Food Truck Park Adds To Attractions In Mercedes
Food Truck Park Adds To Attractions In Mercedes
Ashley Gonzalez’s years of being a restaurant owner in Mercedes gave her the confidence and inspiration to do more for her community.
Teaming with her husband, Roy, she began the process in mid-2020 to bring Mercedes its own food truck park. It’s a business concept that has caught on in various Rio Grande Valley cities. The Gonzalezes conferred with the owner of a food truck park in downtown Weslaco and figured it was time to bring something similar to their hometown. On Dec. 10, they took an important step toward reaching that goal with the groundbreaking for the Queen City Food Park.
It will be located on the corner of Virginia Street and the access road running alongside the south side of Expressway 83. Community leaders joined the Gonzalezes in putting golden shovels in the dirt to mark the way for the Mercedes food park.
“It has been a long process and it has been a learning opportunity for us,’’ Roy Gonzalez said. “We persevered. We’re here today with the foundation for the (food) park.’’
With their young children nearby at the event, Ashley Gonzalez described her vision for their Queen City Food Park, which has an opening time goal of early 2022.
“We want a place that’s family friendly,’’ Ashley said. “We see a place where people can come together, not only from Mercedes, but from around the Valley.’’
Ideally Located To Serve Region
The Mercedes food park will be ideally positioned to be a place that can serve a region.
Doing business in Mercedes always brings the advantage of being located in the heart of an area whose area population has surpassed 1 million residents. The Mercedes advantage will be especially true for the food park with its immediate access to the expressway.
“We’re going to have high visibility right here on the expressway,’’ Roy Gonzalez said. “It will be will be easy to get to and in the center, (of Valley).’’
Plans call for the Queen City Food Park to start with five vendors that will provide a variety of offerings. One will be crawfish and be a continuation of the RGV Crawfish Shack that Ashley Gonzalez ran and owned for years. She recently ceded the business to an older brother so she can focus on starting up the food truck. She is switching over to having a daiquiri shop, which promises to be a good spot at the food park for relaxation and enjoying tasty cocktails.
The roughly half-acre spot will be in the construction phase for the next few months. Getting to this point for the Gonzalezes has meant having the assistance of the Development Corporation of Mercedes. The food park is the beneficiary of a federal loan program that is administered by the economic development corporation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides zero interest loans to community-based organizations like the economic development corporation, which in turn, pass those resources on to local businesses that will create and retain employment in rural areas.
Potential borrowers submit a loan application to the EDC’s board of directors. The Gonzalezes and their food park are recipients of a USDA loan, thanks to the Mercedes EDC connecting them to that opportunity. Ashley Gonzalez thanked Melissa Ramirez, the EDC’s executive director, for her assistance in making the project possible.
“We’ve been able to advance with it, (project), because of the EDC,’’ Ashley said.
She also thanked Mercedes City Manager Alberto Perez for his help through the permitting process. From here, the Gonzalezes plan to move quickly in working with their contractor to get the food park to completion before the Rio Grande Livestock Show gets going in mid-March 2022.
“We all want variety and what better way for the community to come together after the pandemic,’’ Roy Gonzalez said. “We plan to be open for the stock show.’’
Mercedes city officials at the groundbreaking said the community is eagerly awaiting the establishment of the food park.
“For the longest time I’ve been getting questions on when Mercedes is getting a food park,’’ City Commissioner Joe Martinez said. “Let the word go out, we’re getting one thanks to these young entrepreneurs, (Gonzalezes), coming back to Mercedes and giving the community something that it has been asking for.’’
- Ricardo D. Cavazos