Union City Food Truck Events Canceled Due to Low Attendance

Local fans of the Food Truck Mafia’s biweekly gatherings in Union City will have to head to Fremont to get their fix — for now. 

The Tuesday gatherings at James Logan High School have been postponed for the rest of the fall and winter seasons due to a combination of poor weather and low attendance, organizers said. The last event was held Tuesday, Oct. 30. 

Thursday gatherings at Union Landing were cancelled in late August, also because of low attendance, said April Bibbins of the Food Truck Mafia. 

The community was becoming “oversaturated,” she said.

Food truck gatherings became a national trend in recent years. In the Bay Area, events such as Off the Grid and Movable Feast draw hundreds to larger cities like San Francisco and San Jose.

The Food Truck Mafia was the first event company to bring such events to the Tri-City area, starting with Union City Street Eats at Union Landing in summer 2011. The events were a hit initially and spread throughout the region.

Hoping to capitalize on the fad, the Food Truck Mafia teamed up with the New Haven Teachers Association for “Logan High Street Eats” on Tuesdays starting in March.

A percentage of the profits from the Tuesday events was given to the NHTA for Measure H, which became a topic of debate on Union City Patch.

According to Bibbins, the Food Truck Mafia and the NHTA raised $6,669 during the spring months to help with the Measure H campaign.

Funds generated after the June election were routed to Logan clubs and associations.

Attendance, however, began to drop, sources said.

From June to November, the Tuesday events only generated enough for the Food Truck Mafia to donate $2,519 to the Logan choir department and $519 to the New Haven Boosters Association, Bibbins said.

Charmaine Banther, president of the NHTA, was appreciate of the Food Truck Mafia's efforts in supporting local educaiton.

“It was fabulous to have the trucks all summer long,” Banther said. “It brought a sense of community to Logan. It helped us raise money for Measure H and our schools.”

While the events have been postponed for now, Bibbins plans to return to Union City once the weather improves.

“We’re going to regroup and get more groups involved to make it bigger,” Bibbins said.

Food Truck Mafia events continue in Fremont on Wednesdays at the Niles Town Plaza, Thursdays at Washington High School and Fridays at the Mission Valley ROP campus. 

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