Charlie and Mariela Moore will be cooking up burgers and fries, onion rings and Italian sausages all summer inside the Chuck Wagon, an expansion to Charlie’s Olde Tyme Creamery at the fork of Route 202 and Sharon Road in Peterborough.

On a recent Thursday, multiple customers finished up burgers and walked over to compliment Charlie Moore on the food, then walked across the parking lot to buy an ice cream. Children played on the grass in front of the ice cream stand, and others walked behind the picnic tables along the rocks at the back of the property abutting the river. 

The Chuck Wagon is a new structure further back on the property. It’s a mobile unit redesigned as a commercial kitchen. Moore said they have three fryolators, a grill and a 16-foot hood in the compact space. Customers place orders and pay at a window on the side. 

The ice cream stand is starting its 12th season. Moore said he had been planning this expansion for three or four years and they got approval from the town at the end of last summer. 

The Chuck Wagon opened May 18, and is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. So far, Moore reported a steady number of customers at lunch and dinner times and great community feedback. 

At the Chuck Wagon, people can get a burger for $6.50, a cheeseburger for $7.50 and small French fries for $4. It was important for Moore to make it affordable.

“People say my prices are too low,” he said, “Maybe they’ll come back more.”

On the menu, a white dot will designate a regular burger, a blue dot is a cheeseburger and a black diamond is a bacon cheeseburger. Moore said he loves hiking and thought bringing the trail system to the menu would be appropriate for the region.

He plans to rotate in special menu items like spaghetti and meatballs, fish and chips and A Taste of Louisiana as the season progresses.

Moore said they may stay open as late as October, but no later than that. During the offseason, he responds to natural disasters with his nonprofit organization, Acts 20:35, and team of volunteers. They help repair houses and roofs in places hit by hurricanes and tornadoes. Last year, they worked in Georgia, Florida and Kentucky.

“We go back to Louisiana all the time,” said Moore, who cooks for the people impacted by the disasters and all the volunteers. “When we’re not here, that’s where we go.”

Moore has further plans to expand the business in the future, including setting up a farmers market in front of the ice cream stand and potentially putting in a few rental log cabins at the back of the property, but this year he’s excited to bring a new dining option to town.

Looking out at children playing in the grass in front of the ice cream stand, Moore reminisced that he has fond memories of his father bringing him to get ice cream in Pepperell, Mass. 

“I know these kids are going to remember this forever,” he said.

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