New Food Truck Park for North Side

A surface parking lot at 7015 W. Capitol Dr. is poised to become Milwaukee’s newest food truck and entertainment hub.

The Food Truck Park, a project of Whitney Walker, would open next summer in a 5,160-square-foot surface lot on the edge of the Capitol Heights neighborhood.

Walker said her goal is to establish a hub for trucks to congregate in a single space instead of being “scattered throughout the city.” With a plethora of food trucks frequenting the area, she added, “every day it might be someone different.”

The park would be open six days per week and cater to the lunch crowd, according to Walker. Trucks would pay an entry fee each morning and would be able to serve from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To “keep traffic flowing” during the busy lunch hour, the park would be set up for grab-and-go, but Walker said there will be a few picnic tables for those who want to eat on-site. Once the park is established, it would host events such as live music and other entertainment, she added.

Walker, an entrepreneur in both the food and beauty industries, owns two food trucks herself. Both are branded as Texas Best Express, a style best known for its Crunchy Dog, which consists of a chili cheese hot dog topped with crushed potato chips. The trucks are based in Fargo, ND, Walker’s hometown, but would relocate to Milwaukee to operate at the park.

Walker also owns a chain of skincare facilities, Beauty Bar by Whitney, which has three locations in her home state, plus a recently-opened Milwaukee location, 7009 W. Capitol Dr., which shares a building with Ricochette, a former bar, and Harold and Ednas Carwash and Detail. All three businesses are adjacent to the site of the future food truck park.

Milwaukee is home to another food truck park, Zócalo. Located in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, the park holds up to eight food trucks and is connected to a full-service bar offering indoor and outdoor seating.

Walker said she plans to one day buy the lot, which is assessed at $20,900, according to city assessment records. The Daniel and Janice Groholski Joint Revocable Trust is listed as the current owner. The trust also owns the two adjoining properties.

For now, she is busy keeping up with multiple businesses across two states. She said this year will be spent preparing to launch the park.

“It’ll be good for the city,” she said “Hopefully other people will be inspired to open some on other sides of town, because there’s enough food trucks for us all.”