Tucson’s Sunshine Mile, the stretch of East Broadway that runs from Euclid Avenue to Country Club Road, now has a dedicated spot for food trucks.
The Sunshine Mile Business Association is using the empty lot at 2419 E. Broadway, just west of Tucson Boulevard, as a staging ground for their very own version of a food truck roundup, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. every Friday.
The new venture occupies the space left behind by the Panda Buffet Chinese restaurant, which closed in September 2012. The city razed the building earlier this year, citing extensive vandalism and theft since the restaurant’s closure.
The business association worked with the city to acquire the proper permits for a regular food truck event. Food truck operators who take part pay the association a percentage of the profits they earn from their time on Broadway.
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Regulars, so far, include Jozarelli’s Italian Street Food, BurgerRito, Ahiska Turkish Food, Fire Engine Dogs and Gigi’s Mexican & Peruvian Fusion.
“It has really started to build,” said Monica Hay Cook, owner of the Deco boutique and acting president of the business association. “We are trying to get more people to recognize the area. The trucks are a great addition.”
Joseph Sotomayor, owner of Jozarelli’s, has been bringing his truck to the Sunshine Mile every Friday for the past month.
“It has been working out pretty good for us,” Sotomayor said. “We have employees coming from the businesses across the street, and there is so much traffic pouring through on Broadway. It is a good thing for everybody.”
If things go well, Cook said the potential is there to expand to other days of the week.
“We’ll see how it grows and develops,” Cook said. “We are still new. We want to see where it goes.”
