Marination Mobile at Shell Station (Photo: abbasolomon)
UPDATE 7/9/09 8:43 AM
Via their Twitter account, Marination Mobile says they are staying put:
Shell gas station playing nicely through July-so they say. New hours: Thursday: 8pm-1am. Friday &Sat at:10pm-2:30am. Mahalo!
Original Post:
The CHS Capitol Hill street food map and schedule needs an update.
Marination Mobile, wheeled provider of 4-star SPAM musubi, has been pushed out of its location in the Shell gas station lot at Pike and Broadway.
Here’s a note we received from MM partner Roz Edison:
Marination Mobile is looking for a new location in Capitol Hill for either lunches 11-2 or late 9/10pm to 2/3am. The hitch: it has to be private property – a parking lot or a driveway and preferably as flat as possible.
Marination Mobile is on the move because of complaints from residents and nearby business owners, the Stranger reports:
Residents and nearby business owners had complained that the truck “creates a large mass of people and the smell of food in the area,” she says.
But the lot’s owner didn’t kick Marination Mobile out, Edison says. Instead, they are on the move because of the uncertainty the situation has created. “We want to be fair to the Shell station, so to be clear we are looking for a new location not because they have kicked us out (yet) or raised the rent (yet) but rather because they keep our team on pins and needles waiting for the call that comes 2 hours before we are supposed to open that says ‘hey, you can’t park here today.’ They’ve tried that a couple times already and we just don’t to be left in the lurch at their whim. We have a great crew and it’s really not fair to them or our customers who expect to see us out there,” Edison wrote in an e-mail to CHS.
Edison says they are hoping to find a location in time to be back in business on Capitol Hill before the weekend. With the high level of interest in providing street food in the area, a solution will probably emerge but if you have any ideas or connections, speak up.
I was finally fortunate enough to eat at this truck. I was so happy to have this here on Capitol Hill. The food is really good. I can not believe that the bars, restaurant and residents on this block would complain about the smell. This IS the same block as the Comet Tavern (and that other smelly rocker bar) I think that place smells more than this truck. The hot dog stand on the next corner blocks the the cross walk with people crowding around. I hope that we can find a place for this truck to park on Capitol Hill.
Maybe they can move to the parking lot behind Dick’s (that would be a nice alternative) or the lot next to Broadway grill.
I want this truck on the hill. The chicken tacos are great the BBQ pork sandwiches are really great. If you like good food great prices please help this truck find a spot on Capitol hill. We need more places and talented chefs to cook for us here on the hill.
Do you think Marination Mobile could work out a rent/insurance thing with Murray Franklyn so they could park on the Pine/Belmont empty lot? I know MF is open to one time events (hence the community lot of the Cap Hill Garage Sale), but I don’t know if they’ll go for longer term use or not.
This food is awesome, esp the kimchi fried rice and tacos! I was going to suggest People’s Parking Lot (Pine/Belmont), as I live across from it and it needs something. It is still close enough to the bars. I honestly don’t believe Shell….I personally think it has to do with the taxis that park there not having prime spaces on the weekend. Which is shitty, as why can’t they drive around like all of the other cabs? That’s just my intuition, though, not fact.
Long Live Marination Mobile!
“Residents and nearby business owners had complained that the truck “creates a large mass of people and the smell of food in the area,” she says.”
you’d think business owners in that area would WANT large masses of people hanging around that might actually patronize their businesses. as for the people that live in that area, you have numerous bars and restaurants within a one block radius, there’s ALWAYS going to be a lot of people
and residents, you’re really going to complain about the smell of food? really? the smell of food????? while i can get behind complaints of extreme noise in the middle of the night this kind of nimby-isim is something that some people just need to get over. m.m. is a moving restaurant that can only help that corner.
i personally think this would be a great solution. and not just because i live 2 blocks from there. i hope it works out for them to move there.
It seems there is a group of people in Seattle who want to ruin the urban fun we love to experience in our city and in our neighborhood.
There is that woman who called the police hundreds of times about Neighbours, the Magnolia man complaining about a cruise ships music, a guy complaining about the possible environmental impact of the 4th of July fireworks (just days before the celebration) and people wanting to stop light rail in its tracks because of its noise.
I went to Marination when it first opened just a couple/few weeks back. DELICIOUS. I wanted more! I was so excited and so delighted with the food that I snapped a picture on my cell phone and called my buddy about it. Street food! Street life! People were talking, laughing and happy. Just last night I was having drinks after a long day at work. I mentioned to my co-worker about Marination and, of course, showed him the picture. He said he was going with his buddy to try it out. BUT, thanks to NIMBY, he will go there and it will be gone – making a fool out of me and more of Seattle. Every time someone does something like this it makes national news and makes US all look like fools. I love Seattle and love the changes, the progress that is occurring. I cringe at nasty naysayers and doom mongers. They are killing our community. There is a ONE guy who disapproved of the proposed-building-now-a-parking-lot-on-Pike and caused it to drag on so much that the bank and developers gave up. There used to be so much life there…Manray, Kincora, Bimbos, now nothing. I bet if Marination tries to move into that lot some crybaby will be whining about the noise on a lot where at least 3 louder nightclubs used to be.
I say to Marination: fight the fight. And who the fuck complains about the smell of food? Food? I mean that is the intersection where you can smell the tangy and sour (delicious) smell of two hot dog vendors. There is the fish and chips place, too. The crowds were already there. Any one who walks Pike that time of night knows you have to maneuver around the hearty and boisterous crowd outside the bars there.
Something is going on here. Are nearby businesses banding together to complain or is it (more likely)the people in a nearby apartment building who have a reputation of NIMBYism.
I say, YIMFY!
i had a quick exchange with MM on Twitter then went down to check out the new hardscape around PPL. It looks to me that the truck could park on the lot and some tables could be set up on the sidewalks, thus eliminating any of MF’s concerns about liability with regard to their space. Of course, more flexibility would be better but I was just trying to think of ways to impact them less. I owe them a follow-up email about Park(ing) Day so I’ll go ahead and see what they think about this!
One more for the people! Yeeeee HA! Thank you Shell! I will be sure to buy some beer from you this weekend.
I am addicted to these tacos and the gorgeous lady partners who are behind them. I’d weep bucketfuls of tears were they to ever leave.
The truck is back and full swing! Let’s eat!