AUTHOR’S NOTE: There is an updated 2015 Review here –
https://ohiofestivals.net/columbus-food-truck-fest-revisited/
This post documents my experience on August 26, 2011.
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Even with food trucks still popping up all around Ohio, Columbus excels in the quantity of restaurants on wheels. They park all over the city, selling food that includes burgers, BBQ and sweets, and there are over 40 specializing in tacos alone.
So when you have so many trucks out there…
…that it’s worth getting a guided food truck tour with Columbus Food Adventures…
…it’s only a matter of time before there’s a first annual Columbus Food Truck and Cart Fest.
Located downtown at Columbus Commons…
…food trucks set up shop on one side…
…while food carts set up on the other.
Menu-wise, the selection was vast, offering…
…tacos…
…vegetarian dogs…
…juice…
… and kolaches…
…but this was when they had food.
You see – I wasn’t the only person who thought this sounded like a wonderful festival idea…
…an estimated 12-15,000 felt the same.
With both the Jersey Boys and a Clippers game occurring that evening, not only did downtown traffic fill with vehicles, the festival got slammed with a crowd at 5 (the festival began at 4) and they ate and ate until many vendors began running out of food.
By the time I had arrived (7:30), a man told me that he waited 45 minutes for his hot dog…
…and that’s when I noticed the lines…
…the incredibly long straight lines (sorry for the jumpiness).
Meanwhile, in other areas of the grounds, food trucks weren’t given ample space for these lines…
…so people squished together…
…or against the trucks…
…while all looking around and thinking the same thing…
….where can I go to eat?
I asked the same question as I walked around the grounds. And, after a complete circle, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to eat here.
I had already known that the waiting time for a food truck order was typically a longer one, especially with made-to-order dishes and limited customer servicing through their one or two small windows. And with the hunger I was already feeling, I knew that I wouldn’t make it if I had to wait another hour, especially with the possibility that the truck could run out of food before my turn.
Initially, I probably blamed the festival committee for starving my foodie belly, but, after looking around, I seriously rethought this.
There were obvious signs that the festival had been thought-out…
…especially when I noticed the dining areas…
…games (Flimsee) set up for family and friends to enjoy…
…and an ATM – since food trucks/carts only take cash.
Understanding that it was impossible to know how many people would actually come for their first festival (and that it would be resolved the next time), I told my belly to hold out as I took delight in the other things the festival had to offer…,
…like the vendors…
…the artists (J. David Mitchell)…
…the music (the Forties)…
…and the free photo opportunities…
…which I happily took part in.