Our Owner
Dragonfly Grille (hereafter referred to as Dragonfly) is a mobile concession business officially started in 2013 which caters to residents, businesses, tourists, and special events predominantly within the Tompkins and Cortland County areas. The Sole Proprietor and Grillmaster for Dragonfly is Wil Buttner from Dryden, NY and a subsidiary of Libidium Enterprises.
Our Motto
Our motto is “The Concession that Cares”. Dragonfly was formed as a mechanism to give back to the community, through action and financial contribution. As part of its expanding business model, Dragonfly donates a percentage of every sale to a local non-profit selected that week to be supported.
Our Mission
- Provide good food and excellent service at a reasonable price to our clients
- Contribute to and support local service groups and non-profit organizations.
- Be prepared to help those in need as active community members and Rotarians.
Our History
In 2010, our owner, Wil Buttner, was sitting around the house on his birthday .... rainy, dismal, family members all off and school or work, and Wil was pondering what to do to make ends meet and make himself feel better about himself. On the shelf of the office, he glanced upon a book given him a few years earlier by his wife, Cathy, entitled "What to Do with the Rest of Your Life" by Robin Ryan.
Sitting down with a cold coke (or at least it started out that way), he began reading ... and reading ... and reading. At the end of the third, more in depth reading of the book .... Wil found out owning a winery or doing something outdoors with food were his choices. Sorry folks, Wil is too familiar with friends owning wineries; loves to drink it, loves to volunteer, but would never go through the hassle of owning one. Cooking outdoors definitely caught his attention. But what to do, what to do.... the pondering began.
Sitting down with a cold coke (or at least it started out that way), he began reading ... and reading ... and reading. At the end of the third, more in depth reading of the book .... Wil found out owning a winery or doing something outdoors with food were his choices. Sorry folks, Wil is too familiar with friends owning wineries; loves to drink it, loves to volunteer, but would never go through the hassle of owning one. Cooking outdoors definitely caught his attention. But what to do, what to do.... the pondering began.
In September 2011, over 75% of the properties and a majority of homes in Owego, New York were damaged by flooding after Tropical Storm Lee made its way through. It was the second 100-year flood in 5 years for the town.
Electricity and natural gas lines were shut down, families displaced, property destroyed and a whole lot of mud and yuck.
Electricity and natural gas lines were shut down, families displaced, property destroyed and a whole lot of mud and yuck.
Wil, as an active Rotarian, spent several weeks helping out by shoveling out mud and ripping out drywall from many residences and businesses in the area. During one of his visits, working at one of the churches in the area, a couple set up a tent in the front yard, set up a tent with a few tables, and began handing out hotdogs and water to folks in need.
Later that day, Wil wandered out to greet the married couple and found out they were there on their own, providing the food out of their own financial pocket, and just being good souls.
A note was struck when this nice woman stated that "we're too old to be doing what you're doing so this is a way we can give back to our community" ..... walking away afterwards the gears started turning and Wil began formulating a plan, a concept, a direction.
Thinking back, they never gave their name or wished for recognition. These folks should becomes Rotarians if they weren't already!!!
Later that day, Wil wandered out to greet the married couple and found out they were there on their own, providing the food out of their own financial pocket, and just being good souls.
A note was struck when this nice woman stated that "we're too old to be doing what you're doing so this is a way we can give back to our community" ..... walking away afterwards the gears started turning and Wil began formulating a plan, a concept, a direction.
Thinking back, they never gave their name or wished for recognition. These folks should becomes Rotarians if they weren't already!!!
After several years of development, in 2013 Dragonfly Grille officially opened it's doors with a grille and a dream. Our very first event was held at Ithaca Self Storage in Tompkins County. Did not make much, learned a lot and started to get the feel for serving.
Later in 2013, with financial assistance from relatives, Wil was able to purchase a King Kiosk Hotdog Cart from Ben's Carts in Louisiana along with needed equipment and accessories including tent(s), cooking storage, in-house freezer, etc. to make the business more efficient and viable.
Dragonfly continued to grow in order to generate more income and increase the amount available to donate to local non-profits. Pictured here is a Rotary Event where 100+ Exchange Students and chaperons were fed at the Youth Picnic for the 2014 Rotary District 7170 Conference.
Our current setup as much as seen to the right, streamlined a bit through trial and error. A definite improvement from the original start up days. The picture comes from our 2014 4-Day stay at the Fetchgate Farms Sheep Herding Competition in Virgil, New York.
Now we're starting to look to the future of the business. To increasing our giving, to expediting our setup and breakdown times, and to allow more flexibility in our menus.
Now we're starting to look to the future of the business. To increasing our giving, to expediting our setup and breakdown times, and to allow more flexibility in our menus.
The Future
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This year, 2016, we acquired a new Benscarts Stand King mobile concession trailer. After adding in shelving and power to the trailer, it's been ready to go. The benefit of the trailer is mobile storage of products and equipment, less worry about weather and lost tents, and a reduction in our setup time from 1.5 hours to about 15 minutes (gotta love it). As soon as we get a few new decent pictures of the trailer, we'll get it out here for everybody to see.
With the acquisition of the new trailer, we have only two major items to move forward on ...... finding a cost-effective, decent location during the week to vend at and finding the best ways to advertise and market the business. A fundraising campaign is currently being developed for the latter. |
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