Thursday, 5 August, 2010 12:14
by ahaney
The Downtown Lunch Trolley rolled through downtown Shreveport yesterday between 11am-2pm, picking up lunch passengers and dropping them of at 3 lunch destinations: the café @ Artspace, the Hilton Hotel’s River Rock Grill, and the new Texas Street Grille. Kelly Wells, the Vice President of Tourism at the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourism Bureau, was one of the trolley riders and he shared his experience with me.
He and his group of friends and co-workers were picked up by the trolley at the Regions Bank Tower and were greeted by a girl dressed as a conductor and handing out “tickets” to ride and menus designed specifically for trolley riders so that they could pick something quick and have an idea of what they wanted by the time they reached their destination.
On their way to pick up more passengers and reach the restaurant of their choosing, they were entertained by the trolley’s driver, “Bubba.” I have had the pleasure of riding with “Bubba” before and it’s something I look forward to doing again! He definitely knows how to show you a good time!
Kelly and his group chose to eat at the Café’ @ Artspace. The café allows diners to enjoy art exhibitions on two floors or purchase a unique item in Giftspace while enjoying the café’s signature soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts.
Artspace is currently taking down one exhibit and getting set up for another one. For this reason, Kelly told me they had a walk-way through the main floor where they were working to the stairs that lead to the café.
“It was kinda’ neat, though, because you got a sneak peek of what the next exhibit is going to be,” he stated.
Kelly said that even though the wait staff was very busy, they did an “incredible” job and got his Turkey Reuben and bowl of fruit (made from fruit purchased at the Shreveport Farmer’s Market!) out to him quickly. He also stated that the meal was inexpensive and delicious! The whole lunch experience, trolley ride and all, took about 45 minutes.
The next lunch trolley will begin picking up riders next Wednesday at 11am in front of the Regions Bank Tower, 333 Texas Street; Government Plaza, 505 Travis Street; and each of the three participating restaurants. The trolley runs at each of these stops every 20 minutes. Get out, catch the FREE trolley and have your own lunch experience right here in downtown Shreveport!
To check out the menu for the Café at Artspace, visit: http://artspaceshreveport.com/cafe/cafe-menu.
For the River Rock Grill: www.hilton.com.
For Texas Street Grille: www.texasstreetgrille.com.
PHOTO: Don Shea of Downtown Development Authority announces the launch of the Downtown Shreveport Lunch Trolley. The trolley is pictured in the background.