Food Trucks Welcomed At Wells Fargo Restaurant Desert
You’re likely familiar with the term Food Desert (“any area in the industrialized world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain”), but what about “restaurant desert” for areas where restaurants are hard to find? One such restaurant desert is the area surrounding Wells Fargo Financial Advisors.
I arrived at 11am on Tuesday March 6th and found three food trucks set up on Pine St between Beaumont St and Leffingwell Ave. Even with three bright trucks the street felt totally lifeless.
As I took the above picture a couple drove up in the red car to get pizza. Unlike the Central Business District, there are no restaurants in this area to complain about competition from the mobile food trucks. Here’s an idea, why not begin to rethink the space surrounding Wells Fargo and create small commercial storefronts serving workers and others in this area, perhaps creating a destination for other to visit?
– Steve Patterson
I’m not saying you’re not right about developing the area, but Wells Fargo has something like 3 cafeterias in their campus. I’m not sure of the quality, but their existence isn’t obvious from the sidewalk.
It may not be apparent from the sidewalk, but Wells Fargo has, I believe, 2 cafeterias and one quick-stop dining facility on their campus. It would benefit the area to have more public dining, but Wells Fargo has addressed the lack of local food options for their employees.
Corporate campuses usually have cafeterias, in part because they’ve destroyed any other option.
More like to encourage employee bonding.
And to keep workers closer to their desks. And to offer a low-priced amenity.
I love this! I work in Midtown Alley, and while it is up and coming, there aren’t a ton of quick lunch options nearby. We used to be downtown and I loved going to the food trucks. I’ll be walking or driving down to Wells Fargo to frequent the food trucks more often!
Beffa’s restaurant was (is?) right next door, practically in the parking lot.
was – they closed a few months back.
Putting up restaurants is great…if you have the half million plus to invest. Equipment is not cheap. And considering at that end of town, at this time, there is not enough traffic to support a restaurant outside of the lunch rush. Plain and simple.
And mobile trucks??? Some are great, some I wouldn’t trust to feed my dog. The sanitation is disgusting on quite a few.
Wells Fargo has interior cafes well maintained and offering lower priced menus fulled with variety. More so than any single restaurant could offer. To dismiss WF as a destroyer of neighborhoods is nuts. I ran these types of restaurants for quiet a number of years. There are so many reasons corporations want cafeterias in their buildings….it works for them and it is a benefit for the employee.
The issue isn’t WF being a bad neighbor, but why the staff aren’t staying downtown afterhours. But then after working all day, who doesn’t want to get home and relax???
Wells fargo restaurant welcome their with nice smile. I think new project of food truck is really very nice thinking. Its a pleasure for me to read this post. Thanks!
I agree 100%. There are 5000 employees here so there is no reason the area shouldn’t be more vibrant than it is. Hardly anyone leaves campus for lunch, there isn’t many places withing walking distance, and most opt for the internal cafeterias. If you walk around the area at non there is hardly any ped activity.
There are 2 items that result in the void….
1. The design of the campus. It’s inverted and is designed so that it protects it’s campus and people and doesn’t relate to its surrounding. From what people tell me when the campus was being built incrementally the neighboring area was a bit sketch. The design always feels like they are trying to keep outsiders out.
2. This is a no brainier. If you are on one of the higher floors of the building and looking east or west all you see in the foreground is a collection of surface parking lots. It’s like a blanket surrounding the campus and destroys diversity and vibrancy. Beware, Wells now has a parking problem and is looking for solutions.
It was pieced together over the last 20 years or so of vast growth. But all corporate campuses exist for one reason and one reason alone….for employees to work. No employer wants their employees going off campus…it wastes productive time, it is distracting, etc. And don’t be preaching about a good corp citizen…it is what every business does, and you would want that to for your employees. Those of you reading this now at work…..get back to work! But there is also the added deminsion of security…and not from robbers or such, but all high tech buildings: Bell tower, Wells Fargo, AB just to name a few will not let anyone through their front door without a badge. Controllling access to their buildings by design is mostly from this.
A some automobile branded company truck is being upgraded to move the restaurant menu as a cultural difference. In the face of chain restaurants and high operating costs, the local ownership of many small food companies have disappeared, catering truck industry strengthen gap.