BY LANDI RUTLEDGE
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Dickie Johnson and Dylan Weaver are best friends and co-owners of Turn & Burn, an elevated street food truck that soft launched January 2025.
After high school, they said they worked together at Jim Bob’s where they got their start in the food business.
Having a life-long desire to open up a restaurant or food truck, Johnson said the opportunity, along with the name, came quicker than he and Weaver imagined.
“[The name] came from our wives hanging out and one of them said the name, Turn & Burn, and it kind of stuck,” Johnson said. “In the restaurant business that means turning tables fast, cooking food fast and getting guests in and out as quick as possible. So, that’s what we try to exemplify with our food truck, having super low wait times but really high quality, premium food.”
Johnson and Weaver were both born and raised in Opelika and said why this community was the best location to open their food truck.
“We are from this area; we are very grateful for this Opelika community,” Weaver said. “I think Opelika has always been home to me and Dickie, and we’re grateful for what this community has given us. So, it just made sense, when the opportunity arose, for me to come on aboard.”
Appreciative of the love and support from the local community, Weaver said it has been amazing to see the growth of their business.
“In the few months that I’ve been on board with Dickie, the business has already grown at a rate and speed that I didn’t think it would,” Weaver said. “The truck was just doing special events and now we go to Auburn University Monday through Thursday.”
Turn & Burn also travels to Auburn University’s aviation building on Fridays. While they still do special events, they said they are working on incorporating catering and box lunch orders into their services.
“The sky’s the limit and the options are endless; we really want to do it all,” Weaver said. “We’re working hard together and trying to take this thing all the way, as far as it can go.”
The co-owners said what sets them apart from competing food trucks is their use of locally-source food.
“We are elevated fusion street food, and we try to locally source everything that we can,” Johnson said. “Everything is made in-house from scratch, which takes longer. I feel like people are able to taste, see and feel the difference because we put our heart into it. We love, love, love serving people and being able to see people come back to us.”
Turn & Burn gets all its meat from Auburn University Lambert-Powell meats laboratory, while its produce comes from Extreme Green Farms which focuses on hydroponic farming.
The side of the food truck displays the Turn and Buro motto, “God-given, chef-driven, locally-sourced.”
“First of all, it says ‘God-given’ and that’s something that is near and dear to both Dickie and I,” Weaver said. “Then ‘chef-driven,’ we choose to buy fresh and go all over town to purchase things, it creates more leg work on us, but the feedback and the reviews shows that extra work we’re putting in is making a difference. And then the last thing, ‘locally-sourced’ is not only buying locally because of the quality but also, we want to help others out as well.”
In terms of menu items, the Triple Threat burger is a best seller while the Spicy Harissa tacos are underrated according to the owners.
Johnson and Weaver said they are currently working on adding a seasonal wrap to the menu, as well as incorporating a weekly or a two-week special.
“We want to offer food that has eye appeal and that people can buy and eat while walking or attending an event, while at the same time, we want it to be set apart from any old burger,” Weaver said.
When not at work, Weaver said he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids and going to their extracurriculars. He said he also plays in a local cover band called Truck Dog.
Johnson also said he enjoys hanging out with his wife as well as hunting, fishing and listening to audiobooks. When the weather is warmer, he said he likes to play golf and walk.
Johnson said his favorite part about owning a business is the freedom; while the most challenging is the learning process.
“It’s not complete freedom, but you have more freedom than a nine-to-five structure,” Johnson said. “The biggest challenge is that we’re polar opposites so we’re constantly learning each other — in a good way — strengthening our relationship. [Weaver] has really opened my eyes to view things through a different perspective and not be selfish with my own.”
The biggest challenge according to Weaver is understanding the level of responsibility that comes with owning a business.
“The success or failure of your business is 1,000% on your shoulders. If you make it or don’t, it’s up to your hard work, your business acumen and what you put into it,” Weaver said. “If this thing were to tank, we’d really have nothing to blame but ourselves, so that is both invigorating and daunting all at the same time.”
Johnson stressed the importance of creating a structure and system in terms of being successful within a small business.
And in five years, Johnson and Weaver said they hope to be even more successful.
“Hopefully, we’re everywhere,” Weaver said. “It’d be great if we had two or three trucks, I don’t know if we ever want to go the route of having a restaurant brick and mortar building. I don’t know if that’s something in the cards but one thing I think, is that we’re really good for each other. I hope it’s something that my kids can grow up and come aboard, and I would love it if we began catering several events throughout the year.”
Johnson added that he sees a market for elevated fusion food and said he has confidence in the business’s direction.
“I have a vision and I think that we’re jumping on it right when we need to jump on it, and we’re trying to get out there and get it known,” Johnson said. “It’s going to take a couple of events to get our name out there, get some good feedback and word of mouth. We’re trusting the process and doing what we’re supposed to be doing. We’re grinding away, nobody is handing us anything. Our nose is down, and we’re just hustling.”
