The Wagon Social Club Opens in Mosier
This little food and beverage cart is serving up good vibes, craft mocktails, and sandwiches made from locally sourced ingredients.
It’s just another day in paradise on the patio for The Wagon Social Club. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
Mosier, OR, August 9, 2023– A few months ago Maren McGeeney, decided to take a leap of faith. After decades working in other people’s restaurants and cafe’s she decided to put her culinary and barista skills to the test by opening The Wagon Social Club.
Located at 1104 1st Ave in Mosier, OR, this hip food cart shares outdoor patio seating, with Randonée Coffee Co., a local coffee shop owned by Maren’s husband Bryan McGeeney, and sits kitty corner from several other food carts in the area.
Maren loved spending time behind the counter again.
Maren McGeeney. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
“I’ve been basically working in a restaurant since I was 14. So, you know I don’t have a formal education but I’ve been really lucky to work in a lot of amazing places that have helped me learn a lot of things,” said Maren.
Her favorite thing about food service?
“I always feel so funny saying it, but I just like taking care of people,” laughs Maren, who prides herself on providing genuine hospitality to her customers.
Now she serves craft beer, wine, incredibly glamorous mocktails, shrubs, delicous sandwiches and homemade desserts made with locally sourced ingredients.
In fact-she’s even spent time out in the orchards herself, picking peaches for their seasonal White Sangria with peaches, and sourcing locally grown heirloom tomatoes, and sweetly herbaceous basil for their extremely popular and fully vegetarian caprese sandwiches.
“The Caprese is our most popular menu item,” says Maren.
Maren’s favorite signature mocktail is sure to be a crowd pleaser from 9 to 5.
The Dolly Parton is The Wagon’s creative take on an Arnold Palmer mocktail. Made from Butterfly Pea Flower tea from Plum Deluxe PDX, fresh housemade lemonade, and garnished with edible flowers and glitter, this refreshing drink honors the Queen of Country in style.
The Dolly Parton Mocktail. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Also on the menu?
Cheers! Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Local brews and ciders from Ferment, Slopeswell, Full Sail, and Everbody’s Brewery. Local wines from Willow Wines, 15 Mile Winery, and Freetime complete with charcuterie.
And house made Mosier cherry shrub made with fruit-infused vinegar, and sparkling water. While shrubs aren’t something that’s as popular yet, Maren says they taste great and possess numerous health benefits.
“If you look back at the history of it, shrubs were the original gatorade,” says Maren, “Farm workers would drink shrubs in the fields when why were working on long hot summer days because there’s electrolytes in them, there’s probiotics, there’s a little bit of sugar and carb and vitamins and stuff and it’s is basically just this beautiful little concoction.”
While most of the menu is pretty low on sugar—
“Our mocktails are more on the dry side,” says Maren.
However there are always exceptions to every rule.
So what’s there for those with a sweet tooth?
Homemade gluten-free ice cream sammie’s made with house baked chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream, and root beer floats.
Photo Credit: Palmoma Ayala
“It sounds quite impossible, but my goal is always to have a little bit of something for everybody, I try to have gluten-free, vegan, alcoholic, and no-alcoholic options available,” said Maren.
What’s Maren’s top food pick on the menu?
“The beauty of writing your own menu is it’s probably gonna be be stuff that I eat. We’ve got this really yummy turkey sandwich with a roasted peper pesto with an asian style mayo and arugula on a baguette. It’s a nice simple sandwich,” says Maren, “I’m lactose intolerant so having a good quality sandwich that isn’t loaded with cheese for flavor is awesome.”
This incredible sandwich was one of our top picks for sure as well! The bread, sauce and fresh local produce on this sandwich is incredible! Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
“Putting the menu and cooking stuff has been a learning journey for sure, but I’ve had a lot of really good friends step in and suggest things and help me streamline things…and it’s been a lot of fun!” she added.
Maren said that she was grateful to her friends, her husband, her daughter, and the community for their support.
In the future she has plans in the works to host more live music and events at the Wagon. Maren notined that she missed Saturday night bike rides to Rack and Cloth, (before it closed) for pizza and live music with her daughter.
“We’d hang out and it was so much fun,” says Maren. “So, I want to do something like that.”
On August 15th and the 29th, The Wagon Social Club will host an all ages Bring-Your-Own-T-Shirt Tie Dye Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m. with special guest Heather Pola. For $20 guests can enjoy a mocktail and tye dye supplies.
Maren encouraged the families and friends to come out and enjoy a fun activity and some mocktails together.
The Wagon is also working to get mobile for events in the future and will be making a journey to Everybody’s Brewing Anniversary Party in White Salmon this October.
“That’s the first mobile event we have booked!” says Maren. “Which is good because that gives me enough time to pack everything into the Wagon correctly. We use real plates to be more sustainable so transitioning into something more mobile is a little bit more tricky. We’ll figure it out.”
Maren McGeeney stands in front of “The Wagon”. While it looks in stunning condition-Maren confesses it isn’t drivable at the moment, so it will have to be towed to mobile events. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
To get a taste of The Wagon Social Club, visit them Thursday through Monday from 11 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information and their most up to date menu visit: https://www.thewagonsocialclub.com/.
