Friday, May 27, 2011
Food & Life Howell Mill Food Park comes to Atlanta
Posted by Katie Valentine on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 11:21 AM
- Courtesy Mark Lindenbaum
- Concept for the Howell Mill Food Park
We’ve got the food trucks, and now we’re getting our very own place to park 'em. The Howell Mill Food Park is opening its doors (and windows, and trucks) on Tuesday, May 31 from 5 — 10 p.m. The food park will offer a choice of ten food trucks, many of them familiar — Yumbii, Sweet Auburn BBQ and Tex's Tacos will be in the mix.
The idea for the food park came from one Atlantan’s search for the parks he’d grown to love in places like Portland, Ore. and Austin, Texas. Mark Lindenbaum went to college in Texas, and when he came back to Atlanta, he was disappointed to see that the city lacked a real home for food trucks.
“It’s something Atlanta doesn’t really have — there’s not a dedicated spot, a destination,” he said.
So when his company purchased a grassy field last year at the corner of Howell Mill and Collier Road, Lindenbaum decided to change that. The field needed to be developed somehow, and he thought Atlanta’s first food park would be the perfect use for it. He partnered with Greg Smith, the founder of the Atlanta Street Food Coalition, and local marketing agent Brett Holtzclaw, and they developed the plan for the Howell Mill Food Park.
Now, the idea has taken off. The park has gotten governmental support from Atlanta City Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean and NPU-C Chairman Paul Melvin. It has its own Facebook page, which Lindenbaum said got 200 fans in its first two days. Facebook and Twitter are the main ways Lindenbaum is using to promote the food park, and so far, he thinks they’ve done their jobs. The Facebook page is filled with comments from excited locals who live “within walking distance” of the park.
Lindenbaum hopes the food park can grow from its spot on Tuesday nights into a more regular home for food trucks — a daily event that could serve breakfast, lunch and late night food. He’s looking to expand even beyond food trucks to incorporate local chefs, artists, retailers and musicians. But mostly, he said he just wants the park to evolve naturally into whatever Atlanta wants it to be.
We’ve watched the food truck movement struggle and take off in Atlanta over the past year, from the first food truck permit granted to Internet food truck backlash. A spot designated just for food trucks seems like a natural progression, and it'll be exciting to see how it turns out.
Comments (30)
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This is cool... but i hope the smog that builds up along howell mill on that stretch of road doesn't make its way to the food park...
Where exactly will it be? There is no lot at the corner of Howell Mill and Collier. I read somewhere it was behind Willy's where there is a parking lot and an empty lot where someone has deposited four picnic tables in the last few days. That must be where it is and that's great because my shop is right there. Heh, heh, salivating already. Is the Fry Guy gonna be there with his Euro mayonnaise? Worst thing here is the parking situation and. of course, the Howell Mill rat fornication traffic.
Dave, that sounds right according to Facebook:
The Howell Mill Food Park is located behind Willy's at 1920 Howell Mill Rd.
I'd do an end run down Chattahoochee or Huff and then back up Collier and approach this from the rear.
Howell Mill traffic is generally atrocious during the day and rush hour is even worse. What an outstanding idea to put several large shopping centers on a glorified two-lane. I seriously think they "widened" it by painting more lines.
Just don't cut through the neighborhoods. When our kids are out we shoot "cutters" on sight.
Lawyer--
Get a gate or you don't own that street. I have a gun too, they didn't stop making them when you bought yours.
Wow... this is great. Maybe soon the trucks can take their wheels off and we can have a food court! I thought the idea was the trucks came to you. Yumbii used to come to my workplace neighborhood twice a week, now they aren't going to come at all and I have to go to them. Think I'll go to Grindhouse or Taka for lunch now. Way to go, crappy Atlanta laws.
Mikelark, you don't understand. It's not about the trucks going to where the people are, it's about being able to tick this item off our checklist of things that Portland has that we have too. It's about hipster cred. Around this time next year all of the trucks will be gone because some other fad will have taken its place.
Food trucks are a great idea, if they go to where the people are during particular hours or events. But we want them just so we can say we have them. I feel sorry for the small business owners who buys one of these trucks and will lose a ton of money when the hipsters find something shiny and new to draw away their attention.
Kind of cool and weird at the same time. So what is the deal with Atlanta laws regarding food trucks? Are they not allowed to roam around town? This seems like such an out of the way location for their target demo.
I used to love hitting food trucks and halal carts in NYC. I've never understood why they haven't popped up in L5P, Va-Hi, or EAV on the weekends.
