An Interview with Zack Robertson of Good ‘Dilla
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One thing we love to see here in Spokane is new restaurants! Spokane’s food culture has been growing almost as fast as its population, bringing new flavors and new ways to try excellent cuisine.
One of those delicious newcomers? Good Dilla – a food truck featuring, you probably guessed it, quesadillas! Below, we interview the man behind Good Dilla about what brought him to Spokane, why he started Good Dilla, and what makes Good Dilla unique!
An Interview with Zack Robertson of Good Dilla
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I grew up in Bowling Green, KY and went to the United States Naval Academy for college, where I met my wife, Kathryn. She was a Naval Flight Officer for seven and a half years, and I was a Marine Corps logistics officer for five years.
We were stationed in Hawaii for several years (it was amazing), and after several deployments between the two of us, I got out and she was sent to Washington, DC. I tried corporate work for a few months, taught remedial math for a semester, then fell in love with the hospitality world – first as a bartender for one of my tutoring student’s parents’ bar, then as the managing partner of a Japanese maki hand roll food truck.
Kathryn transitioned out of the Navy in 2016 and we took off to travel the world before deciding what to do next. I had both a cousin and some friends from the Naval Academy in Spokane, so when we visited them they busted out all the stops!
We moved here in July 2018, and fell more in love with each new season. I completed a total renovation on our house, took our back cottage down to the studs and made it an Airbnb, tutored a lot of math, tried my hand at financial advising, and decided to finally go for another food truck when we found out we were having our first baby in July 2021!
We had our first market on 18 May 2021 and have loved the market and food scene here in Spokane, We are stoked for more to come!
What sparked your interest in starting Good Dilla?
I have always loved eating and drinking, and fell in love with the food truck world with my first one in Washington, DC. Opening another truck was something that was always for later, and I would frequently think about it while on trail runs. I realized I shouldn’t wait for the thing I really wanted to do in life, and knew I wanted to be a good example for our child, when we learned we were having our first baby.
What makes Good Dilla special or unique?
Our tent is the most colorful I have seen in town (and only Teas Co. can top us for the trucks and trailers! (they are great, by the way!)), which is one of the few non-biased things I can say. My goal is to make people’s day brighter, whether by making them smile just by being nice, or providing them a tasty drink or meal.
I strive to put out great tasting food and the response has been positive, so that’s nice! I also think I’m the only place that puts a smiley face on cheese quesadillas, but that is still in testing and I have only done it a few times. 🙂
What’s one thing people should know about your business that they typically don’t?
The only thing I can think of is how much work goes into it all – we may be serving for four hours, but there is at least that much more time to prepare, setup, tear down, clean, and supply our operation. I drive 35 minutes one way to get my pasture raised steak from Lone Crow Ranch in Chattaroy.
I am not complaining, I chose to do this, and our customers have been great. It is also really hot on that grill! We get used to it to some degree, but when we step out of the tent, even when it is 95 out, it is so nice!
Note: It’s more important than ever to be kind to our hospitality workers! A lot of work goes in behind the scenes to bring us our tasty food, especially when it’s made and sourced locally! Special thanks to Zack for being honest about the work that goes into running a business here!
If you want to learn more about supporting our local hospitality industry, check out Trending Spokane’s interview with Chris Deitz of Big Table – Spokane!
What is one thing you love about Spokane?
The trails! We love living so close to such great trails, and they often go around lakes, and that is my not-so-sneaky way of saying we also love the beautiful lakes in the area. And of course the great food and drink! I’ll stop at three/four things I love about Spokane.
Love hiking in Spokane? Check out our article on hiking around Spokane, which offers options for the whole family!
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you/your business? How can people find you and get in touch?
We would love to cook for you, and we love to party/cater! I post our schedule each week on Instagram @gooddillafood and on Facebook @gooddillafood. My website is not published yet, but it is gooddilla.com.
Thank you to Zack for sharing all about Good Dilla – and we can attest, Good Dilla is delicious! Keep your eye on Good Dilla’s Instagram and Facebook pages to see where they are next!
