A new food truck court will soon host mobile eateries in Ascension Parish

A few food truck court is coming to Gonzales with plans to open soon.  

The AP Food Truck Court, located across from the Ascension Parish courthouse, is a concrete park with spots for six food trucks and seating to serve the surrounding community. 

The idea for the concept came in 2022 to address a need within the courthouse. Many visitors don’t have a chance to leave for lunch, and after looking into the possibility of placing a café in the building, Ascension Parish thought a food truck court would better fit the area.  

“As we started exploring other options, the idea, especially with the national trend of building a food truck court, became a possibility. We started to explore that as an option,” Ascension Parish interim chief administrative officer Ricky Compton says.  

To start, the court will host four trucks. More mobile eateries can be added to the lineup in the future. The court is ready to open; all it needs is its first food truck to apply and meet the requirements, Compton says. As of now, there is seating in the center of the court, but the plan is to add more places to dine and trash cans as the parish assesses its popularity.  

With its location close to other spots like the Sheriff’s Office and East Ascension High School, Compton says the parish hopes the court caters to many people in the area. 

Creating the food truck hub came with some bumps and tweaks along the way. Compton and the parish’s recreation department took time to research what would be best for the court, which led to the addition of a sewage system for the trucks and electrical and water hookups.

The parish also installed bollards, or vertical poles to block traffic from entering pedestrian areas, for safety. Compton says the decision was made after the attack on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Eve.

“We wanted to make sure we were protecting our pedestrians as much as possible,” Compton says.  

The AP Food Truck Court is located at 607 E. Worthey St., Gonzales. Trucks looking to apply for the court are required to have items like a City of Gonzales food truck permit, vehicle registration and insurance, liability insurance, background checks and workman’s compensation. Those looking to apply can find a more detailed list of requirements and the application form here.