operate three trucks, and reduce fixed expenses. Those are connected decisions. A storefront gives a business one regular address, but it also means paying for a space and its utilities whether the customer flow is strong every hour or not. A truck can bring the business to different sites, although it has its own costs and operating constraints.
Here is what the owners have said:
- The storefront: Nom Nom Stop is at 1107 College St. SE in Lacey. The owners decided not to renew its lease and said they would remain there through the end of the year at the time of the announcement.
- Two food trucks: These are planned to serve sweet and savory products. Examples named by the owners include cheesecake on a stick, loaded hot dogs, and Romanian-style skinless sausages.
- One drinks truck: Serbanescu said the third truck would serve espresso, coffee, and specialty drinks.
- A possible site: The Lacey Depot at 5500 Pacific Ave. SE was one possible location. The owners had not determined other sites.
- The business rationale: Gheorghiu said the food trucks bring in more revenue than the store. She and Serbanescu also pointed to rent and utilities as overhead they want to reduce.
Frankly, the phrase “more revenue” should not be stretched into a claim that the trucks are more profitable. Revenue is money coming in before expenses. Profit depends on what remains after costs, and the announcement does not provide enough data to compare either channel’s margins. The owners may have a detailed internal accounting; the public has not been given those numbers.
A mobile setup also changes what customers need to know. Instead of relying on one address and regular shop hours, customers may need to check where the trucks are parked and when they are serving. For the business, each stop must make sense in terms of customer access, operating costs, and the ability to serve food safely and consistently. Those are practical questions, not proof of trouble or success.
Food businesses also have to keep track of licensing and food-safety obligations. Washington’s Department of Revenue provides guidance on applying for a business license, and the state Department of Health publishes food-safety information. Those pages are useful reference points, not evidence about Nom Nom Stop’s own permits or compliance. The owners have not described their licensing arrangements in the announcement.
The City of Lacey’s official website is another sensible place to check for current city information as mobile locations are confirmed. The owners have not said that every prospective stop is approved, and the Lacey Depot was described as a possibility rather than a final schedule. Treating a possible location as a guaranteed one would get ahead of the facts.
Timeline: From Storefront to Mobile Plan
- Nom Nom Stop builds a local business. The owners described the company as five years old. The information announced does not lay out its full business history or establish when it first began operating from the College Street address.
- The owners compare the store with the trucks. Gheorghiu said food trucks bring in more revenue than the storefront. The comparison is the clearest explanation offered for the change, but no underlying sales figures or measurement period were provided.
- The lease decision is made. Serbanescu and Gheorghiu decided not to renew the lease for 1107 College St. SE. Their announcement did not include the lease’s expiration date or describe negotiations with the property owner.
- The owners set an intended transition period. They said the business would remain at the storefront through the end of the year, then go mobile. The report does not identify which calendar year that phrase refers to, so the current status and exact timing cannot be safely inferred from it.
- They outline a three-truck operation. Serbanescu said two trucks would serve sweet and savory foods and a third would offer coffee and specialty drinks. The announcement did not provide launch dates, vehicle details, staffing plans, or a complete menu.
- They identify one possible place to serve. The Lacey Depot, at 5500 Pacific Ave. SE, was mentioned as a potential location because it already has a collection of food trucks. Other locations remained undecided.
When I separate what happened from what remains uncertain, the sequence is straightforward: the owners chose not to renew the lease, explained their cost and revenue reasoning, and outlined a mobile plan. What is not yet clear is the operational calendar. A plan to switch formats is not itself a published schedule, and a named possible stop is not confirmation that a truck will be there on a specific day.
That gap matters for customers who may be trying to plan a visit. A business can announce its direction before it has settled every location, permit, staffing, or service detail. There is nothing unusual about planning in stages, but the distinction between an intention and a confirmed operating arrangement should stay visible in coverage of the change.
Comparison: Storefront Model vs. Food-Truck Model
No outside competitor was named in the announcement, and no rival’s sales or operating costs were supplied. Rather than invent a competitor, the useful comparison is between Nom Nom Stop’s existing storefront format and the food-truck format its owners plan to use. This compares the two business models, not their financial results.
| Factor | College Street storefront | Planned food-truck operation |
|---|
| Main setup | Fixed location at 1107 College St. SE | Three trucks, according to Serbanescu |
| Product mix reported | Sweets and savory food | Two trucks for sweet and savory items; one for coffee and specialty drinks |
| Location | One known address | Lacey Depot named as a possible stop; other sites undecided |
| Costs identified by owners | Rent and utilities are part of the overhead they want to reduce | The owners expect the move to reduce some overhead; truck expenses were not itemized |
| Revenue information | Gheorghiu said truck revenue is higher than store revenue | No sales totals, time period, or profit comparison provided |
| Customer planning | Customers can refer to the storefront address, subject to its hours | Customers will need reliable location and schedule updates once service is mobile |
The storefront’s strongest practical feature is certainty of address: a customer knows where the shop is, even if current hours still need checking. Its obvious drawback, as the owners see it, is the fixed cost of maintaining a rented space. A truck offers a different kind of flexibility, but mobility does not make expenses disappear. Vehicles require upkeep and fuel, and the business must make each service location work.
Here’s the kicker: the reported revenue comparison supports the owners’ reasoning, but it does not answer every financial question. A truck can bring in more sales and still carry significant expenses. The owners’ own mention of rent and utilities indicates that reducing fixed overhead is part of the calculation, but no detailed forecast has been made public.
The comparison is therefore about trade-offs, not a verdict that one model always wins. A store can support predictable customer habits; a truck can reach customers in more than one place. Which works better depends on site access, demand, costs, and execution. For Nom Nom Stop, the owners have said their experience with the trucks is leading them toward that model. The rest of the numbers have not been reported.
