East Falmouth father and son team Bill and Nason Swain of The Barking Claw may be new to the food stand business, but they're no strangers to good food.
“Yeah, we eat,” says Bill. “We've been eating since we were born.”
Combining traditional favorites like hot dogs and sausage-and-peppers with less common roadside fare, and throwing in a healthy dose of their own friendly personalities, the Swains display their obvious love of food with an attention to detail not offered in some sit-down restaurants.
“This is a restaurant to the people,” Bill says. “We're bringing it to the people.”
The menu includes sandwiches made from cacoila, the delicious Portuguese pulled pork, plus lobster rolls made according to the traditional Maine recipe (melted butter instead of mayo).
“Maine knows how to harvest, and produce, and to make good lobster rolls,” Bill says.
Local ingredients play an important part in The Barking Claw's approach. Dogs are available with the sharp and satisfying snap of Singe-Sations hot sauce, sold every Thursday at the Falmouth Farmers' Market. And the lobster rolls use organic lettuce straight from Bill's wife's garden.
Most afternoons, The Barking Claw can be found outside Grumpy's Pub, on Locust Street. On Tuesdays, the Swains take the show on the road, dishing out delicious meals to the patrons of the Art Market in Town Hall Square. They're looking to further increase their already growing following by offering food at Pop Warner games this fall, and possibly expanding their hours of operation.
All that may well spell success. One thing it already means is a lot of hard work, with ordering, bookkeeping, cleaning, and, of course, cooking, occupying most of any given day.
“There are a lot of hours that you don't see,” Bill says. “For every four hours, there's probably four behind the scenes.”
The work is important, as the Swains seek to build their customer base through two main factors: delicious food (check), and reliability.
“I like to be consistent,” Bill says. “We want to be consistent.”
The Barking Claw is off to a good start.