- Photo courtesy of Derek Reeves at www.ocularproof.com
It was packed behind the Whole Foods Saturday afternoon, where 25 food trucks parked and prepared to feed the multitudes.
The maiden voyage of the Mobile Food Rodeo quickly sold out of its 500 VIP tasting tickets. Hungry people parked where they could and scrambled to the event supporting the latest trend in gastronomy: food trucks. Photographer Derek Reeves and a friend attended the event. While they were impressed with the creative cuisine, there were problems.
“The organization of the event was a little silly,” he said. “I think they were overwhelmed by the response of the event and didn’t know how to handle the crowds. We got there 30 minutes before the event officially began and still had to wait in line a solid hour. Many of the popular items sold out rapidly. Skillet sold out of everything on their menu by 1:30 p.m. Other vendors had their signature dishes?disappear?first then had some remaining items.”
Despite the hitches in handling the event, Reeves said overall the Mobile Food Rodeo was great fun.
Followers on the rodeo’s Facebook page issued both praise and rage for the event. The praise went to the star of the event: The food. The Rage: the organization and lack of communication. One attendee wrote: …What I heard and observed were people who went to some degree of trouble to get their tickets and come early with an expectation of getting in at a certain time. It also didn’t help to see a food truck arrive after 11 – most wondered what was going on and no communication was forthcming until at least 11:30 or later (I wasn’t really counting). [the reader then added]?I’m sure the folks around us will remember with a smile when we convinced Matt, of Where Ya At Matt, to sell us some hot Beignets over the fence while we were waiting to get in . . . it was fun and warming for us and very smart on his part. So Kudos to Matt!”
Two dollars from every ticket sold went to the Solid Ground nonprofit. Rodeo organizers are currently tallying proceeds and will report soon the total donation numbers. Organizers say they may add a beer garden at the next event, tentatively scheduled for next spring.
Seems a little research would have gone a long way… Last year when the mobile food trucks were down at Safeco the same thing happened. The lines were HUGE. WHoever organised this even obviously did NOT research. Its a shame because long lines put people off, and will discourage them from visiting next time. Hopefully they will learn from this and be better organized.
I waited in line at every ?truck(3) i stopped at. ?Made for good conversation with people I was and the other people waiting in line. ?Yes, the focus was on food. ?It was also on seeing who and what people are eating. ?Kids, decent weather, friends and yes eventually food. ?People seem to be in such a hurry these days. ?Take your time, talk to friends, and get a snack. ?Did you really have anything better to do that day? ?If you wanted food in a hurry you should have made Top Ramen or a sandwich at home. ?If you wanted delicious treats from some of Seattle and Portland’s finest mobile establishments(if they are called that) and good entertainment and people watching then go out and visit the crowds of people! ?I say good job overall.