Article Originally Published: buffalorising.com
by Queenseyes | May 5, 20222
Buffalo’s Food Truck Thursdays event series kicks off today (April 5), with 5 food trucks at Niagara Square. The event series initially got underway back in 2015 as a pilot program for the City of Buffalo. At the time, 8 food trucks participated in a 3-month pilot program. In 2022, 20 trucks will be featured, on a rotating basis.
This is super exciting for downtown Buffalo. For so long, our central roundabout squares have been underutilized. In European cities, these types of settings are considered “piazzas,” where people congregate to sip coffee or beer, listen to musicians play, socialize, play chess, etc. In American cities, the central roundabouts have been mostly dedicated to automobile traffic, unfortunately.
Back in 2011, local architect Charles Gordon wrote, “We know that Niagara Square was originally envisioned as THE Civic arrival lobby for the City. Its ceremonial purpose far outweighed its use as major traffic artery; like its great European predecessors, Niagara Square served as a place to celebrate, to gather, NOT just to get from one place to another.”
The ongoing success of Food Truck Thursdays should be an indicator that it is time to re-examine Niagara Square’s role as an urban piazza-style setting, with traffic calming, cobblestone crosswalks, and more amenities such as café tables and chairs, music, flowers, chess sets… there is so much low hanging fruit to pick, as well as longer term projects that would restore the Square back to its original role as a public square dedicated to the good people of Buffalo.
Hopefully, the micro food truck rodeo will lead to bigger and better urbanist projects and events. So be sure to support the food trucks, and show the City that we appreciate the initiative.
“Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with us this week as we kickoff another season of Food Truck Thursdays in Niagara Square,” stated Mayor Brown. “Buffalo’s food truck industry was hit hard during the pandemic with smaller crowds and decreased revenues. We are pleased to welcome them back and invite residents to show their continued support by taking part in this popular summer-time lunch event.”
The first Food Truck Thursdays of 2022 will be happening Thursday, May 5th from 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, from May through October. Today’s featured vendors include: K Café, Maria’s Bene Cibo, Mineo & Sapio Street Eats, Polish Villa, Street Café.
Below is the 2022 list of participating food truck vendors.
- Anderson’s Carnivorous
- Coyote Café
- Fat Bob’s
- Green Acres Ice Cream Just Pizza
- K Café
- KT Caribbean Cuisine* Maria’s Bene Cibo
- Mineo & Sapio Street Eats Pizza Amore
- Polish Villa Street Café Sun Roll*
- Sweet Lisa
- The Blend
- The Cereal Spot*
- The Cheesy Chick The Great Aussie Bite Tomaso’s
* First time participants in Food Truck Thursdays
