Clinton Square is a popular spot for outdoor activities — from ice skating in the winter to festivals in the summer. And last year, it added weekly food truck rallies to the calendar every Wednesday from May through September.
"It's been fun to see people coming down. People who come every week, people that are brown baggers and they're excited to have these different, new things to try," said Nick Sanford, the president of the Syracuse Food Truck Association. “Syracuse is a huge community, and we're just happy to be part of it."
A change in food truck regulations allowed for food truck rodeos in Clinton Square in 2019, but some downtown businesses said it had unintended consequences and took away from their lunch business.
City leaders are reevaluating the food truck ordinances.
"We know they create a vibrant community,” said Eric Ennis, the director of Business Development For the City of Syracuse. “We want to work together with both business owners and with food truck operators to make sure that we can create the most amount of opportunity. We think they're a great source of entrepreneurship, as well. We look forward to continuing this process."
Some changes that could be coming include adding late-night programming so food trucks could serve customers when bars close. The city is also considering adding locations across Syracuse, with an eye on city parks or areas with fewer restaurants.
"In many locations, food trucks are used to activate a space or draw attention to an area, so one easy place that comes to mind is actually across from the Centro hub,” said Merike Treier, the executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. “That's the southern end of downtown Syracuse. It’s one location where there are not as many food options and there’s a huge population that’s coming through the bus terminal hub."
The Syracuse Food Truck Association said people who live and work in downtown Syracuse support the event and want to see it continue as is. They are asking to serve lunch in Clinton Square for 21 days out of the year.
“We’ve been hearing from so many different people — people that work downtown, people that literally just go downtown for this event, because there are trucks that they like there or they like the variety or they meet friends and family that work downtown,” said Sanford. “It’s in Syracuse and it's all of the people in Syracuse but it’s also bringing people from all around there.”
City officials are reviewing the ordinances. Any changes would have to be approved by the common council. Any revisions would go into effect before this upcoming food truck season, city leaders say.