Food truck owners, food truck wannabes, and food truck dreamers…heads up! If you’ve always dreamed of operating your food truck or other mobile food concession in a great place like Warren Dunes State Park in Harbor Country, this might be your shot.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is currently seeking business operators to fill vending positions in more than 20 locations across the state including a mobile food concessionaire at Warren Dunes State Park on Red Arrow Highway between Bridgman and Sawyer.
It’s one of a number of listings on the DNR website seeking bids by various deadlines. In the case of the Warren Dunes State Park food truck option, the deadline to submit your bids is 2pm on Thursday, January 23, 2020. The state has issued requests for proposals (RFPs) on that and others around the state.
RFPs are also expected to be released soon for a Beach Store at Grand Haven State Park, and a campground and day-use area at Riverwoods of South Haven.
The DNR says, “We have a number of opportunities available for operating concessions in Michigan state parks and other destinations. These concessionaires provide goods and/or services and have the ability to enter into a contract for up to seven years. Our expectation is that concessionaires have prior business experience and adequate working capital to fund the concession. Arrangements can be made for the DNR to visit the concession with interested bidders.”
The state says that most of the services scattered across Michigan’s state parks are run by private vendors and outside businesses, not by the state itself. All sorts of ventures are involved including food vending, riding stables, a water park, watercraft rentals, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and even electric vehicle charging stations.
Some 70+ concessionaires currently provide business operations within the state’s recreation system and at state parks.
You can find the current available opportunities by clicking the link below, but keep in mind, the list is regularly updated and changes when contracts are granted and opportunities either pop up or disappear based on agreements with the State of Michigan. Here’s the link:
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79136_79732_84099_84100—,00.html
