By STEVEN VIERA
Staff Writer
RED BANK — On Aug. 25, the Borough Council discussed the possibility of allowing up to two food trucks to operate in Red Bank based on interest from members of the community.
“The idea was not to have a zoning change for roving lunch trucks; that was never in the cards,” Mayor Pasquale Menna said. “The idea was that the council wanted to authorize a [request for proposals] for the issuance of two permits, at least provisionally — one on the east side and one on the west side.”
Menna elaborated that the food trucks would be designated a particular parking spot and cited Marine Park as a possible location so that visitors could have the opportunity to buy a casual snack or meal, while he pointed out that other concession venues in Red Bank’s parks have been lucrative ventures.
“The ice cream shop at Riverside Gardens Park is an extraordinary commercial success,” he said, referring to Gracie and the Dudes, which opened in the park in July.
Residents have approached him with “much interest” about food trucks in Red Bank so that the borough could compete with nearby towns like Asbury Park.
Councilman Mark Taylor, liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee, and Councilman Michael Whelan, liaison to the Parking Committee, plan to meet with their committees and members of the business community to discuss the possibility of licensing food trucks and report their findings at the Borough Council’s next meeting on Sept. 14.
