Food truck court opens in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Columbus woman with a vision has transformed an empty lot into a business.
At the old Carts and Clubs, a food court has now been established.
“I think people just need to get outside and enjoy sunshine and spend time together more. And we don’t have places like that in Columbus,” said Jill Lehrkamp, the owner of Columbus Food Court and Market.
Jill Lehrkamp said she first thought of the idea during COVID, and last month, that dream finally came to life.
“I was really proud that our community supported the vendors like they did. All the vendors sold out in less than three hours. Most of them had never done that before, so that was fantastic,” said Lehrkamp.
“We were so overwhelmed with the Columbus population and how many people wanted this type of business in the area. And literally every food truck was running out of food. We were serving so many people,” said Danielle Kidd, a food truck worker.
Danielle Kidd works for Big Daddy’s Snack Machine.
Usually, they serve at the Columbus Air Force base, but now, demand has them moving into the city.
“People kept coming to us, and going ‘Hey, are you going to go to the Columbus food court? Are you going to go to the Columbus food court?’ And we kind of took it as a sign that Columbus wanted to see us off the Base and into the city, so it’s been great,” said Kidd.
On the menu – rice bowls, walking tacos, loaded French fries, and more.
Right now, three trucks rotate through the lot, but Lehrkamp hopes to expand.
“I would love to have three to four food trucks there everyday. And on the weekends and Fridays and Saturdays, I want to have a market where people can sell their fruits and vegetables and their bread and whatever else it is that they want to sell,” said Lehrkamp.
Saturday will be the first day vendors will be at the market.
The market opens on Saturday morning at 8.
You can find more information about the Columbus Food Court and Market and its partners on its Facebook page.
