10,000 People
/Last Saturday, after visiting all of the homes that were on the Curtis Park Home Tour (More on that next up!!) we were a tad hungry and decided to take the light rail to Midtown Sacramento and get a bite to eat at the Sacto MoFo . What is THAT you might ask. Well, let me tell you! Sacto Mofo stands for Sacramento Mobile Food....ahem...not what you might have been thinking. Sacramento has an ordinance restricting the amount of time that a mobile food truck can stay in one area. They can only park for 30 minutes at a time, which means they can feed perhaps 6 customers at a shot before they have to move on. Even with Facebook and Twitter updates on their locations....it is a ridiculous arrangement for a purveyor to have to get up and move just when people realize they are ready for business.
Many other large cities have a thriving gourmet mobile food business atmosphere, and Sacto MoFo has organized to get Sacramento "mobilized" to get the ordinance changed. They planned an event at Midtown Freemont Park where mobile trucks parked all around the perimeter. They were expecting a nice day with people strolling by snacking on all of the yummy offerings....from Indian Curry to French Baguettes and Brie, to Tacos and Mini Burgers.
......... What they got was a crowd of 10,000 supporters all willing to stand in lines as long as two to three hours for lunch.
It is apparent that the dining public was sending a message.....we are people on the go, but we still want great food and lots of variety! We would like to see lots of bright, colorful trucks with gourmet offerings parked all over in Sacramento!
Mobile Food trucks made the trek to Sacramento from the Bay Area in support of the ordinance change. There are many who would argue that mobile food trucks offer aspiring restaurateurs a venue to show their stuff without the costly overhead of a brick and mortar location. Smart thinking in the present economy, yes?
On the flip side, local restaurateurs who have invested in such things argue that their business might be hurt. A valid argument perhaps. However, many brick and mortar owners are jumping on the "band wagon" and buying their own mobile food trucks to join the party. For example, Whole Foods was in attendance.
I say, let the public decide, and let the sweet potato"chips" fall where they may! What do you think?
Here are some of the trucks in attendance:
This truck had so many customers they had to close up early....they ran out of food! |
The lines snaked back and forth through the park....and waits were long. But everyone seemed determined to get a meal. |
For more information about Sacto MoFo, check out their website HERE!
Get your Food on!