drew wrote >>
From my perspective, I may go out with a particular taco truck in mind, but I go with the awareness that if one is closed there'll be 3 or 4 open nearby.
That's my view of it as well.





I'm just gonna lay this news on this thread -
Los Potosinos has moved! They announced on FB that they were moving to the Family Dollar parking lot on High St at the corner of HIgh & 4th. This is their new PERMANENT location.
According to one of my twitter peeps, who has gone over there this evening - they will have chicken every day and will be opening at 11am.
This is huge, huge news. Huge.
HUGE. So. Damn. Awesome!!
There is now good cheap mexican food right in front of Surly Girl? Awesome. That area of High St is becoming my favorite part of the Short North.
I can't see this location not working for them.
Twixlen said:
I'm just gonna lay this news on this thread -Los Potosinos has moved! They announced on FB that they were moving to the Family Dollar parking lot on High St at the corner of HIgh & 4th. This is their new PERMANENT location.
According to one of my twitter peeps, who has gone over there this evening - they will have chicken every day and will be opening at 11am.
This is huge, huge news. Huge.
They'll be there today from 11am - late for gallery hop, but from my conversations with them last night it sounds like their set hours moving forward are up in the air. I get the impression that they're going to take the next month to get a feel for the location, see when they get the most business, and then go from there.
That said... Los Potosinos in the SN? Oh hells yeah!
I know where I am going at gallery hop! Pretty big news and a great addition to the Short North.
I have been wanting to try a taco truck, now I will have no excuse. That is a great location. It will definitely add to Gallery Hop!
Hopefully they will have extended evening hours for the bar crowds in the area.
They won't be open today.
"BUENOS DIAS AMIGOS!!!******OK.WE CANT OPEN TODAY..HAVE PROBLEMS OUT THE MY HANDS..WE TELL YOU WHEN..gracias."
Yep. They thought they had things worked out with the management at the Family Dollar, but someone higher up in management saw them there today and completely FLIPPED OUT over it.
We're trying to get them set up by Brother's Drake (5th & High) for this evening, but nothing's certain yet.
Bummer for them. Pretty much the only thing going for that parking lot. :-\
drew said:
Yep. They thought they had things worked out with the management at the Family Dollar, but someone higher up in management saw them there today and completely FLIPPED OUT over it.
I'd say the irony in this statement falls somewhere in the 5-10 megaton range...
Family Dollar upper management - defenders of culture and taste.
Positioning near Brothers Drake is a good idea, at least for the short term. They can work together to keep everyone's palate happy.
catnfiddle said:
Positioning near Brothers Drake is a good idea, at least for the short term.
The very short term, as it turns out. The owner of the Brothers Drake building showed up and raised a handful of issues (access, permits, etc.), many of which turned out after he'd left to be questionable at best. But the end result of that and the Family Dollar situation was that the Potosinos crew concluded that they weren't welcome in the Short North. They've gone back to their original location.
If you're the owner of a business in the area and you'd, oh, I don't know, like some people to come and make delicious food and increase your foot traffic for free, I'd suggest you let the Potosinos folks know that they'd be welcome. Given how much social-media buzz their one-day visit created, it strikes me as a golden opportunity.
Lame doesn' even begin to describe this news. We grabbed Los Potosinos Sat. at Bros Drake and thought it was an excellent addition to the SN. First time trying this truck and LOVED the chicken, I hope they can get a SN location worked out.
Also, that Family Dollar has a Huge parking lot, they can afford to give up some real estate.
*HUGE SIGH* - These guys deserve a damn break, already. They've been in the business of truck-food longer than most, they have an excellent product, and they are *such* solid folks. That someone wouldn't want them at their business is purely ridiculous.
I think the thing that holds them back is not having enough business to make it worth doing the chicken every day. Yet the chicken is their biggest draw.
It seems to me that Bros Drake did an event with one of the food trucks at some point?
And yeah, Family Dollar isn't exactly holding down the corner with high class - if anything a truck might bring some new folks to their door.
Way to be short-sighted Family Dollar. Why not just hire people to shoo away customers in the parking lot instead?
Mister Shifter said:
Way to be short-sighted Family Dollar. Why not just hire people to shoo away customers in the parking lot instead?
Do you really think a lunch time taco truck sitting in its parking lot would have much positive effect on the foot traffic going into the Family Dollar, or negative effect if it wasn't there? Probably not a lot people have a need to combine their taco run with a spontaneous urge to buy a $2.95 wisk broom and cough syrup.
I could see the Taco Truck benefiting from the Famuly Dollar traffic though, as great smelling food could create a spontaneous urge to chow.
I think it is business 101 that any foot traffic is good for retail business. I can see people ducking into the Family Dollar waiting for a line to die down and emerging with a bunch of assorted items. Heck, a lot of the time I end up forgetting the Family Dollar is there and end up driving to Target. Half of advertising is getting people to know that you exist and where you are located.
I recall SNBA having a pretty exclusionary stance on food carts during gallery hop (that is the only time they have power over them) and I was welcoming this as a food truck beyond their control since it is on private property.
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/snba-or-snra
I am disappointed that proper permission was not attained before Los Potosinos made the annoucement. I think I can understand a building owner being upset that unauthorized people are making decisions - you have to show some respect and include stakeholders in decisions like these. I think it might have gone better if it had been more organized and done through the proper channels.
Personally, I think that location would be successful even if the food truck had to pay a reasonable rent.
Regardless, there is a taco truck not too far away at the corner of 5th and Summit. I still want one in the SN.
I think it's also business 101 that would suggest never cast your lot with Family Dollar.
Ha Ha, oh people.
Large chains like family dollar have whole office suites of lawyers on retainer to prevent any possibility of being sued or otherwise avoid trouble. If a store manager (I don't even know if it's a franchise?) wanted to allow someone to sell food in their parking lot (which I would bet goes against store policies), the higher-ups back in Charlotte then decide how much revenue that would generate versus the amount it would cost for all those lawyers to draft up a policy, indemnity agreements, etc. - make sure there are no city/zoning health regulations, etc. Then there's the insurance (yes, it would have to go on whatever property insurance they have, possibly as a rider).... you get my drift.
Ah, if only life was a simple as the friendly neighborhood shopkeep letting yummy tacos be sold in his parking lot.
You must log in to post.