Bark and the Bite food truck opens a brick-and-mortar counter Friday

It wasn't in the original plans, but by stroke of luck and adventurous spirit, Bark and the Bite food truck owners Toph Heubach and Noah Miller found themselves opening a new brick-and-mortar location, which will debut on Friday.

The venue is not one they had searched for — the new spot is a small takeout counter at Sunny's Market (2207 University Av. NE., Mpls.). But after Heubach discovered a month ago that his neighborhood store was searching for a new tenant, everything just felt right. One "whirlwind" month later, they're eyeing expansion.

"It feels very 'barbecue,' " Heubach said. "It's very much one of those delis inside of a convenience store, just like a counter. Most people probably expect gyros and burgers at a place like that, so it's a little different. It's definitely not what we were planning, but it's been fun."

Heubach and Miller, who opened the food truck about a year ago, plan to slowly expand their original menu at Sunny's, adding among other things, beef burnt tips and smoked-and-fried chicken wings. Of course, they'll still have all of the favorites like smoked pulled pork and shredded chicken, Memphis-style ribs, scratch-made sauces and hush puppies. They'll also have maps of the Northeast neighborhood taprooms and distilleries for their guests, encouraging, as they did with the food truck at those locations, patrons to bring their food to the drinking establishments.

"Our whole thought was about what we like to do on our days off — which is eat barbecue and visit taprooms," Heubach said. "It's still just two guys doing barbecue together."

Also expanding beyond wheels: Whole Sum Kitchen, a mobile juice and smoothie bar. The company, which had its one-year anniversary in July, tweeted recently that a new brick-and-mortar location would open "soonish" at 50th Street and France Avenue S. in Edina. The truck specializes in vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free drink concoctions and also serves some health-conscious food.

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