Fort Gratiot couple plans to bring food truck fleet to Port Huron

A Fort Gratiot couple plans to bring a food truck fleet to Port Huron, providing a permanent place for trucks to park their business.

Matt Falls, who owns the Blue Water Fleet Co with his wife, Ashlyn Falls, is planning to open a food truck lot at 1201 Fourth St., a half-grassy, half-paved lot next to the former Grand Trunk Marketplace, now Storehouse, with views of Desmond Landing and the St. Clair River. He hopes to have the lot open by early- or mid-June.

Falls said he plans to charge five or six food trucks a fee to park and run their business at the lot on a month-to-month basis. While the trucks could travel to events during their lease, they can use the lot as a home base to have regular business hours and attract customers.

Falls said he also plans to install games like cornhole and host small events, such as music from local musicians.

If food trucks have a central location, it's easier for them them attract customers, Falls said. The lot will also provide a variety of food and an opportunity for customers to discover new trucks.

"It's just going to draw people to all the different food trucks," Falls said. "And even if one customer knows about one food truck, they might not know about the other. So, it's going to bring in good variety and just be a good little marketing piece for the food trucks and try to gain more business for them."

Falls said Wednesday he has several trucks who have verbally committed, and are in conversations with more who are interested.

He got the idea for the Blue Water Fleet Co after visiting Traverse City and seeing their food truck fleet.

"The little fleet up in Traverse City was packed all the time because they made it that family-friendly fun," Falls said. "They had little games on the side like cornhole and stuff that we plan on doing. And they just made it a little fun environment, and that's the same thing we want to do too."

Melissa Monikean, owner of Lucky Lunch, said she is excited to partner with Falls and park her truck at the lot.

While she has put the truck on the back burner for the past year, she is excited to park her truck at a place where she will get more consistent business. In the past, she did mostly private events and festivals, which were sometimes spotty and unstable.

Monikean said with its view of the water and ample parking, the location is beautiful, accessible and convenient.

"I think it's a fun location and will make itself its own event," she said.

While the Port Huron clerk's office said Wednesday they had not yet received any food truck permits for the property, Falls said he is planning to obtain the necessary permits with committed trucks.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Fort Gratiot couple plans to bring food truck fleet to Port Huron