Prospect Park Looking For Food, Drink Vendors To Set Up In Park

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — The Prospect Park Alliance is looking for food or drink vendors who'd like to set up shop, most likely as a mobile food stand or cart, across 16 locations throughout the park.

The alliance, a nonprofit that works closely with city officials on the park's operations, issued a "Request For Proposals" from anyone who may want to bring their business to the park, just in time for the busy summer and spring months.

Prospect Park Alliance CFO James Snow told Patch that he sees food and drink "as an important amenity for park-goers.

"Currently there’s not a whole lot of food or drink options inside the park," Snow said. "And in many parts of the park you’re quite far away from retail. We’re not expecting all 16 locations to be locations that vendors would bid on but we just wanted to think broadly, where people tend to congregate in the park."

The alliance, though, isn't necessarily looking for your standard pretzel or hotdog stand. In fact, it will give preference to proposals "that make a significant improvement to the quality and ambience of the park, menus that are inventive and interesting and serve a variety of options beyond hot dogs and pretzels, and plans to use environmentally friendly products and practices," the request says.

"The Prospect Park Alliance (PPA) seeks to expand food options in the Park, with a focus on interesting, affordable, seasonal and healthy food," the request adds. "We invite you to participate by proposing your most inventive, exciting food idea, whether you are selling an assortment of healthy, fresh salads to people on the go, or offering hot and cold delicacies from a distant homeland. Whatever the idea, we want to see it."

The request also included a map of the 16 locations where it wants to add vendors. Fifteen are outdoors, with the one indoor location being at the picnic house concession stand.

You can see a map of the locations below. (Click to see it bigger.)

"We have to think about the actual location that the vender would be at," Snow told Patch. "So, hardscape, not greenscape. "But also thinking about where people pass by. Park entrances have been successful in the past. But we did want to think about interior locations, not just entrance."

(The RFP was first reported on by DNA Info.)

Proposals are due by May 8, according to a timeline laid out by the alliance. The alliance hopes to announce a list of operators by the end of May.

In the mean time, Snow said people in the community should nudge their favorite spots to propose a location for themselves in the park.

"If you have a favorite cafe or shop in your neighborhood, let that person, know and encourage them to propose," he said.

Image: © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons