An empty lot on 44th Street between 4th and 5th avenues in Rock Island is set to host groups of food trucks, providing a central location for customers and the chance to reach new audiences for businesses.
Krystall and Chavaras Trice, owners of Mom and Pop Ups, opened the Rock Island Food Truck Park on April 17. Chavaras Trice said they’d seen other lots in Texas and other areas like the one they started and decided to bring the idea to the Quad-Cities.
“Not only is it nice to have (food trucks) all in one spot because they’ll play off of each other’s customers but also because it will provide some consistency for the customer and for the food trucks,” Chavaras Trice said.
The location is ideal because of the residential and business areas that are within walking distance of the lot. Food trucks and trailers can pay for parking time slots, ranging from one hour to one week and beyond. Businesses interested in the park can reach out to Mom and Pop Ups at 309-721-8226.
Food truck The Big Cheese was the first to park in the food truck park on Sunday, where they sold out in just a couple of hours, Chavaras Trice said. In addition to trucks sharing their stops, the food truck park social media account will let the Quad-Cities know who’s stopped at the park that day.
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“Before we even got a chance to reach out, we’ve been contacted by most of the businesses that surround that particular area,” Chavaras Trice said. “So we’ve coordinated with them for their lunch breaks and their employees and things of that nature. We’ve kind of almost got the customer base before we got the food trucks.”
For more information about trucks making a stop in the lot, visit the Mom and Pop Ups Facebook page.