Wally Kennedy: Food truck park revving up again on Main Street

A food truck park is returning to South Main Street and could be operating by July 4.

Payton Layne, a Joplin businessman and owner of the Floyd's Wings and Waffles food truck, said he has received a green light from the city to create a food truck park at the southeast corner of 22nd and Main streets. This is the site of a former food truck park that featured Bacon Me Crazy and other vendors.

Layne said the food park will have about five to seven operators seven days a week. The park will have some tables and chairs for outdoor dining.

"We want this to be a food truck destination on South Main," he said. "When you group food trucks together, everyone does better."

Layne said the success of Food Truck Friday in Carthage is an example of that. Food Truck Friday typically features more than a dozen food trucks, tables, vendors and some entertainment from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the second Friday of each month from April through October. First held in 2016, Food Truck Friday has become a destination community event for Carthage.

"If Carthage can do it, there is no reason why Joplin can't do it," Layne said.

Since the tornado in 2011, South Main has been a favorite for the small business entrepreneurs who operate food trucks. Ghetto Tacos, Divine Chicken, the Waffle Window and other vendors have temporarily occupied some of the vacant properties in the tornado zone where only asphalt lots and concrete foundations remain. There are at least 16 available properties in the tornado zone on South Main Street. If you wanted to be really ambitious about this and with so many vacant properties, you could have a food truck festival on South Main with every food option available. Think of all the jobs that would be created and all of that sales tax revenue.

And there's another way of looking at this. Nothing else is happening there, so why not?

Let's compare the tornado zone along South Range Line Road with South Main.

The last available piece of property in the Range Line tornado zone, the former Taco Hut property at 2014 S. Range Line, is being occupied at considerable expense by Whataburger.

A construction company is using three excavators to install a massive concrete culvert that will create a new channel for a segment of Joplin Creek on the north side of the property. It's been my experience that the construction workers at these sites usually know what they are talking about. A worker at this site told me this is a $500,000 project.

If only we could get that kind of interest in some of the vacant properties on South Main. With Range Line filling up, maybe we will now. We can only hope. In the meantime, bring on the food trucks.

Though no official date has been set, the new Take 5 Car Wash at the southeast corner of 32nd Street and Range Line Road could open at the end of next week.

A spokesman for Take 5 said the car wash is nearing completion according to the construction site foreman.

A Take 5 Oil Change, located north of the car wash, opened earlier this year.

This property is the former site of The Paint Stallion.

The Third Thursday street fair will take place — rain or shine — from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on June 15 in downtown Joplin.

Main Street will be blocked off from vehicular traffic and transformed into a pedestrian mall between First and Seventh streets. Performance stages, vendor tents and food trucks are set up along the street. The event usually features a car show and other attractions.

If you are a cat lover, make sure to check out a pop-up boutique that will be staged in the Model Clothing Co., building at 409 S. Main St.

Tiffany Buck, with Nine Lives Cat Lounge and Adoption Center, 2201 E. Seventh St., said a version of the Bootstique in the lounge will be set up in the storefront. This includes cat-themed T-shirts, hats and decor, cat toys, supplies and other merchandise. Also on hand will be some cats.

The adoption center on East Seventh Street features a selection of coffees, smoothies and cereals.

Contact Wally Kennedy at [email protected].

Wally Kennedy is a reporter and columnist for The Joplin Globe.

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