Andrew Greenwood never set out to be a chef. But when you are raising chickens and know how to make some mighty good chicken plates, it starts to feel like destiny’s calling. Greenwood’s red and white chicken truck has been a familiar sight on the side of Little Compton’s West Main Road since the spring of 2023. The mobile restaurant on Greenwood Pastures farm, just a bit past Sakonnet Vineyard, wasn’t part of his master plan by any stretch. But here we are.
“I was raising chickens and my aspiration was to be a farmer, and I was trying to figure out a way to make it more profitable, so I figured frying them and serving them in sandwiches would be the best way to do that,” says Greenwood. While farm-to-table is one of the most widely adopted culinary movements, Greenwood’s operation goes a step further. It’s more like pasture-to-plate, with some support. He also sources chicken from Baffoni’s Poultry Farm in Johnston, a little over half an hour away. The 80-acre Baffoni’s has coops that house roughly 25,000 chickens (and 1,200 turkeys). “So it’s all in-state,” adds Greenwood.
Cooking has come naturally to Greenwood, who says he started off laser-focused on farming but has reveled in this new-found passion. “It’s grown on me and I’ve developed a love for it,” he says. Though the Greenwood Chicken truck is on wheels, the vehicle makes its permanent home here, accompanied by a few picnic tables inviting diners to stay for lunch. The truck is open daily, year-round, from 11am to 3pm.
The menu favors quality over quantity; there are just five items, but selections satisfy most carnivorous cravings. The “Greenwood Style Lunch” is a breaded fried chicken sandwich topped with greens, tomato, shredded cheese, and Greenwood’s special sauce, served with fries. There’s the gluten-free “Employee Lunch” of chopped chicken tenders on greens with pico de gallo salsa and the secret sauce, a chicken taco (also available gluten-free), a fried chicken sandwich (similar to Greenwood-style but with just cheese, pickles and sauce), a chicken salad sandwich, and a basic chicken and fries plate.
“I was going for a focused menu that was really good that people would want to come back for,” explains Greenwood. The truck is also a welcome addition for full-time and summer residents alike who are just looking for easy take-out (made even easier with mobile ordering) or a no-frills sit-down meal. “The thing about Little Compton is there aren’t a lot of restaurants or places to eat in town, so I think that’s partly what helped my early success,” explains Greenwood. “A mix of everybody comes by; local workers, townspeople, obviously the summer people, and people who live here year-round as well.”
A nice complement to the truck is the adjacent self-serve honor stand that stocks eggs and frozen meats, including pork and whole chicken. “And we do honey in the summer from hives on the farm, and my wife makes a few jams and jellies, and granolas,” says Greenwood. “It’s nice to have something for people to grab and go.” Greenwood Chicken Truck, 361 West Main Road, Little Compton. Learn more and follow along for special events on Instagram at @greenwoodchicken.
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