Hubbard Food Truck Park causes economic boost

KWTX
By Ally Kadlubar
Published: Apr. 26, 2023 at 12:17 PM CST

HUBBARD, Texas (KWTX) - The City of Hubbard opened a food truck park a year ago to give people more meal options, and the city said it actually sparked an economic boost for the small community.

Food trucks have been passing through Hubbard for a few years, but, when the city opened the lot, it became a hot spot for both food trucks and residents.

“We don’t have to go as far,” Kathy Baker, who works in Hubbard, said. “It’s definitely a lot more convenient.”

A year ago, Baker would have to drive nearly 30 minutes or more to find more food options for lunch or dinner.

“There were really only a couple of places to go, like just fast food kind of places and a taco stand, one restaurant...” Baker said.

The city started bringing in food trucks to the City Hall parking lot a few years ago, but city council member and economic board of directors member, Marty Kimbrough, said it was overflowing the parking lot and interrupting the flow of the state highway. This caused the city to open an official Hubbard Food Truck Park on a corner downtown.

Kimbrough said he was amazed to see the number of trucks and people flooding the lot nearly every day. He said trucks and people come from all over the area, including Waco, Dallas, Denton and surrounding cities.

“I had people call me from Corsicana and say, ‘I’m on my way...will you be there in 30 minutes?’” Beverly Alejandro, owner of Rock and Rollin’ Grill, said. “They’ll drive from Corsicana here to eat with us.”

Many food trucks that set up on the lot also do really well in terms of profits.

“I got a lot of support here, so I come every week,” Ephraim Glueck, owner of Artisan Oven Wood Fired Pizza, said. “Most other towns I go to once a month, honestly, but there’s a demand in these small towns for something good, something unique, something more than Sonic.”

“It feels good to bring different food to the community, and the people down here treat me well,” Fred Wilson, owner of Bosses on the Move, said.

Because of the good turnout of trucks and people, Kimbrough said the city has grown substantially in terms of revenue and economic growth. He said, over the past year, he has seen an increase of about 30% in sales tax revenue.

“The sales tax they collect from the sales of food, that money comes back to our city,” Kimbrough said. “So we do see that boost and that benefit, and that helps into the city’s revenue. That money comes back to the community, then we can now disperse it through the right channels to put back into the community to do other things.”

He said, because of the Food Truck Park, people stop by downtown businesses and support the local stores in the area as well. Kimbrough said this is the only the beginning of economic growth for Hubbard.

He said the city plans to have movie nights and corn hole tournaments at the venue and add lights to the park.

As for the people in Hubbard, they are very appreciative that the food trucks stop by their small town so that they do not have to make multiple trips a week for great, diverse food.

“It means a lot to us because we kind of don’t feel like we’re forgotten,” Baker said. “The little towns get a little forgotten, and so it does make us feel special to have all this great food come to our area.”

The Food Truck Park Facebook page posts updates of which trucks will be on the lot and what times daily.