Food trucks gather in Lincolnshire for summertime dining
Summer weather finally has arrived in the Northwest suburbs - and so has Lincolnshire's Food Truck Fridays outdoor dining event.
Ten mobile kitchens descended on the Lincolnshire Corporate Center, 300 Knightsbridge Parkway, during lunchtime Friday for the inaugural gathering of the season. Crews served lobster rolls, barbecued brisket, pita wraps and more to hungry customers, many of whom came to Lincolnshire just to eat.
"I drove in from Chicago," said Dan Duggan, who picked up two junior lobster sandwiches, a taco and fries from the aptly named Happy Lobster Truck. "I'm going to bring it back; my wife's at home."
Highland Park resident Roman Korol enjoyed a hamburger and french fries from Rogue Curbside Kitchen.
"I don't really get the chance to get food from food trucks very often," Korol said between bites.
A dozen trucks have signed up for this year's series, which is sponsored by the village. That's a few more than participated in 2017.
In addition to the Happy Lobster Truck, vendors on site Friday included Best Truckin' BBQ, Toasty Cheese Mobile Eatery and Grill Chasers.
Most of Grill Chasers' business is corporate catering, owner Gary Steinberg said, but his team never misses a Food Truck Friday.
"We love it," Steinberg said. "This has always been solid."
Food Truck Fridays began in 2013 as a one-day event during the annual Taste of Lincolnshire celebration. It expanded to a larger schedule and moved to the corporate center in 2015, hosting seven trucks that first summer.
Van Vlissingen & Co., a Lincolnshire company that owns and manages properties in the corporate center, provides the space at no cost to the village.
Trucks will gather from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every other Friday through August. Events are scheduled June 8 and 22, July 6 and 20, and Aug. 3, 17 and 31.
Admission is free. Some seating and tables are available, but many people bring their own blankets or chairs.
Tonya Zozulya, Lincolnshire's economic development coordinator, said it's been exciting to see Food Truck Fridays evolve into a seasonal event with "a unique vibe."
"It's definitely become a summertime fixture in Lincolnshire," she said.