Common Misconceptions and What to Know
Misconception: Nom Nom Stop is simply closing. The owners said they planned not to renew the storefront lease and to shift the business to food trucks. That is a departure from one location, not an announced shutdown of the company. The distinction is important for workers, customers, and anyone following the business’s prospects.
Misconception: The trucks are guaranteed to operate at the Lacey Depot. They are not, based on the announcement. Serbanescu named the Depot as one possible site, while other locations were still undecided. A possible venue should not be presented as a confirmed daily stop, permanent base, or opening-day location without a later update.
Misconception: Higher truck revenue proves higher profit. It does not. Gheorghiu said the trucks bring in more revenue than the store, but the owners did not publish sales figures or expenses. Revenue is a useful clue about customer demand; it is not a substitute for a profit-and-loss statement.
Misconception: Three trucks means three complete menus available everywhere. The plan assigns two vehicles to sweet and savory food and one to drinks. It does not say that all items will be available at every location or every service period. Truck schedules, stock, and final menus have not been published in the details reported.
Misconception: The schedule can be inferred from “the end of the year.” The announcement’s timing does not specify a calendar year. Without that anchor, readers should not convert the phrase into a current closing date. The practical answer is to check the business’s latest public updates before visiting.
The truth is, short business announcements often leave out the details customers care about most: hours, prices, service locations, and what happens on a rainy Tuesday. That does not make the owners’ decision less real; it means the public should distinguish the decision from the finer operating plan. Coverage that confidently fills those gaps would be guessing.
What the Change Could Mean for Customers
For customers, the biggest expected change is not the food itself but the way they find it. A storefront provides a stable address. A mobile business can appear in more than one place, but only if customers know where and when it will be serving. Nom Nom Stop’s owners named Facebook as the channel for updates, making those posts important for practical details as the transition develops.
The planned menu gives the business several ways to serve people: dessert, savory food, and specialty drinks. That could make the trucks relevant at different kinds of stops, but no event bookings, regular routes, or opening hours were announced. It would be premature to claim that the business will attend particular markets or festivals. The owners have not said so.
Customers who value a specific item may want to look for menu information before travelling. The announcement names cheesecake on a stick, loaded hot dogs, Romanian-style skinless sausages, espresso, coffee, and specialty drinks. It does not establish exact recipes, prices, serving sizes, dietary information, or which truck will carry every item. A published menu would settle those questions better than assumption.
A mobile format can also change how repeat customers build a habit. With one shop, people can remember an address; with trucks, regulars may need to follow a schedule or check a location post. That can be inconvenient if updates are sparse. It can also give the owners room to test sites and meet customers where they gather. Whether the trade is worthwhile depends on reliable communication as much as the menu.
Let’s be real: a business that moves to trucks has to earn trust one stop at a time. Clear updates, accurate hours, and honest notice when a location changes are part of the service, not decoration. The dignity of work includes making the operation sustainable for the people doing it, while stewardship of customer time means not sending them toward an unconfirmed address.
The owners have not announced what will happen to the storefront after their lease ends, beyond their decision not to renew it. Nor have they shared staffing or employment details related to the transition. Those are meaningful questions, but there is no responsible way to answer them without an update from the business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will Nom Nom Stop’s food trucks be located?
The owners named the Lacey Depot, at 5500 Pacific Ave. SE, as one possible location. They said other sites were still to be determined. That is not a confirmed route or schedule. Customers should check the business’s Facebook updates for current locations and service times rather than assume the Depot will be a regular stop.
When will the College Street storefront close?
At the time of the announcement, the owners said they would remain at 1107 College St. SE through the end of the year and would not renew the lease. The calendar year and exact final operating date were not identified in the information reported. Current store status should be checked directly with Nom Nom Stop before making a trip.
What will Nom Nom Stop sell from its trucks?
Serbanescu said two trucks would serve sweet and savory items, including cheesecake on a stick, loaded hot dogs, and Romanian-style skinless sausages. A third truck was planned for espresso, coffee, and specialty drinks. The owners did not publish a complete menu or say whether every item would be offered at every stop.
Why are the owners moving from a storefront to food trucks?
Gheorghiu said the trucks bring in more revenue than the store. The owners also want to reduce overhead costs such as rent and utilities. They have not released sales figures or a detailed comparison of truck and storefront expenses, so the public cannot calculate how the change affects profit.
A mobile plan succeeds only when the practical pieces line up: a viable location, a menu that can be served well, clear customer updates, and costs the business can carry. The announcement gives a direction and a reason, not every operational answer. For readers, the sensible position is neither to dismiss the plan nor to treat it as a finished schedule. Wait for confirmed updates, and separate the owners’ stated aims from results that have not yet been reported.
Nom Nom Stop’s move is a small-business decision with a clear logic: the owners say their trucks generate more revenue than the storefront, and they want to cut fixed costs tied to rent and utilities. They are not abandoning the food business in the plan they described. They are changing where and how it operates, with two trucks for food and one for drinks.
But good reporting should stop where the known facts stop. The announcement does not provide sales totals, profit margins, final truck routes, launch dates, or a dated storefront closing notice. The Lacey Depot is a possible stop, not a confirmed one. Those details are not minor if a customer is planning a visit; they are the difference between a useful update and a guess.
For the owners, the next test is execution: keeping service consistent while moving between locations, communicating clearly, and making sure the new format supports a durable livelihood. For customers, the next step is simpler: check current updates before setting out. A business earns loyalty through good food, but reliable information matters too. When the trucks’ schedules and locations are confirmed, the public will have a firmer basis for judging whether the change works as intended.