na

They used to be pretty decent like 5 or so years ago.

There weren’t a ton of downtown restaurants to just go eat

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Is there really anything stopping an existing food truck from setting up some place downtown to service the M-F lunch demand?

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Basel’s and Dempseys both do already. Curbside now sets up on LSU campus which I imagine is 10x the business.

No idea about the others. But when I see the trucks mentioned above set up downtown by the market, there’s certainly not a mad dash. So maybe some don’t feel it’s worth it.

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I get that BR doesn't have a robust central business district; however, it also doesn't have many good downtown lunch spots. Is there really anything stopping an existing food truck from setting up some place downtown to service the M-F lunch demand?

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There are usually 3-6 food trucks set up downtown on North Street. I think someone made an app to track all of the food trucks but I don't know if they followed through with getting the trucks to sign up.

There's a Couyons truck every day, a Cuban truck, usually another bbq truck, a seafood/louisiana food truck, and couple more that are sporadic.

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There aren’t any central gathering places for food trucks to go.

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Olympia Park on Perkins and Kenilworth would be fine. If they would set up in the parking lot in front of the stadium on Kenilwoth, there's plenty events on the ball fields, like ball practice and kick ball games in the Summer with plenty parking and traffic to attract additional business. There may be BREC regulations though,that would deny their access.

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there aren't many potential customers hanging around the Park

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I walk my dog there pretty often. There's always kids skating with their parents waiting in their cars, there are kids playing basketball inside the gym, people attending Zumba, Rumba, kids playing foosball and whatever else they have going on inside, lots of people walking the track, baseball practice and games, like mentioned before, every day.. and Saturdays and Sundays the parks packed and there's constant traffic on Kenilworth and Perkins.. Also, before Run House was built there were Food Trucks lined up in the parking lot across from the Baton Rouge Clinic and they always had a good turn out. But we can agree to disagree.

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Just because the park is packed, doesn't mean it's packed with customers

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in the parking lot across from the Baton Rouge Clinic and they always had a good turn out

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From what I can remember, the food truck round up was really big for a while and then it dropped off to almost nothing. I went to the place above for one of the round ups and hardly anyone showed because it was in the direct sun on a 90 degree day and there was no shade/grass. I went to one at Tin Roof that had the same issue. The best one I went to was in the Zeeland Street Market parking lot one night after dark.

It would be cool if BR could get a food truck park going. San Francisco has a huge one. There's a full bar and plenty of tables, shaded areas, etc. The trucks are in a huge circle with the seating in the middle, but it isn't permanent for them. They can be there on days they want, and leave on days they want.

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Do you really not understand what I meant by that?

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Actually, not at all. But I do get the point of the sweltering heat being a factor on the concrete lot.

The food trucks that were parked across from the BR Clinic didn't provide any place to sit down, except on the curb which was pretty unappealing and in direct sun. And coming in and out of that location is a bit difficult to maneuver and easy to just drive by, where as the Kenilworth location would be much easier to drive in and out of, has picnic tables, shade and ample parking. I live in that block I'm there every day and see firsthand the number of people coming in and out of the park every day.

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where as the Kenilworth location would be much easier to drive in and out of, has picnic tables, shade and ample parking. I live in that block I'm there every day and see firsthand the number of people coming in and out of the park every day.

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Some of this is about keeping park spaces non-commercial. Why would a mobile food business be allowed to simply set up shop on public property? I'm not against food trucks in parks, but I'd think some sort of parking or licensing fee should apply. Otherwise, the trucks are just using public property for private profit and gain. I'd love to set up a table in a public park and *sell* something...but it's not allowed. Simply because trucks are hip/cool doesn't mean they're any different than someone selling popsicles and cupcakes from a card table. If you want to see park policies change, get involved in local politics--BREC is overseen by a commission appointed by the metro council. Some cities have food concessions in city parks, with the facilities/spots allocated annually through competitive bid.

The food truck trend has crested and ebbed in many places. Trucks are a hassle to keep on the road. Unless you're in a place where rent is ridiculously high, it can be way easier to run a brick and mortar small restaurant with counter service than to operate a truck (logistically speaking). In some places, truck operators can take advantage of rental commercial kitchens/commissaries, so running a truck is an order of magnitude easier than in a completely self-contained operation.