The Mycenaean

The Leesville community of Westgate holds food truck gathering events at the neighborhood’s clubhouse. These events allow residents in the area to come and socialize with each other while continuing to practice social distancing measures. (Photo courtesy of tt.news.com)

Leesville Road neighborhood community, Westgate, hosts food truck events every Monday and Friday night to encourage residents to socialize and interact with one another, while socially distancing themselves. 

The Leesville community of Westgate and its residents found a way to keep neighbors and friends talking to one another while sharing some delicious food. The Westgate community allowed any licensed food truck to come in and serve customers their delicacies in the parking lot. 

Customer and resident, Abigail Trammel, a junior at Leesville Road High School, is enrolled in virtual academy, where her classes are all instructed online. Once Trammel discovered her neighborhood held food truck events on Monday and Friday nights at the neighborhood pool clubhouse, she immediately became interested. “I personally love the food truck. It is our designated day to eat out a week when it does come (typically Monday or Friday). It really brought our community together throughout quarantine and was something fun to look forward to for all of us,” wrote Trammel via text message.

Trammel claims the food truck events at the clubhouse are a smart, fun, and yet precautionary way for people within the community to come and socialize with each other. 

Due to Covid-19, customers are made to reduce further risk of any resident, food truck employee, or customer from contracting the deadly virus when the food truck events are in session.“Although the majority of people do not wear a mask when ordering or traveling to the food trucks, everyone continues to stay very distanced to ensure the safety of one another,” said Trammel. 

Today, the food truck industry is thriving due to the pandemic. With hundreds of thousands of restaurants open with only limited seating for customers, food trucks offer a locally owned, affordable, and outdoor area to eat and socialize. Trammel believes the food truck industry is prospering the most it’s ever had. “I think they [food trucks] are thriving considering that personally my family decided to support more local businesses like food trucks than chain restaurants as well as they were more reasonable then going to a restaurant because of having the capability of staying outside and more distant.” 

Overall, the food truck events taking place in Westgate introduce a fun and precautionary way to bring the people of the neighborhood together during the pandemic. Trammel and her family continue to participate in the food truck events at the clubhouse every now and notice their neighbors talking amongst themselves while enjoying a delicious meal, all the while distancing themselves to ensure the safety of each and every customer.

“I find the general idea of the food truck as a good thing for the neighborhood. Many people participate or attend the food truck when it is here and most people walk from their houses, it also brings our neighborhood together and grows our community stronger during the times of the pandemic,” said Trammel.

The Westgate community plans to hold its next food truck event at the clubhouse Friday, October 16, where friends and neighbors are welcome to enjoy a meal and socialize with one another.