On a trip to the Florida Keys this past Winter two of the best meals I had were at food trucks. Above is Cocomo's in Marathon and below is Garbo's Grill in Key West.
I recently saw a report on a food truck park in Portland, Oregon that has been very successful. Food trucks are quickly becoming a new food trend around the country and even here in Howard County. Some food truck use social media like Facebook and Twitter to let folks know where they will be on different days. Portland has decided that locating the trucks in one location gives people a greater selection all in one location.
I have passed a number of food trucks in Howard County, mostly along Route 1, but have to admit I have never stopped at any of the trucks. Most seem to be smoking meats. It has got me wondering if the trucks might have more success with a food truck park in one of our industrial areas like Gateway or the Wholesale market at Route 1 and Route 175? Or maybe at one of our parks, like the soccer park on Oakland Mills Rd. How about the East Columbia Library with the farmer's market on Thursdays? Maybe the food trucks could rotate around the county like the farmers markets.
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NBP has a food truck meetup every friday. It's been very popular for a few years now and is expanding to two locations in the park now! I find that the trucks that are in locations you want to be already get a good following, such as the jailbreak trucks and the ones walking distance to offices.
ReplyDeleteWith the weather getting warmer, the National Business Park (in Annapolis Junction, just across the county line) has different food trucks Tuesday through Friday. The criteria for successful food truck presence includes: (1) a critical mass of potential customers - like, 20 buildings full of office workers; (2) easy access and parking for those who aren't in walking distance; and (3) lack of a bunch of fixed restaurants who would complain about the competition from food trucks. NBP meets all of those - for 20 full buildings, there's a Subway and Café Joe, and that's it. The trucks are popular, and even Gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan came by a couple of times last Fall.
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