A bright yellow food truck is once again parked along Highway 525 in Freeland, and locals wasted no time proving they never forgot it. Bubba Flame Broiled Burger nearly sold out on its first day back and completely sold out the next, as owner Orlando Stoneham reopens the roadside stand at its original South Whidbey location after fielding what he describes as nonstop messages from customers who missed it.
The soft opening began August 29 and continued through August 30, according to a report from the South Whidbey Record. Stoneham, who also helps run Orlando's Southern Barbeque in downtown Oak Harbor, said more people showed up than he expected and that customers enjoyed the food. He told the paper there is a huge demand and a very loyal customer group in Freeland, a sentiment borne out by how quickly the truck ran through its stock in those first two days.
A Truck With Roots Back to 2013
Bubba Flame Broiled Burger isn't new to Highway 525. The mobile business first launched in Freeland back in June 2013 under founders Heather and Greg Koch, who were inspired to start the venture after watching the reality series “The Great Food Truck Race,” per the South Whidbey Record's original coverage from that year. The Kochs retired in 2021, and Stoneham inherited the truck and its recipes from them, carrying the brand forward on the same stretch of highway that has long served as South Whidbey's primary corridor connecting the Clinton ferry terminal to the rest of the island.
The truck's return became possible once the original Freeland property along Highway 525 became available again, according to the Record's reporting. For now, Bubba is serving a limited menu, a choice the paper's report says is meant to support staff training as the crew gets back up to speed. Stoneham has said the truck plans to bring back several fan favorites in time, including gyros, fish tacos, and the truck's notorious Cardiac Arrest Burger challenge.
The Return of the Cardiac Arrest Burger
That challenge burger has a history of its own. When it debuted in 2013, the Cardiac Arrest Burger featured a classic bacon burger topped with a fried egg, served between two complete grilled cheese sandwiches, according to the Record's original account of the truck's launch. Bringing it back is as much a nod to nostalgia as it is a menu decision, tying the reopened truck to the same roadside identity longtime customers remember.
Rising Beef Costs Squeeze a Simple Menu
Behind the celebratory reopening sits a tougher business reality. Stoneham has said the cost of beef is rising, and that this makes serving a burger at a set price more difficult, with the Bubba Burger and fries currently starting at $11.99. He has also attributed some of the pressure to climbing gas and water costs layered on top of the beef expense.
National figures help explain why. Average U.S. retail ground beef prices hit a record $6.90 per pound in April 2026, driven by beef cow inventories falling to 28.5 million head as of July 2026 — the lowest level recorded since 1971 — according to Farm Bureau market intelligence. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service has forecast that overall beef and veal prices would climb 9.8 percent in 2026 as federally inspected beef production dropped nearly 5 percent year-over-year in July, a trend tied to years of drought that forced ranchers to shrink their herds.
Despite those pressures, Stoneham has said Bubba makes extra effort to offer good prices and to source locally, with the truck relying on locally sourced beef even as wholesale costs climb. He's said what keeps him running the truck isn't the margins but the direct connection with customers — the conversations and smiling faces he sees at the window each day.
Local Rules and What Comes Next
Operating a mobile food business in Island County comes with its own checklist. County health rules require mobile food establishments to hold a valid operating permit and use an approved commercial commissary kitchen for daily food prep, equipment washing, and storage, with plan reviews and safety inspections required before a permit is issued. Nearby Oak Harbor, where Stoneham's family also runs Orlando's Southern Barbeque, imposes its own annual licensing requirements on mobile vendors operating within city limits.
Bubba Flame Broiled Burger will be open for lunch only and plans to remain in Freeland indefinitely, though the crew hasn't yet settled on whether it will run Wednesday through Saturday or Thursday through Sunday. Updated hours are being shared through the truck's Facebook page as those details get finalized.
The stakes extend beyond one truck's schedule. Whidbey and Camano Islands tourism generated $177.5 million in gross local revenue between 2004 and 2024, with accommodation and food services employing 2,356 workers across the region in 2023 — underscoring how much small food vendors like Bubba's matter to South Whidbey's economy. Freeland itself, an unincorporated community of roughly 1,550 residents that serves as the primary retail hub for South Whidbey, has plenty riding on a familiar yellow truck staying put along its busiest road.
