Food trucks rolling in L.B. this week

The city’s highly anticipated new food truck market, called the Shoregasboard, kicks off this week.

Beginning Thursday, and running through Monday, Sept. 2, the Shoregasboard will be located at Riverside Boulevard and the beach, seven days a week.

The initiative is part of an effort by the city to help local businesses recover after Hurricane Sandy, and features a variety of food from local hot spots that, to date, include the Beach House, Long Beach Wellness, Lido Kosher Deli, Sugo, Swingbellys, Tutti Frutti, Villaggio and the Whale’s Tale.

“The food truck craze has been spreading across the country with great success,” said City Council President Scott Mandel. “Residents and visitors have long expressed an interest for more food options by the beach. This seemed like a natural fit and progression for the city.”

For restaurants hit hard during the storm, the problems were two-fold. First, like many who are struggling, they had to rebuild their businesses and fight for the funding to do so. But they also had the added problem of lost revenue; many restaurants lost months of income before they could reopen and are now working at a deficit, business owners said. The ones who couldn’t afford to cover the costs for repairs were forced to close, and many said that this summer season could be make or break for many businesses.

“The purpose [of the market] is to give our restaurants, who have had such a rough winter, a chance to capitalize,” said Billy Kupferman, a founder of Project Pay it Forward and a member of the Barrier Island Alliance, the organization that brought the idea to the city.

There has been a large push, especially in the months since Sandy, to shop locally and support local businesses, Kupferman said, adding that local revenue creates more jobs for local teens and keeps the city running.

The city had previously announced that if additional spaces were available in the food truck market, it might consider allowing outside business to operate there. But for now, the city is focusing on local eateries.

“Our primary responsibility and focus is to promote our local businesses, and for that reason, they have the first opportunity to participate,” said Mandel.