Hardie Ballard, owner of Webo’s Food Truck & Catering, has partnered with his aunt and uncle, Marsha Bordeaux Corbett and William Bordeaux, owners of Nippy’s Soul Food Restaurant, to expand the capabilities of both businesses. 

The partnership brings a change of location for Nippy’s from 17th and Queen streets to 2206 Carolina Beach Road. The new location will serve as the commissary kitchen for Webo’s and provides three times the space for Nippy’s, which can now seat up to 105 guests. The new restaurant also includes private event space.

The merger will mean slight changes to both menus, as Ballard, known by many simply as “Webo,” incorporates some of Webo’s dishes onto Nippy’s menu and vice versa. Webo’s signature dishes such as oxtail and chicken and rice will now be available at Nippy’s.

Ballard is a graduate of Johnson & Whales University’s culinary program and started his first food truck 12 years ago. 

“Since I’ll be cooking for both the truck and the restaurant from this location, we’ll be taking the best of both and bringing them together,” Ballard said. 

He said he is working on starting up a lunchtime buffet that will offer a $10.99 express lunch, as well as a weekend seafood buffet featuring fried shrimp and fish, a shrimp boil, seafood casseroles and a variety of side dishes.

He is also working on a breakfast menu as well as a full bar set to launch by Aug. 1. 

Ballard said that his Aunt Marsha and Uncle William are still very much involved in the business, which they founded in the fall of 2018 and named after their mother, “Miss Nippy.”

As for the food truck, Ballard still plans to serve from his “home base” at Cape Fear Restaurant Equipment, 1851 Dawson St., on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or whenever the food runs out.

Ballard pointed out that while some of the vegetable dishes at Nippy’s are prepared with meat products such as pork fat, all of the vegetables served on the truck are prepared without any meat. 

The best place to follow Webo’s food truck is on Facebook, while the Webo's website is the place to go for bookings.

The full menu and ordering for NIppy's is available online.

Nippy’s Soul Food is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

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