Ever wondered how many food trucks Dayton has? We’ve got 22 listed in our DMM Dining Guide. This Friday, July 5th you’ll have the chance to dine at over a dozen of them , as Synergy Incubators hosts a Food Truck Rally at 200 S. Jefferson Street from 5 -9pm. After producing food truck rallies at Urban Nights and June First Friday, which attracted many thousands of patrons, the hope is that the new location will generate vibrancy and foot traffic to the benefit of the brick and mortar business nearby.
Mobile eateries participating include: Zombie Dogz, Go Cupcake, Ringo’s North Star Mobile Eatery,Caribbacanas LLC, Fressa Truck, G’s CUE BBQ, Horseless Buggy Eatery, La Pampa Grill, Tik’s Thai Mobile, The Monchon, Kona Ice, Missouri Avenue BBQ, McNasty‘s and Cold Stone Creamery. In addition, local artisans will be on hand selling jewelry, pottery, arts and crafts. Scheduled to vend will be ReVamped Jems, Cherry Fullam Art, Barmaid Soap Company, Miss Motley’s, No Place Like Nerd, Open Road Art Show, Lissa Lush Makes Stuff and Urban Reclaimed.
Event organizer Tonia Fish, has been working with the Miami Valley Mobile Food Association and shares, “the people of Dayton are embracing food trucks 
with open arms and the 200 Jefferson location is a perfect place to bring vibrancy to a corner of downtown Dayton that has been lifeless for too long. Our hope is that this is the first of many events we’ll host at this location.”
Synergy Incubators, Dayton’s first Kitchen Incubator, has submitted a proposal for use of the City owned property at 200 S. Jefferson Street. Synergy intend to establish a “food pod” or all-amenities location for food vendors to gather for the benefit of local eaters. If Synergy is successful in our bid to lease the space, food truck rally’s will become a regular event downtown. 200 Jefferson Street has all the necessary elements for a successful food pod are in place with very little need for physical alteration. Additionally, the interior of 200 S. Jefferson is perfectly suited to serve the community as a rentable banquet space, a demonstration-ready classroom, and a shared use certified commercial kitchen.
A rentable banquet space, available to all. Many local food businesses, lack on-sight banquet space and have expressed interest in hosting events. In addition to the food pod, Synergy proposes to offer 200 Jefferson Street as banquet event space.
Pilot shared commercial kitchen. The kitchen at the Jefferson space will serve the as a Synergy Incubators Pilot Project offering shared certified kitchen space for rent by the hour. Synergy has a waiting list with many new and growing enterprises ready to launch new food businesses in Dayton today. Early in the week a group of over a dozen scratch bakers met to talk about the need for a community kitchen and how that could increase their entrepreneurial efforts.
Beauty, vibrancy and engagement. Jefferson Street space is full of promise and the Synergy plan is one of beautification. Plenty of lovely greenery and demonstration food plants will bring nature back to the corner of Jefferson and Fifth Street. Synergy’s design plans to encourage a kind of old-fashioned humanity and togetherness that is so often missing from urban centers.
IMPACT: Healthy Food and Foot Traffic
Of the myriad advantages of placing 200 S. Jefferson Street into service as a community shared asset, perhaps the most important is it gives our entire food community access to kitchen and banquet space, helping all, rather than helping one.
Another is its potential to act as a gateway to nearby destinations. As a center of gravity for street food, the food pod attracts people to a place that’s within walking distance of the Oregon District, 5th 3rd Field even RiverScape. Situated as it is on the bike path, it can connect bike riders to 2nd Street Market, destinations north of the river or south to the University of Dayton area. Available case studies show that street food has a positive impact on surrounding businesses and neighborhoods and a food pod is an effective means of increasing foot traffic.
Synergy Incubators is a developing non-profit aimed at offering certified commercial kitchen in addition to support services and programs, which encourage the successful development and growth of food businesses in Dayton. For more information on Synergy Incubators please visit synergyincubators.com.
