The city plans to spice things up for New Yorkers who dine in a park.
The Parks Department is envisioning a vast menu of exotic, foreign and gourmet food vendors throughout the five boroughs to supplement the standard pretzel and hot-dog peddlers, hopefully by this summer, city officials say.
The agency issued a formal Request for Proposal yesterday for “high-quality, specialty mobile food units” to expand the typical park fare to such delicacies as premium cookies, gelato, Belgian waffles and gourmet soups.
“It’ll be all over the city,” Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe told The Post. “Some will be push carts; some will be trucks. It’s a very hot thing now in New York, and people shouldn’t leave the park if they want to have something interesting to eat.”
The agency brought in a consulting group in 2008 to conduct a pro bono study of chow in the five boroughs’ parks, and found patrons hungered for diversity, Assistant Parks Commissioner Betsy Smith said.
The city then signed contracts with 29 specialty merchants offering specialty items.
The proposals are due back Feb. 25, and the contracts will be for five years.