CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – 2020 was a good year for food trucks, and many Clarksville owners are using that momentum to open brick-and-mortar locations in 2021.

In recent weeks, Chillz Italian Ice and Flavorz Seasoned Kitchen recently opened permanent, brick-and-mortar locations. Kadi’s Tacos & More and Legends Smokehouse have also announced the opening of new locations.

Shirley Brown and Desiree Johnson operate the Clarksville Food Trucks Facebook group, which helps owners organize events and promote one another’s businesses. They also organize Clarksville’s weekly food truck roundup events.

Brown said the COVID-19 pandemic created an ideal environment for food truck businesses to thrive.

“We were getting ready to do just one event, and then COVID happened,” Brown said. “It blew up on us. We saw how everybody loved it. It was four then six then eight trucks. … When we were in the lockdown period and people couldn’t go anywhere, having a food truck in your backyard was a great asset.”

Clarksville Food Truck Roundup is celebrating its first anniversary this May. Brown said several events are planned throughout 2021, including a fireworks show in July, and a food truck competition in the fall.

With this wave of success, many owners see opening a brick-and-mortar location as the next logical step, while others enjoy the flexibility of a truck.

“A lot of them have goals of doing a brick-and mortar,” Brown said. “Others like the freedom of being able to move and go around and set up their own schedule without having to be locked into something every day.”

Mamadi Douno, owner of Kadi’s Tacos and More, said that his new location will not stop him from operating a truck.

“The food truck will never go away. The goal was to get a brick-and-mortar so we can feed the truck from there, and maybe get another truck,” Douno said.

Fans of the food truck community can continue to find local favorites gathered every Friday afternoon for the Food Truck Roundup on Riverside Drive.