This really is the height of marketing gimmickry and absurdity. I recall around a decade ago when the trucks started roaming around NYC. The whole fun of it was that you'd barely ever know where they would be and finding one was a pleasant delicious surprise.
Calling them food TRUCKS and keeping them parked in a central location is akin to calling Avrile Lavigne punk. As the commenter above pointed out, lets just scrap the wheels and call it a food court. I expect to see a Cinnabon food truck parked there any day.
Sometimes Atlanta really impresses me, and at other times it shows what lame suckers for marketing much of the populace really is.
I sort of agree with you Vox but I doubt any of those food trucks would really be in business long if they operated with the sort of pop up anywhere strategy they do in NYC. Atlanta is just too spread out and sparsely populated compared to New York.
I actually want them to flourish but unless they all hover around downtown and midtown during the workweek and the tourist and bar districts during the weekends I doubt many of them will be able to pay their bills.
Unless there are idiotic laws preventing these trucks from actually being mobile, they should go to where the greatest demand is. This idea just doesn't make a whole lot of sense and this location just seems so out of the way for most folks.
Wait, wasn't the whole point of food trucks to make neighborhoods more vibrant by enhancing street life, in addition to providing food? How is having them in the middle of nowhere make them different from your typical strip mall...
Actually...Howell Mill is Food Street.
It comes from an old Indian word that means...Place Next to Creek Where Men Trade Wampum For Deer Steak.
This is just a glorified trailer park- I agree, the food truck should come to us. If you have to drive to the food truck, it IS a strip mall.
Not sure why they call it a food park- they really should contact their marketing person about calling this a food trailer park.
Neat solution for all the nattering nabobs of negativism, don't go.
As your advance scout who works on this block, I feel it is my duty to tell everyone that, despite the rendering, there are no trees on that lot, only a couple on the periphery, so wear a hat if it opens for lunch.
@JohnnyCoolbreeze
Actually there are idiotic laws that prevent them from being mobile.
Figures.
Well, this is Georgia...
Where are the "smaller guvmint" types when it comes to crap like this?
It's the Democrat city administration and the Democrat dominated city council you can blame.
Sorry..this is a happy thread. Popsicles! Barbecue!
BTW at 3:45. There were picnic tables and Porta-Johns, but no food trucks. Work pulled me away. Did they actually show up?
"Atlanta is just too spread out and sparsely populated compared to New York. "
Johnny, in NYC, food trucks make their bread and butter off of office workers, THEN they hope they can get others interested enough via being hip, on twitter, or.....with food so good words spread naturally.
If food trucks were able to park outside of a few high capacity office bldgs whether in downtown, midtown, Perimeter, Galleria, Windy Hill/Powers then they could do a killing. But then that wouldn't sound cool in their PR releases.
@ oydave
The ordinances are actually from the county, but you know, facts, whatever...
OK it's the Democrat dominated Fulton County Commission you can petition with this grievance.
Instead of Gang of Idiots 1 or 2, it's the Gang of Idiots #3.
It's county AND city I believe. At least some of the municipalities. If you're going to have a cook out/ chili competition/ event at which food is to be sold/ served/ prepared in certain over zealous, highly corrupt municipalities you'd have to navigate a number of permits at that level and at the county level depending on the exact location.
I think the idea of affordable, creative, food that is accessible is really a cool idea. Food trucks that are around for people on their lunch breaks and what not are great. And those sorts of things having a regular set of spots or events is pretty rad. Do we need a food court/ trailer park combo? I'm going to say no (only in part because of the port-a- potties that might be required for this to be permitted). Aside from the whole issue of what an amazing amount of resources would be used (fuel, electricity, etc.) I'm not on board with the idea that empty lot= must be developed!!!!!
About 10 years ago over in the Lindberg area there were these rad little ice cream man- style trucks and vans that came round on a semi regular schedule and they delivered meats or veggies or bread (mostly to the immigrant population who hadn't yet been priced out of the area). THAT was awesome.
Someone needs to take a lead from the "ice cream man" vans that serve as a cover for dealers and start a package store truck- booze delivery is perfect- no drunk driving because it's coming to you!
Also- I really thought that was a pulled pork popsicle slider suggestion for a minute.
Ideally, the same trucks shouldn't be there for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They should move around the city, or no, they wouldn't really be trucks. I am a big fan of food trucks/taco trucks, but as a vegetarian, I haven't had a satisfactory meal from one in Atlanta. Though, I'm crazy for the King of Pops cart.
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