Ellsworth may pivot to offering a weekly rotation of food trucks at its city-owned Harbor Park after receiving zero bids for two season-long vendors.
A recommendation by the city’s Harbor Commission to offer weekly food vendor slots comes as the marina, located on the Union River off Water Street, nears its peak season without any confirmed concessions services. The city previously had tried to book food vendors to operate between mid May and mid October.
Although the city has historically had only one vendor at the downtown site on Water Street, the Harbor Commission decided this year to add a second vendor given the marina’s continued popularity. The city has flirted with the idea for about a decade, the commission’s chair previously said.
But after issuing a request for proposals in early March and receiving zero bids for two food truck slots, the city is now weighing a different approach to provide dining options at the popular downtown Harbor Park, where the city’s boat ramp and marina sit on the Union River.
The new arrangement could provide marina visitors with an assortment of food options throughout the summer.
If approved by the City Council, up to two food vendors will be able to rent a waterfront space for $100 per week, beginning as early as July, according to Roddy Ehrlenbach, the city’s parks and recreation director. The fee will generate some revenue but will primarily cover the electric and water hookups that come with each space.
The city’s previous long-term food vendor paid about $600 per month, the parks director estimated.
“A lot of people go to lunch there. A lot of people were psyched about Salsa Shack and were really bummed when it left,” Ehrlenbach said, referring to a previous park vendor. “We’re trying to open the door and create an opportunity for anybody to come set up shop for a little bit and continue to provide that service on a temporary basis.”
For the past couple of years, Salsa Shack — owned by Cory LaForge, who opened a Bucksport restaurant last December — has been the park’s primary food vendor. But since opening the new restaurant, LaForge said he likely wouldn’t return to Ellsworth this summer.
Should the City Council approve the commission’s recommendation, vendors will be able to reserve their slot through a new software that will streamline the city’s reservation system, which was previously managed by paper through the city clerk’s office. The platform will be launched on July 1, Ehrlenbach said.
Ehrlenbach said he wasn’t surprised when the March bid for proposals received zero applicants. LaForge was the only vendor who applied when the city issued a bid in 2023.
“It’s a huge service to the harbor, it kind of rounds out the atmosphere of the harbor, it brings people there,” Ehrlenbach said. “Even outside the months of operation for the harbor, people go there to have their lunch, it’s just a nice place to get away and spend 30 minutes looking at the water. So we’re very much taking action that we feel will help fill that void.”