Good to Go Gone

On Friday, October 15, the website of Waitsfield’s Michael’s Good to Go announced: “Good to Go will be closing for good after dinner this Friday night.” The news may be disappointing to fans of chef-owner Michael Flanagan [1]’s Baja fish tacos and localvore sliders. But Flanagan claims the end of the business was part of his plan from the start.

“Our only child has gone off to college,” says Flanagan, who’s looking to adopt a more mobile lifestyle. “When we started, we wanted to pass it along to someone.” That “someone” is the team behind a renowned Vermont bar and restaurant. The future operators wish to remain anonymous until all the paperwork is completed.

For now, the new chef is willing to disclose that he hopes to open as soon as a week and a half from now and will serve Latin-inspired food, including tacos, for takeout or delivery. There will also be housemade sausages and other charcuterie. “I’m really thrilled to be handing it over to them,” says Flanagan.

He won’t get much of a break before heading back to the grind. The former fine-dining chef, who once helmed the kitchen at the prestigious Pitcher Inn [2], will continue to cater events. Recently, Flanagan has begun driving a vegetable-oil-powered bus to concerts and festivals across the country. The mobile eatery will continue to bear the Michael’s Good to Go name.

Though it’s fun hitting events, Flanagan, who recently turned 50, admits his bus isn’t quite the retirement job he envisioned. “It’s really hard work,” he explains. “It’s like making a pop-up restaurant for a weekend.”

However, he’s glad to pull up to supersize functions, including the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee, and serve customers fresh, Vermont-sourced food at reasonable prices. Dishes include “Green Mountain corn fritters” and crispy agedashi tofu made from Vermont Soy [3] bean curd.

Want a taste of Michael’s Good to Go without an out-of-state trek? Flanagan plans on parking his bus, which uses a canoe for a sign, at next summer’s Tunbridge World’s Fair [4], as well as at other Vermont events.