The City of Buffalo is getting into the food truck game, sort of. A pilot program has been launched that invites food trucks and food carts to assemble at Niagara Square every Thursday during the summer (for lunch). The initiative will provide office workers and visitors to Downtown Buffalo with additional food options. The presence of the trucks will also go a long way towards creating a more lively food scene in a square that has no other culinary options other than the ubiquitous hotdog cart.
“Not only will this program help further bolster the thriving local food truck community and add to the vitality that continues to build in downtown Buffalo, but it will provide downtown residents and workers with additional summer-time lunch options,” said Mayor Brown.
So far, eight food trucks and carts have signed up to participate in the program, which will run for 13 consecutive Thursdays in June, July and August from 11 am to 2 pm. Participating trucks and carts include House of Munch, Mineo & Sapio, Thai Me Up Food Truck, The Flaming Fish, Tomaso’s, Big Suzie’s Little Bakery, Greek on the Street and Swingin’ Dogs.
Food Truck Thursdays is not designed as an all out rodeo. Instead, vendors will be assigned different days in which to set up. Each will be offered four Thursdays on a rotating basis. Standard licensing and permitting applied to each truck/cart.
The tentative vendor schedule looks like this:
June 4th, June 18th, July 2nd, July 16th, July 30th, August 13th and possibly August 27th • House of Munch • Thai Me Up Food Truck • The Flaming Fish • Tomaso’s
June 11th, June 25th, July 9th, July 23rd, August 6th, August 20th, and possibly August 27th • Big Suzie’s Little Bakery • Greek on the Street • Mineo & Sapio • Swingin’ Dogs
Last year I wrote that it would behoove The City to set up café tables in Niagara Square, turning the public space into something that resembles that of a European piazza. The launch of Food Truck Thursdays will go a long way towards livening up Niagara Square, which doesn’t boast any cafés or restaurants (maybe Mark Croce can get something going at The Statler building?) The addition of café, or bistro style seating, would help to transform Niagara Square into the central downtown square that it was intended to be. Hopefully, if this program is successful, there will be more initiatives like it down the road.