Take a caboose car and turn the inside into a restaurant and juice bar, and what do you get? The Juicy Caboosy, a health-conscious business that caters to people who “like really trying to watch what they’re eating” but ultimately is a place for everyone to enjoy.   

Tomeka Bryant and Ailsa von Dobeneck, co-owners of The Juicy Caboosy, wanted to open a restaurant located near the Mississippi Gulf Coast but needed something that would be able to withstand the harsh conditions along the waterfront. Because of these stipulations and their shared experience working in the rail industry, the pair elected to purchase, move, and renovate a 30,000-pound train caboose that was built in the 1940s to be the base of operations for their caboose-themed business.
    The Juicy Caboosy is unique, in that it brings a “new and fresh idea here to the coast,” Bryant says, in the form of a combined juice bar and eatery. Describing The Juicy Caboosy as a “fast-casual restaurant and juice bar,” Bryant says the goal for her and von Dobeneck’s business is to provide a space where people can “just come and hang out” along with “fresher and healthier options” to Mississippi Gulf Coast residents. Bryant added that the restaurant aims to maintain a consistent product so that “over the years, you get a juice, and it tastes like what you’re going to expect.”

    Before starting The Juicy Caboosy, Tomeka Bryant and Ailsa von Dobeneck worked together in New Orleans on the railroad and thought it would “be fun to keep on theme,” says Bryant, by retaining an element of the rail industry within their business, thus providing the inspiration for their restaurant. The pair bought the old caboose off of the internet from the city of Pattonsburg, Missouri, who, according to Bryant, were selling it because “they wanted to get it moved to put a community center in the lot it was in.”
    After procuring the caboose car on July 15, 2021, Bryant and von Dobeneck proceeded to transport it from its home in Pattonsburg to Pass Christian, Miss., with the assistance of a crane and lowboy tractor-trailer. The caboose stayed in Pass Christian until October 2022, when it moved to Long Beach, Miss., and the owners began the arduous journey of renovating the interior and exterior of the train car along with building a deck – with both stairs and an accessibility ramp – and patio to provide ample outdoor seating to patrons. The train car continues to remain solid on its foundation.

    Due to its sequestered location, many people do not know that The Juicy Caboosy sits beachfront along Mason Avenue in Long Beach, Miss. And if they do, they think it is only a juice bar. But what most individuals don’t realize is that in addition to its diverse selection of health-conscious juices and delicious cocktails, the business “is a great lunch spot, especially if you’re short on time,” Bryant says, as it has a variety of breakfast, brunch, and lunch options available. Though the inside of the caboose is small, it is more than enough space to employ a four-person staff and stock all of the items necessary to provide The Juicy Caboosy’s patrons with an assortment of great options to choose from.
    The food menu is separated into breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, harvest bowls, acai bowls, and charcuterie boards, with sides available. Drink selections include coffee, cocktails, cold-presses, smoothies, plus beer and wine. Some of the restaurant’s top-selling items are the Choo-Choo Club sandwich, the Caboose Juice cocktail, and the Green Goddess and Watermelon Strawberry cold-presses, though the cold-press flavors differ depending on the fruits in season.

“Juicing is a labor of love,” Bryant says. The operation can be expensive when not buying in bulk due to the quantity of produce required to make a drink, so it is cheaper and has the bonus of no cleanup making it worthwhile to consumers to get their juice fix from The Juicy Caboosy. The restaurant/juice bar’s ingredients arrive fresh and directly from Gulf Coast Produce, a local vendor. All drinks are made with fresh fruits and vegetables whether they are for cold-press juices or cocktails. The menu is subject to change based on the current season and customer feedback, as according to Bryant, “it’s very important to listen to your customers” since they “kind of tell you how you’re going to evolve.”
    Bryant says that she and von Dobeneck try to partner their restaurant/juice bar with other small businesses and “make a conscious effort to support small businesses more and try new places and just really give back to the community,” because they are a super important part of what “makes a community and town.” The Juicy Caboosy tries to give back to Gulf Coast communities by supporting different community partners such as local schools, the fire department, and The Adoptable Dog project.

    The Juicy Caboosy has partnered for a few events with The Adoptable Dog, a subgroup that works on supplying homes for dogs of a nonprofit organization called the Humane Society of South Mississippi, through which other adoptable animals are also available. Pets are welcome at the restaurant, as all the seating is outdoors and provides a great space for people to socialize themselves and their pets while enjoying a good meal. In February 2023, The Juicy Caboosy worked with The Diamondhead School of Arts on a fundraiser to help build their new school and plans to continue assisting local school sports teams as they have previously done.
    The restaurant hosts a few fun, easy-going events each month, including a reoccurring candles and cocktail event every other month, and intend to begin a cocktail-making series. Also be on the lookout for an upcoming student discount of 15% at The Juicy Caboosy.

Come check out The Juicy Caboosy’s authentic caboose and juice at 407 Mason Ave., Long Beach, MS, where the restaurant is located and open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    To assess The Juicy Caboosy’s full menu options or place an online order for pickup/delivery/catering, go to thejuicycaboosy.com. Other ways to get in touch with the restaurant are by calling (228) 265-7964 or emailing juicycaboosyms@gmail.com. Watch for upcoming events, new menu items, and the addition of semi-indoor seating that features a screened in patio by visiting The Juicy Caboosy’s Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok pages. Happy juicing!

Maya Wood

Southern Miss Gulf Scholar! Maya Wood is a native Mississippi resident currently working on obtaining her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Southern Mississippi ‘s Gulf Coast campus. She plans to continue on to a master’s degree with an emphasis in literature or creative writing and is currently a member of the inaugural class of the nationally recognized Gulf Scholars Program, which is a program that focuses on supporting states and communities along the coast. This article is one of several stories for her Gulf Scholars project whose purpose is to highlight local businesses and their contributions to providing “the good life” for Mississippi residents and visitors. Maya’s long-term goal is to do what she loves full time: work as a writer and eventually become an author, as she finds great joy in reading and wants to spread that feeling to others.