Foodies Come Out in Droves for Food Truck Rally

Foodies rallied into the in droves for .

Six food trucks – Jacques’ Tacos, Chow Catering, Taco Mama, Franks Anatra, Ned's TravelBurgers, and El Guapo Fresh Mexican Grill – along with a cart squeezed into the market; Concrete Cuisine set up on the west porch. The Michigan Mobile Food Vendors Association sponsored the event.

By 7 p.m., halfway through the four-hour event, Market Master Shelly Mazur estimated 1,200 hungry customers had passed through the market to visit one or more of the seven food vendors. By 8 p.m. all one food truck had left were sweet potato wedges and hard-boiled eggs.

James MacPhee of Royal Oak figures he waited one hour for a $3 taco from Jacques' Tacos. MacPhee said he came to see the entertainment, the Reefermen.

“I had no idea there was going to be this big crowd,” MacPhee said. “It’s a pretty cool event, but they need more room and better organization.”

Most people didn’t know what food truck they were in line for or what was even on the menu, MacPhee speculated.

“They need to rope off lines and pass out some sort of flier so people know where to stand and what the choices are,” he said.

Bill Tarr of Royal Oak said he waited in line about 20 minutes. He bought sliders, beef brisket, pasta and two pops for his son and himself for about $17. Tarr said the food and price were good, but what he really came for was the “atmosphere.”

Mayor Jim Ellison, Mayor Pro Tem Patricia Capello and Interim City Engineer Matt Callahn were all spotted at the event.

The mayor noted he didn’t see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, but where all the people were from didn’t seem to matter as much as where they all came to—and on a Wednesday night, no less.

“This is good for Royal Oak,” Ellison said.

And the evening was good for local charities, too. Tips from Street Eats be donated to Focus HOPE, Forgotten Harvest, Michigan Humane Society and .

"We're really excited and thankful to the Royal Oak Farmers Market for allowing this event to happen," said Anthony Curis of El Guapo Fresh Mexican Grill. "We hope to make this a monthly event that brings attention to this growing industry."