Would You Eat at a Food Truck at The UP Pool?
Would you support a food truck if it parked outside Holmes Aquatic Center? Source: Easy Slider food truck
That’s the question being asked by the University Park City Council this week, after a Park Board member suggested the city offer more choices for food at the Holmes Aquatic Center.
Last month, board member Alex Richter implored the council to allow for additional options, or re-bid the contract for the concessionaire. At Tuesday’s Council meeting, councilmembers debated the pros and cons of the issue, before relegating it to the Parks Board to get their take.
Parks director Gerry Bradley offered a few suggestions, some as pie-in-the-sky ideas:
- Keep the concession stand as is
- Allow a food truck to park outside the gates at the center
- Allow a food truck to park inside the gates
- Rebid the concession stand
- Overhaul the concession stand, to the tune of $200,000- $250,000. This would allow the concessionaire to use ovens and stoves, as opposed to the microwaves and crock-pots he’s using now, Bradley said.
- Keep it as is
The concessionaire is currently on a year-to-year contract, Bradley said, and it’s reevaluated at the end of each summer. Park officials turn a blind eye to residents bringing their own food as well, he said, though it’s technically not allowed.
Highland Park invites a different food truck to visit its grounds every Sunday.
So, what says you, UP swimmer?
28 comments to "Would You Eat at a Food Truck at The UP Pool?"
I definitely think introducing competition would be a good thing. Almost anything tastes good when you’re at the pool, but the current food is pretty gross. Some healtier options would also be a nice addition.
If they don’t want to spend the $, have the food trucks provide the hot stuff and charge them a fee for access to the pool patrons.
I’d put a 7-11 there.
There are pros and cons to bringing in food trucks, but mostly pros.
On the negative side, the food trucks are subject to more variables. Extreme heat can cause the owner/operators to not show up. Trucks can break down. There are lots of mechanical things rattling around in there. I don’t think that you would want no concession and then a food truck is very late or a no-show.
On the positive side, the food trucks can bring in significantly better food than the UP pool concessionaire offers. Even if you upgrade the facility, you’d still have the same dull food. With the food trucks, you could have some of the best sliders, tenderloin quesadilla, grilled cheese, shaved ice, artisan pizza, burgers, philly cheesesteak, pulled pork sandwiches, baja tacos, asian-fusion steak sandwiches, and more.
The food trucks will also be cleaner than the concession stand that we have now. The food trucks are rigorously surprise inspected by the City of Dallas constantly, and most of them get a thorough top to bottom cleaning every night at their appointed commissary (where they park).
As far as supporting local places that support the community … At least 3 of the food trucks are owned by Park Cities residents: Ruthies Grilled Cheese, Green House, and City Street Grille. Ruthies has been seen at Armstrong Elementary providing free lunch for teachers and staff. Trailercakes has been at Bradfield Elementary, and provided a portion of their revenue to the PTA.
Each of the food trucks will need to pay a UP permit fee. I don’t know UP’s rate, but typical is $300-$500 per year. Multiply that by the currently active 40 or so food trucks in this area.
Most of the food truck owners would love, love to be part of serving at UP. They understand that they are getting in front of people who would often sign them up for private block parties and birthday parties.
I would recommend downsizing the current concessionaire to only drinks, ice cream, chips, and other snack sized foods. But bring in a minimum of two food trucks per weekend day, and one on weekdays. Up to 3 on special events. The Parks Department could consider a special location with power (so that the trucks don’t have to run generators) and possibly even covering (to minimize the internal food truck heat, which can get up to the 140 degree range).
If nothing else, it’s not hard to try an experiment. The Parks Dept. can bring in Easy Slider and Ruthie’s for a weekend …. get customer reaction … see the effect on the current concessionaire.
I love a food truck as much as everyone else and support their business every chance I can (especially yummy Ruthie’s). However, the expense for our family of 7 to eat daily at a food truck is prohibitive. The concession stand at the pool and the city’s allowing outside food to be brought into the pool has been a blessing for our family during the summer months.
On a personal note, looking at the lines at every adult swim and the kids eating their hot dogs, nachos, toaster cheese (yep, they have to make them in a toaster and microwave oven) and burgers at the pool lead me to believe that many pool patrons enjoy the reasonably price food at the concession stand. If I want an adult choice, I stop on the way or bring it from home. Plus, spending less than $10 on ice cream or a pool snow cone for 5 kids sure beats spending $25 at the ENTICED food truck for shaved ice. Yes, I too would love healthier choices for myself, but I can guarantee my kids would opt for a burger, nachos or dog from Bill rather than the turkey sandwich I “make” them eat at home or pack for them on days when I get it organized.
On a different note, the thought of parents sitting outside the gates in food truck lines in the heat for up to a 1/2 hour or more waiting on individual food orders, leaving little kids swimming unsupervised makes the old lifeguard in me tremble. Quite often, if there is a crowd, the food truck lines take even longer than 1/2 an hour.
If the concession situation must be changed, I truly hope that the City will give the current concession provider every opportunity to meet the needs of our community, a community he has served for at least the 30+ years I can remember being a UP pool patron. And, I hope that UP makes certain that those asking for change represent the needs of the majority pool users.
Katy Barklow Abel
I don’t think that we need to cut out the current vendor. Simply remove his exclusivity.
What we don’t know is the extent of the current exclusivity. Does it apply to inside-the-gates only? Does it apply to the parking spaces on Lover’s Lane and/or Westminster? Depending on that answer, the food trucks could come in right now.
Another option is to have the food trucks park across Lover’s Lane in the UP Elementary parking spaces. Then, it is no longer a Parks Dept. question. The decision belongs to whoever owns that right-of-way (either the city or the school).
We actually do agree quite a bit. As I originally said, the food trucks can sometimes be too dependent on weather and mechanical issues. I think you need both and let the consumer decide. There should be ample revenue room for both.
Lastly, this is actually a larger issue for the city to think about. How about food trucks at Goar Park during high soccer season? On Preston Road at the YMCA? At Coffee Park at flag football games? On Lover’s Lane (Miracle Mile) in partnership with one of the clothing shops?
And yeah, I like the “big pot of ink” line as well. Except that Bradford is the one with the big pot of ink. Food trucks just happens to be an area that I know quite well.
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