BAY CITY, MI – Just as summer rolls in, a familiar riverside bar has refreshed its food truck menu to reflect what people are gravitating toward.

If you were thinking smash burgers, you’d be right.

Drift Shoreside Beer Garden, 1019 North Water St., opened its onsite food truck, Smashed, on May 31.

A view of an olive smashburger from Drift’s food truck, Smashed, located at 1019 North Water Street in Bay City, Mich., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Brandon Massnick, vice president of operations, said last year, the food truck was slinging pizzas alongside the beverages.

But this summer, Massnick said the popular Saginaw River establishment wanted to tap into the smash burger trend.

“It took us, like, three and a half days total from branding to opening it, which is crazy,” Massnick said. “We wanted to do something people want. And then, we wanted to do something where we could keep up with the demand, too.”

The menu features five smash burgers including a classic, mushroom Swiss, olive burger, cowboy burger and a build-your-own burger. Each burger comes with shoestring fries.

A view of a classic smashburger from Drift’s food truck, Smashed, located at 1019 North Water Street in Bay City, Mich., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

The classic smash burger, topped with a housemade burger sauce created by chef Morgan Thoryk, is especially popular because of this signature sauce, Massnick said.

Every burger is served as a single, but another burger patty can be added for an additional $5.

There are also on-the-go items available, such as a hummus cup with pretzels, a pimento cup with pretzels, a side of fries and cinnamon churros.

The food truck itself is still sporting the colors and designs from last year, but Massnick said they plan to get it wrapped in the Smashed branding soon.

“They’re coming in and getting these awesome beachy, waterside cocktails, pairing it with a smash burger and it’s perfect,” Massnick said.

Chef Morgan Thoryk and vice president of operations Brandon Massnick pose for a photograph at Drift, 1019 North Water Street in Bay City, Mich., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

In addition to the food truck change, Drift has also added a second bar on the deck to keep up with the demand. Massnick said this bar is only serving canned beverages currently but will shift to more options in the future.

With the Bay City Fireworks Festival coming up on July 3, 4, and 5, Massnick said Drift is going to be a great place to be.

Smashed will be open and Drift will also host other food trucks, have live entertainment and, of course, have the incredible views of the nightly fireworks displays.

For Saturday, July 5, reservations are required after 8 p.m. A top deck table costs $100 for four seats and $25 per additional seat, a bottom deck table costs $150 for four seats and $35 per additional seat and the boat slips cost $200 each.

Call 989-316-1441 to book or for more information.

A look at the outdoor seating at Drift, 1019 North Water Street in Bay City, Mich., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Throughout the summer, Smashed is open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Drift is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

For more information, check out the Facebook page here and their website here.

Would you like MLive to feature your favorite restaurant in Michigan’s Best Local Eats? Send the details, including business name, address and best menu item, to Kaytie Boomer at kboomer@mlive.com.