Food trucks fire up at garden centers

Garden centers are taking a new approach to the café idea, and trying out food trucks at locations all over the U.S. Here’s what a few IGCs have done so far:

Lukas Nursery in Florida held a food truck event Oct. 20 to celebrate 100 years of agriculture. Customers got a 20 percent discount with a Lukas Nursery receipt from that same day, giving shoppers a good excuse to make at least one purchase.

Roger’s Gardens in California features a food truck schedule right on their website so that customers can plan ahead. The center hosts a different food truck each Saturday and Sunday in October and November.

Buchanan’s Native Plants in Houston hosts food trucks most weekends during lunch. With everything from hot dogs to Mexican to barbeque, there’s a wide variety of cuisine. The center even has a special area for food trucks to park and plug in. The food trucks often coincide with weekend events and classes, drawing a crowd to the center.

A mutually beneficial business move for food truck operators and garden center owners, the idea is a tasty one.