Trail Break, a Mexican restaurant previously located in White River Junction, Vt., will open its new location in Quechee, Vt., for its first full season in mid-May, according to Trail Break owner Topher Lyons. The previous physical location closed in December 2023, after its lease expired, although the restaurant continued to run its taco trucks and catering services and opened the Quechee location for a partial season in July 2024.
Employees said that the new space had a great energy and was better suited to their catering services.
“There’s always bright colors, fun music, entertaining visuals on the TVs and a good energy about the place that our loyal fan base appreciates,” Lyons wrote. “A lot of guests told us that the new place feels even more like Trail Break than the old place.”
Trail Break restaurant and catering manager Sabrina Siegel said the new location’s road access will “definitely [make] catering easier” by allowing staff to pack and unload food trucks more easily. She added that the new location “embodies the heart of Trail Break.”
“We look forward to seeing new faces and returning faces as well,” Siegel said.
The restaurant will continue to offer catering services after the new physical location opens. Lyons wrote that Trail Break has “54 [catering events] already on the books.” Fourty to 45 percent of the current revenue comes from the restaurant’s catering services, Lyons added.
The new location will have a dedicated prep station that will allow staff members to prepare catering while running the restaurant, Lyons wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
Long-time Trail Break employee Genevieve Amarante said she believes the new location is “perfect” and “such a good fit” because the building is separate from other businesses and allows the restaurant to “be expressive.”
“Having our own building that’s not beneath a bunch of apartments or connected to other businesses … is really special and really unique for this new spot because Trail Break has such a unique vibe to it,” Amarante said. “It just works out better that we have our own building with our own fun colors painted on it and that it stands out on its own, and then we have more freedom to be expressive in that way.”
Amarante added that she recommends students study with friends on the second floor, which contains couches and tables.
Alejo Ortegon, a student from Colombia who is employed by Trail Break, said working at Trail Break is like “an adventure” because he can learn about new cultures through catering events.
“It’s a new culture for me, and it’s awesome that the weddings are really big, and I had the opportunity to share with those people that celebrate the wedding,” Ortegon said.
Local resident Tricia Stott said she thinks Trail Break has a “creative, lively space” with “a fun upbeat energy” that is hard to find elsewhere in the area.
“The energy is a perfect combination of West Coast vibe and East Coast personality,” Stott said.
Correction appended (April 21, 8:29 p.m.): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the White River Junction location closed on Nov. 21, 2024. It closed in December 2023. The article and deck have been corrected. The article and deck have also been updated to include additional information about the timeline of the opening of the Quechee location.
