Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” spilled from the speaker as Warren Stohler blended, poured and served a drink out the window of Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee. Stohler was one of the vendors present for the first Food Truck Friday of the 2025 season Friday at Switchyard Park.
Children played on the grass, adults chatted and teenagers rode skateboards around the park as members of the Bloomington community came outdespite the unseasonably cold temperatures.
“Despite the cold, it's totally worth it to come out,” Shere Clark, of Indianapolis, said.
Clark made the trip down to Bloomington to meet up with Nicole Berry, a friend from high school. Berry had come up from Bedford, Indiana, for the food trucks — not the first time she’s made the trip for Food Truck Fridays.
“I like the variety, and it's a nice atmosphere, so I occasionally make the trek up here,” Berry said.
Berry ordered a gyro from Döner Kebab, while Clark ate barbecue from Wever’s Smoke Eaters BBQ.
For Roy and Connie Wever, barbecuing is a family affair. Connie said she and Roy got into the food truck business because their son, a paramedic in Bloomington, wanted to do it. Roy had grown up watching his own dad host barbecues.
“We had big barbecues down on the farm when I was a kid, 60 years ago,” Roy said. “We had four or 500 people down there on the farm.”
While Connie said Wever’s Smoke Eaters BBQ has been participating in Food Truck Fridays for 12 years, Marcos Curiel is a more recent arrival. Curiel, of Venezuelan street food truck Arepa Burger, said he started in September 2022.
“Our first date was in the Food Truck Friday, actually,” Curiel said. He said there was an influx of people around dinnertime that made the first day crazy.
Curiel described the weekly event as a great place to gather and spend time with family, especially because of the convenience.
“We have a lot of food options,” Curiel said. “So, people can, you know, can stop thinking about ‘what I'm gonna, you know, cook later today.’ We have plenty of options so people can enjoy, have a great time.”
Arepa Burger offers arepas, burgers and empanadas, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Curiel said the mayo-and-cilantro based green sauce is extremely popular.
“People just pretty much even drink that sauce,” he said, laughing.
At Food Truck Friday, in addition to barbecue, kebabs and Venezuelan street food, vendors offer a range of dishes such as loaded fries, Philly cheesesteaks and coffee.
Stohler, of Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, said that because the truck says “coffee” on the front, people assume it’s just that.
“But we got lemonades, we got refreshers, we got frappes,” Stohler said. “We got everything. Mochas, tilts.”
The variety of dishes is part of what Javier Vargas from Uno Más Taco Truck appreciates about the Bloomington tradition. Vargas started the business in 2020 after losing his job during the COVID-19 pandemic and said he’s been coming to Food Truck Fridays just as long.
“It's nice because people can coming out with the family and go to the playground and they can enjoy some meals from different types of food, different cultures, you know,” Vargas said.
Eric Diamond said he’s been coming to Food Truck Fridays for years, drawn to return by the delicious food and convenience. His mother, Susan, came with him for this season's opening day.
“I'm just glad Bloomington does this,” Susan said. “And we'll probably be here most Fridays, so it'll be really good.”
