If you're driving through Nashville around lunchtime, you're sure to see them. Food trucks: serving everyone from tourists to government workers day in and day out.
They serve everything from hot dogs to lobster rolls, and on Wednesday, March 21, Nashville's first food truck park will open, serving as a lunch spot where you can find multiple food trucks in one spot.
The food truck park, named "Food Truck City," will be located at 5001 Louisiana Avenue, right off 51st Avenue North and Centennial Boulevard in The Nations.
The idea came from Kristin Walker and her husband, who own and run Walker Feed Co. They have owned the property for years and had different businesses located there, but decided it was time for a change after their last tenant left.
"Instead of bringing another tenant to the neighborhood, we just thought it'd be really exciting to bring an experience or an amenity to the neighborhood. Something that people will really get excited about," Walker said. "The community has really gotten behind it."
Walker said she loves food truck parks because they provide so many options.
"You can get a snow cone, or you can get a lobster roll," Walker explained, adding that numerous trucks, such as Rita's Ice Truck, Steaming Goat Food Truck, Dan's Gourmet Mac & Cheese, Roscoe's Smoked Bar-B-Que, Cousins Maine Lobster, and 313 Coney have all signed on to participate.
"It's like a big whole family," Vickie Beckner, manager of 313 Coney, said. "We all work hard together. We get events together."
Beckner said she's excited about the food truck park for many reasons. It will bring more exposure to great food trucks that people haven't tried before, and it will give returning customers an opportunity to be able to find them easily.
"We get so much social media wondering where we're going to be. People are disappointed because they can't find us, so we can be at one location for a certain day so they can come to us instead of trying to drive all over," Beckner said.
Food Truck City has been scheduled to be open Monday through Friday, opening at 11 a.m. for lunch with extended hours on Saturday, and they hope to have multiple options every day for people to try. Plus, they're going to work to have special amenities and events to make the space even more special.
“Everybody’s got a lot of great ideas. They want to do live music. We’re actually in talks of doing a tiki-bar with one of the local restaurants," Walker said.
The food truck schedule will be posted on Food Truck City's social media.
