As the food industry continues to truck through the Covid-19 pandemic, literal food trucks have made a visible comeback across the state of Iowa, including within Story County. With that, Saturday morning is set to go down as a significant mark in time for a number of such local business owners.
According to Community Choice Credit Union President Josh Cook, the institution saw opening up a “food truck park” as an opportunity to assist small business owners, while also drawing attention to the services the credit union offers. “We are so excited to announce the opening of our food truck park in Ames,” Cook stated. “It will be a great addition to Lincoln Way and the city of Ames, as well as a great way to showcase the unique experience Community Choice offers.”
The park, which is located adjacent to the CCCU Ames branch, was recently completed and is approximately 17,400 square feet in size and can accommodate anywhere from four to seven trucks at a time. Company spokesperson Ally MacLean noted that the evolution of the initial idea centered on one word: Community.“We’re all about community,” she explained. “It’s in our name. We like to do things unique and unexpected for the community. We wanted to bring together a place where the community, students, and families can all get together in one place and help these small businesses, too.”
MacLean said that although the credit union is just that, a financial institution, she sees it as far more. In this case, she anticipates that CCCU’s venture in the world of food trucks will come at the perfect time for people who are still dealing with the affects of life during a pandemic. It all starts with the park’s grand opening Saturday morning.“Especially with Covid, people like to be able to get out and experience different things,” MacLean pointed out. “We have seven food trucks coming [Saturday], and they were all excited to be on board and see what this next year brings.”
The park will feature built-in seating, as well as a Cyclone Football viewing experience for opening day. “We’re going to have free food vouchers for the first 250 people that come,” MacLean said. “We will be streaming the Iowa State Football game. We have a 30-foot Jumbotron that’s already set up in the parking lot.”
Patrons can enter the park at no cost to them, including during this weekend’s grand opening. Food trucks present Saturday are expected to include Magoo’s Pizza, Flame, Chicago Treats, Macubana, Hungry Boyz, Karam’s Grill, and Crazy Lou’s, according to a press release.
Saturday’s grand opening will begin mid-morning, in line with the park’s future hours of operation. “We’re still figuring out a couple things as far as scheduling, but the park will generally be open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.,” MacLeon stated. “We’re going to have different trucks, including a stationary truck and rotating trucks. We will also have a website set up where people can submit interest.”
According to the release, Saturday’s celebration will feature Iowa State University prize giveaways, a performance from the Iowa State Storm band, and a live DJ, in addition to the food voucher giveaways and Iowa State versus Texas Tech game showing.
Food Truck Parc at Community Choice is located at 220 East Lincoln Way in Ames. The grand opening is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday. For more information, visit Community Choice Credit Union on Facebook.
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