By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Jul 13, 2023 at 12:01 PM

The biggest gathering of the best food on four wheels is almost here! For less than 48 hours get your tickets BUY ONE GET ONE! This special sale end Tuesday, July 18th at 11:59 pm. Get your tickets HERE

Everyone loves tater tots, right?

Well, mother-daughter duo of Tami and Hannah Kopplin do. In fact, they love them so much that they make and sell them for a living.

The two started the Tots on the Street food trucks in 2019, which will take part in this year’s OnMilwaukee Food Truck Fest, Saturday, July 22 at Henry Maier Festival Park.

Tami and Hannah KopplinX

“We've always loved tater tots and wanted to have a funky theme so Tots on the Street was born,” says Hannah. “Last year we expanded our business through wholesale and brought our frozen tots to stores, breweries and bars in the Milwaukee area!”

That means in addition to grabbing the tots directly from the truck at its stops around town (more on that later), you can also find them at Sendik’s, Metcalfe’s, Layton Fruit Market, West Allis Sausage and Cheese Shop, 1840 Brewing, Three Cellars, all Camp Bar locations, New Barons Brewing, MOR Bakery, Flour Girl & Flame and Riverwest Co-op, too.

According to Kopplin, both she and Tami, “are super involved in the business and you can usually find one of us at every event or baking potatoes in the kitchen.”

What type of food?

Gourmet stuffed tater tots! We hand-shred, stuff and ball all our tots!

totsX

What are the most popular menu items?

Our Wisconsin Cheese Curd Tots are definitely the fan fave, but we rotate our specials weeks and those are always a hit. Our Nashville Hot Chicken Tots have somewhat of a following.

Do you offer gegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options?

Big ole' YES! Everything we do is gluten-free: sauces, tots ... everything. We also offer vegetarian options, and a vegan option at all times with homemade sauces accommodating those options.

Where can people find Tots on the Street this summer?

We just moved into our permanent location (at) Bad Moon Saloon (4035 S. Clement Ave.)! We are open on the back patio with our OG Truck (TOTS 1) Thursday through Saturday.

Tots on the StreetX

For TOTS 2 and 3, we post our schedule weekly on our social media, but the best way to find us is through our website. We have a "find us" tab that shows where we are all summer long!

If you could park the truck anywhere for one day where would it be?

OMG, I have thought of this so many times!! I'd love to be open right in Times Square, New York City. Or Tokyo, or some super lively, big light, big energy place. We have such a blast on the truck and our food brings smiles and fun energy to the crowd. I think it would be the time of our lives!

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He can be heard weekly on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories.