All Belgium on Thursday hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new space at Livingstone Lane, Wilkes-Barre. From left: Alex Piehl, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber; Madison Kaminski, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber; Stan Mirin, Wilkes-Barre City Council; Vincent J. Sperduto, Sen. Marty Flynn’s Office; Toon De Schepper (Owner); Billy Berry (Owner); Wilkes-Barre City Mayor George Brown; Matthew Bickert, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber; and Lindsay Griffin-Boylan, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber.
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All Belgium on Thursday hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new space at Livingstone Lane, Wilkes-Barre. From left: Alex Piehl, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber; Madison Kaminski, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber; Stan Mirin, Wilkes-Barre City Council; Vincent J. Sperduto, Sen. Marty Flynn’s Office; Toon De Schepper (Owner); Billy Berry (Owner); Wilkes-Barre City Mayor George Brown; Matthew Bickert, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber; and Lindsay Griffin-Boylan, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber.
Submitted Photo
WILKES-BARRE — All Belgium Waffles on Thursday hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new space at Livingstone Lane, Wilkes-Barre.
All Belgium was a recipient of funding through the Spark Wilkes-Barre grant program. The Spark program is now closed.
All Belgium was started by Billy Berry and Toon De Schepper who met when they attended Wilkes University. When Toon, a Belgian native, came to America, he said he missed the taste of a true Belgian waffle. He said he was tricked countless times by restaurants offering Belgian waffles on their menu — however, when his plate arrived, he said they looked and tasted nothing like the real deal. Toon felt someone had to do something about this.
In 2021, he pitched the idea to his roommate, Billy, who jumped on board. The famous red All Belgium waffle truck was born. After catering to countless schools and businesses across the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area, it was time for the next step — a bigger truck in Chicago, IL.
For a while now, Toon and Billy said they wanted more, including expanding their menu, jumping on delivery platforms, and introducing online shipping. For that, they needed a physical location. But where?
With a footprint in Wilkes-Barre and Chicago, a decision had to be made. There were ultimately two factors that made Wilkes-Barre their final decision. First and foremost was the fact that this is where it all started. Secondly, the Spark program helped them start and bought them time so that they could make sure the launch of the store was done right instead of rushing into it.
All Belgium has since expanded its menu to different types of waffles, ice cream, and coffee. They are now also available on all major delivery platforms, offer nationwide shipping, and even launched their own delivery system for college dorms without any up-charge or fees. Their food trucks are also still available.
You can find out more about All Belgium at https://allbelgiumwaffles.com/