The outdoor dining season has gotten underway in fine fashion. The Memorial Day weekend brought spectacular weather to Rhode Island, and terraces, sidewalks, decks and patios were prime real estate for dining up and down the shoreline.
This year, however, there is another option vying for our dining dollar. Food trucks and events featuring the mobile kitchens have come into their own.
Eric Weiner’s PVD Food Truck Events service has become a popular one-stop source for food trucks to turn out for everything from backyard birthday parties to wedding receptions and truck-centric festivals.
Weiner oversaw the gathering of trucks as Munroe Dairy began its second season in East Providence at the Sacred Cow Ice Cream Shop with its Food Truck Fundays.
“The last couple of years we have been very fortunate in helping bring people and community events together, but I feel like this year we feel a noticeable uptick [in the number of requests for trucks and events],” Weiner said.
Based on his experience of listing hundreds of food trucks across the country in his web database at foodtrucksin.com, Weiner said there are more food trucks in Rhode Island than ever before in the decade or so since they became popular. By his estimate, the ratio of new trucks to those who are shifting to brick-and-mortar operations is 2-1.
The featured truck at the East Providence gathering was Twisted T’s. Proprietor Tiffany Manzi specializes in what she calls “gourmet bread cones,” which she says are somewhat like a doughboy wrapped with a savory or sweet filling, from cinnamon to spicy shrimp “bang-bang” style.
Weiner pointed out the positive aspect of knowing that our dining dollars are going to support 20 local small businesses and 30 local musicians over the food truck season, as PVD Food Truck events always feature live music by local performers.
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THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Diners take advantage of a recent Food Truck Funday at Munroe Dairy’s Sacred Cow Ice Cream Shop in East Providence.
COURTESY BRUCE NEWBURY[/caption]
Not everyone is enthused about food truck gatherings or outdoor dining. This year, one of the original outdoor options that is credited with saving the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic met some headwinds.
The Federal Hill Commerce Association began its Al Fresco on the Hill dining but with limitations. The European-style outdoor dining format started in the summer of 2020 when the pandemic forced restaurants to change their dining strategy. Some restaurateurs objected to the attention the outdoor places received, claiming their business suffered, so the business group voted in February to limit the number of days that Atwells Avenue would be closed to traffic for outdoor dining. This year, the street will only be open for outdoor dining on 14 Saturdays, which began Memorial Day weekend.
Rick Simone, association president, pointed to evidence that favors the alfresco experience. He said that when the pandemic hit, Atwells Avenue had nine empty storefronts and that number grew to 16 within four months. Now, he said, Atwells Avenue has only two vacancies. Five new restaurants are opening their doors or will open by the end of June. They are: The Patio; Island House Grille & Bar; Saint; Mona Lisa; and Federal Hill Café.
“Federal Hill continues to grow as a destination and we are excited to welcome these small-business owners to the Hill,” Simone said.
Twenty-five restaurants and five retailers will be set up in the center of Atwells Avenue as part of Al Fresco on the Hill. The thoroughfare will be closed to traffic from Dean Street to America Street between 5 p.m. and midnight, and, Simone said, there will be two entertainment stages and aerialist and roving performers this year.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, can be heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
