Now official: ‘Mobile Chowdown’ will be in West Seattle next

Food-truck fans, mark your calendars: Exactly one month after we first reported that the next “Mobile Chowdown” food-truck roundup was likely to be in West Seattle, organizers say they’ve finally finalized the plan, and the trucks are on the way. October 2nd is the date, The Junction is the place – open to all ages, unlike some past Chowdowns. We’ll be checking today for any additional details; organizer Michi Suzuki told us last month that they hoped for more than 20 trucks. California will close for the occasion, Edmunds to Oregon.

JanS August 25, 2011 (9:42 am)

YAY!

biankat August 25, 2011 (10:16 am)

Woot!

Aman August 25, 2011 (10:30 am)

Does this “Mobile Chowdown event undermine the existing sit-down and take-out restaurants in the Junction and surrounding areas? I wonder how they perceive this?

Perhaps IF it drives increased hungry & thirsty consumers to the vicinity it could be a “win-win?” Hmmmmmmm…….

WSB August 25, 2011 (10:53 am)

Aman, they’re working with the West Seattle Junction Association, which represents the merchants in the area, so I would hope any such issue had already been worked out. It’s also only a one-day event, and past editions have drawn a ton of people, so here’s hoping that some of them decide to divert to area restaurants, and/or come back for them! It’s a chance to bring people from elsewhere in the city here to at least have a look at “Downtown West Seattle” … TR

Gina August 25, 2011 (11:11 am)

Since it is a Sunday, and Farmer’s Market day, I wouldn’t worry about business being driven away. During the street festival, with all the food being served in the street, there were still lines out the doors of Junction eateries.

YarnCore August 25, 2011 (11:48 am)

It seems to be a constant issue people take with food trucks, that it draws business away from restaurants. I feel as though they are two separate things entirely. When I want to sit down to a meal, I sit down to a meal in a restaurant. When I want to grab something quick, a food truck is great! It’s better than giving my money for unhealthy food at a fast food chain. Also, I likely wouldn’t have gone down to the junction to eat a restaurant that day, but with this, I will come down there and may stay and have cocktails in one or two.

foyboy August 25, 2011 (1:23 pm)

Hey I have eat at some of these food trucks. Let me tell you that just because its a food truck the food must be good, WRONG. Like any others place to eat the food can be just as bad. Just because it is some kind of fad we all must run to be seen at the food truck. Then get burned with a bad buritto. So becarefull what you get. Remember you get exactly what you pay for. Oh and bring the peptoe.

YarnCore August 25, 2011 (2:12 pm)

Yeah, not all food trucks are awesome, but there are some really good ones. Tell me where else downtown I can get delicious kalua pork other than at Pai’s on Wednesdays? Or go to a truck shaped like a pig and have an amazing bbq sandwich? Yes, there have been bad food trucks, but there are some really innovative and delicious ones (Marination Mobile, anyone?) and while it is a fad, it is a fad for a reason.

WestSeagirl August 25, 2011 (4:17 pm)

Amon, if a restaurant in the Junction and surrounding areas made a taco as good as Marination does, I’d eat it. But no one does so I couldn’t be happier that the chowdown is coming here!

dawsonct August 25, 2011 (4:38 pm)

Why do you care, foyboy? Afraid of the competition?
competition is good, by the way, for the consumer.
If your restaurant isn’t good enough to compete against mobile fast-food, it isn’t the fault of the person running the food truck.
If a business is bad, people discover soon enough and stop giving them their money and it disappears.
Your warning that SOME food trucks MAY NOT be as good as others is really quite ridiculous, but thanks for the heads-up. I’ll keep that in mind as I’m stuffing tacos de lengua into my face.
—
Maybe after whatever lousy B & M restaurant you are concerned about fails, a REAL food person will take it over, to the benefit of the neighborhood, living in harmony with an occasional food truck nearby.

dawsonct August 25, 2011 (4:41 pm)

Hula-Hoop was a fad, I’d say food trucks in Seattle is more of a movement.
Get used to it.

sam-c August 26, 2011 (9:25 am)

I always find the complaints against food trucks funny because they solve the eternal West Seattle restaurant complaint: kids ruining the atmosphere. if I can get a food made fast to go that we can eat on our porch, at the park, (sans cheap plastic toy), and it’s affordable, I’m happy and my son is very happy with his pork slider.

the food trucks are not taking business away from West Seattle restaurants, they are taking business away from McDonalds.

If we want to go to a restaurant, we do.

Aman August 26, 2011 (11:28 am)

Best case scenario: “all boats will rise with the tide” with the increased consumer traffic visiting the Junction and ALL restaurants will benefit.

sam-c, as a parent and a former kid myself I don’t think kids ruin the atmosphere of a dine-in restaurant. Occasionally, parents who do NOT teach their kids how to behave in a public venue some times do.

sam-c August 26, 2011 (12:53 pm)

Aman- I don’t think kids ruin the atmosphere either, and definitely agree that kids should stay at the table, and behave too (and enforce that always, which gets easier as time goes on). i was just referring to all the complaints that typically follow the announcement of a new family friendly restaurant in WS. “why can’t it be a pub, open to 21+ only- there aren’t enough places in WS where kids are not allowed!”
however, sometimes I am a) too tired to make dinner therefore b) to tired to enforce behavior during a 1 hour sit down meal. so we end up at the taco truck! which is fine by me. i think this event will be fun. can’t wait.

pjk August 30, 2011 (12:02 pm)

If you travel to Italy, it is a well known fact that if you want to eat on the cheap, you eat standing and if you want to pay more, you eat at a sit down restaurant! It hasn’t hurt their reputation or the fact that I would go back to Italy just to eat! It’s another choice. Sorry I will be out of town for the Chow Down.

Sorry, comment time is over.