Dearborn Creates $29 Million Parks Network to Boost Food Trucks and Community Spirit

As food trucks have multiplied across the country, customers have embraced them enthusiastically — much to the frustration of brick-and-mortar restaurants.

In 2023, the United States boasted nearly 53,000 food trucks, reflecting a nearly 20% increase from 2022, according to IBIS World, which tracks thousands of industries. And there are no signs of it slowing down: This trend of rapid growth has been consistent over the past five years.

California, Texas, and Florida lead the country with hundreds of food trucks each. However, not all regions have been as accommodating, setting up roadblocks to food truck operations. Some cities have imposed restrictions on where food trucks can operate, limited their hours, and charged fees that operators say discourage their business.

Entrepreneurs from cities like Chicago and New Orleans have long tussled with city governments that often prioritize the interests of established restaurant owners over mobile vendors.

On the other hand, some municipalities view food trucks as an opportunity to support fledgling businesses that might evolve into permanent establishments, ultimately boosting local tax revenue. 

But other municipalities have opened their arms to food trucks, seeing them as ways to support fledgling businesses that might eventually open permanent spots — and provide more tax revenue. While some still require food trucks to hunt for space in parking lots, on service drives, and on crowded streets, others are carving out dedicated locations for them. 

Dearborn’s Peace Parks: a new home for food trucks

In Dearborn, Michigan, adjacent to Detroit, city officials have taken a proactive approach to embrace food trucks. On a windy September Friday, they inaugurated the first of three new Peace Parks, designed to be vibrant community hubs.

Abdullah Hammoud, the 34-year-old mayor, envisioned these grant-funded parks as places where residents of all ages could buy food, shop for crafts, enjoy live music, and spend time outdoors with friends and family.

“We’re trying to create a network of sister parks,” Hammoud told Food & Wine. “That is what bolsters a community: places where friends can gather, where neighbors share stories, where entrepreneurs have an opportunity to blossom,” These parks, referred to as “third spaces” in economic development terms, aim to provide communal gathering spots distinct from home and work.

The first park, transformed from a two-acre vacant lot in downtown Dearborn, was followed in November by a second park to the east, on the former grounds of Dearborn City Hall. A third park is under construction to the south. In all, the parks will cost $29.2 million to create. 

A foodie mayor and a culinary hub

Mayor Hammoud, a self-proclaimed foodie, is clearly fired up about the culinary potential in Dearborn, a city of about 107,000 with one of the largest concentrations of Arab-Americans in the U.S. Known for his love of showcasing local cuisine, you can ask him for recommendations, and he’ll rattle off a list of places that range from ribs to Turkish food, coffee shops, and pastry places serving versions of the viral Dubai chocolate bars.  

“We have new businesses setting up across the roadway because the park was placed here,” Hammoud said. “They have an opportunity to open up within this park, to sell their product, sell their food, to show what they have to offer.”

The emphasis on food trucks was clear at the park’s opening ceremony. Signs reading “Your Food Truck Here” were prominently displayed, while vendors like Jabak Coffee House served espresso drinks to order, along with desserts and snacks; meanwhile, Mia’s Flower Truck offered fall bouquets. Catering teams circulated with plates of grape leaves, pita sandwiches, and sweets.

The second park’s ceremony featured Corn on the Corner, a rising star in Dearborn’s culinary scene. It has grown from a single truck parked at a gas station to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, serving hot chicken sliders, bountiful grilled cheese sandwiches, and corn off the cob, with various toppings. 

Dedicated food truck spaces are a model for growth

The dedicated food truck spots in the Peace Parks were inspired by the trucks’ ad hoc use of parks around the city. Seeing the trucks pop up around town, Dearborn officials decided to offer them dedicated spaces with electrical outlets and a streamlined permitting structure that would make it easier for them to operate.

While details like fee structures and vendor capacity are still being finalized, city officials are cautious about ensuring trucks can meet demand without frustrating customers or overshadowing nearby restaurants. For now, food trucks are integrated into city events, such as park dedications, but Dearborn officials have long-term plans to include them in festivals, on private properties, and in other public spaces.

A broader vision for Dearborn’s culinary scene

Dearborn’s food trucks are also bolstered by new ventures like The Canteen at Midtown, a fully halal food hall with a commissary kitchen and a food truck park hosting six vendors in its parking lot. 

They include The Munch Box, with burgers and sliders; The Terry Melt, with patty and steak melts; The Chicken Coupe, which serves chicken and waffles; The Bistro Box, with Italian food; Amo Sami’s Shawarma, with shawarma sandwiches and Fratelli’s Eateries, which makes pizza in a wood-fired oven.

Inside the food hall, businesses such as Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffee chain that started on Dearborn’s east side, continue to expand. “He’s got requests for hundreds around the globe,” Hammoud said of the chain’s founder, which now boasts 20 U.S. locations.

Once known for Ford Motor Company’s massive Rouge manufacturing complex, which employed more than 100,000 people at its peak during World War II, Dearborn is embracing its evolution. And while its food businesses may not employ the tens of thousands that Ford once did, they are quickly becoming the heart and soul of Dearborn’s 21st-century economy.