SUMTER, S.C. — It’s Tasty Tuesday in Sumter, which means food trucks are stationed at a popular park in town.
his initiative is part of the tourism department’s goal to promote local businesses by connecting them with the community.
Tasty Tuesday at Swan Lake Iris Gardens means that Sumter residents can grab a savory treat or a sweet treat from local food trucks.
“Grilled cheese and I got a patty melt,” Kevin Smith explains about what he got from the Ready2Rumble truck.
Smith and his wife Rita come to Swan Lake with their granddaughter regularly.
“We love one swan lake,” Rita shares.
This time, they stumbled upon Tasty Tuesday.
“It's just a really nice mid-day treat,” Sumter Tourism Manager Kristin Milan explains.
Milan says this idea started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to help local businesses connect with the community in a safe way with social distancing and fresh air.
“We had a lot of people reach out and ask us if we could do it again. We had vendors reach out but we also had guests that come to the park reach out,” Milan details. “We get everybody out here and it's just a really nice park and it really ties the community together.”
Each scheduled Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., two food trucks come out like Kenneth Bolser with Ready2Rumble, who started his business three years ago.
“I thought I was bored,” Bolser remembers.
He had run other restaurants before and wanted a new adventure, so he started the food truck and has been learning new lessons along the way.
“It seems like the restaurants you can kinda plan, you know your menu and what you needed to have prepared,” Bolser tells me. “It don’t work that way on a food trailer. If you got beef, they want pork. If you have plenty of pork, they want chicken. If you have plain chicken, they want beef so you never know really what to fix.”
But the Smiths tell me one thing is for sure: they want Tasty Tuesdays to stick around.
“We love it,” Rita smiles. “We wish they’d do it every day.”
It’s a sentiment shared by local vendors.
“The city and the county [are] really trying to provide a space for local businesses to feel comfortable and reaching out and feel comfortable in helping with promoting businesses,” Milan explains.
It’s Tasty Tuesday in Sumter, which means food trucks are stationed at a popular park in town. This initiative is part of the tourism department’s goal to promote local businesses by connecting them with the community.
Tasty Tuesday at Swan Lake Iris Garden means that Sumter residents can grab a savory treat or a sweet treat from local food trucks.
“Grilled cheese and I got a patty melt,” Kevin Smith explains about what he got from the Ready2Rumble truck.
Smith and his wife Rita come to Swan Lake with their grand-daughter regularly.
“We love one swan lake,” Rita shares.
This time, they stumbled upon Tasty Tuesday.
“It's just a really nice mid-day treat,” Sumter Tourism Manager Kristin Milan explains.
Milan says this idea started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to help local businesses connect with the community in a safe way with social distancing and fresh air.
“We had a lot of people reach out and ask us if we could do it again. We had vendors reach out but we also had guests that come to the park reach out,” Milan details. “We get everybody out here and it's just a really nice park and it really ties the community together.”
Each scheduled Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., two food trucks come out like Kenneth Bolser with Ready2Rumble, who started his business three years ago.
“I thought I was bored,” Bolser remembers.
He had run other restaurants before and wanted a new adventure, so he started the food truck and has been learning new lessons along the way.
“It seems like the restaurants you can kind of plan, you know your menu and what you needed to have prepared,” Bolser tells me. “It don’t work that way on a food trailer. If you got beef, they want pork. If you have plenty of pork, they want chicken. If you have plain chicken, they want beef so you never know really what to fix.”
But the Smiths tell me one thing is for sure: they want Tasty Tuesdays to stick around.
“We love it,” Rita smiles. “We wish they’d do it every day.”
It’s a sentiment shared by local vendors.
“The city and the county [are] really trying to provide a space for local businesses to feel comfortable and reaching out and feel comfortable in helping with promoting businesses,” Milan explains.
To check the Tasty Tuesday schedule, you can visit LoveSumter.com.