BENNINGTON — There’s a new food truck in town, colorfully decorated and operated by Pattie Maguire, the former owner of Maguire’s Market on South Street.

The Flying Food Truck will be parked weekdays for lunch through the rest of the season at 160 Benmont Ave. The truck has been in operation for a little over a week, and while there are still kinks to be ironed out, Maguire said business has been good.

The main attraction at the new mobile eatery, as emblazoned along the truck’s sides, is its 100 percent grass-fed beef burgers, which Maguire said have been received much better than she anticipated.

“I happen to enjoy grass-fed burgers myself,” she said. “And why not, I think there’s a market for it. And customers have been telling me there’s a market for it.”

Many locals got their first taste when the truck was parked downtown during last week’s Midnight Madness, and Maguire also plans to be in North Bennington this weekend for the Lake Paran Bluegrass Festival. On Monday, Maguire received a call asking whether the flying truck could cater an upcoming rehearsal dinner in August. (The answer was yes.)

Maguire has already changed vendors due to not being able to keep up with demand pressing patties one-by-one. The beef, grass-fed and organic, now comes from Tilldale Farms in Hoosick, N.Y.

“To be honest, I thought it’d be a little niche. I didn’t think it’d take off,” said Maguire. But it did. “I just ordered 50 pounds of meat yesterday. You don’t order 50 pounds if you’re not going to sell it,” she said.

Maguire sold her South Street convenience store in 2007, but had recently begun to yearn to get back in business. It had to be flexible work, as Maguire currently helps to care for her mother with Alzheimer’s.

The truck was purchased this past May in Connecticut, fully prepared for curbside cooking. Previously white with a fat cat logo and the name “Big Al’s,” the truck’s current design was created and completed by Kim Wassick and Dan Turcotte.

Maguire received permission to park at the Benmont Mill Properties by owner Jon Goodrich, a good friend who had previously urged Maguire to get into the restaurant business.

The flying truck features a slate of additional offerings besides burgers, including hot dogs, sandwiches, and sides, but the menu will continue to change based on demand and customer suggestion.

Maguire said she knew and got along well with other local summertime vendors, including Jim Carroll, who operates Jimmy Joe’s Curbside Grill on Main Street, and Neil Schulman, of Hound Dogs, a food cart seen in Bennington from time to time but primarily operating in Manchester.

An additional Indian food truck, Namaste Foods, is also parked through the summer three days a week on Northside Drive, operated by Ashoke Ghosh since 2008. But Bennington, it would appear, is large enough for them all.

With each catering to their own niche and clientele, Maguire said she expected to co-habilitate peacefully with the other vendors in town. “(Jim Carroll) has his own clientele, (and) the busiest route,” said Maguire. Adjacent to the mill and numerous offices and establishments on Benmont, the flying truck has a pretty nice situation as well.

The current hours for the Flying Food Truck are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. Maguire said expanded hours are on the horizon.

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