2026 Food Truck Application

It’s time for the Funtown Chowdown, Frankenmuth’s Annual Food Truck Festival at Frankenmuth River Place Shops! The fun takes place in the parking lot east of the shopping complex on the second Thursday of the month starting in May. Each event is from 2 to 9 PM. In 2026, the May and September events will feature around 16 trucks, with the June, July and August events featuring around 20 trucks from across Michigan with a variety of cuisine and desserts, live music, craft beer and non-alcoholic beverage sales, designated handicap parking area, and additional activities for families.

Important Information - Please read thoroughly.

• Registration fee is $350 per event and payment in full must be received upon approval of the application. Failure to do so will result in a forfeited vendor space. Payments will not be accepted on the day of any event. We will be allowing a maximum of 17 trucks for May and September and 20 for June, July and August. These maximums subject to change at the discretion of Frankenmuth River Place Shops Management. 
• Food trucks are set up in the east parking lot at Frankenmuth River Place Shops (925 S. Main Street, Frankenmuth, MI 48734).
• No alcohol or any beverages other than bottled water may be sold at this event by food truck vendors. The sale of these items is prohibited and may result in shutting down for the duration of the event and/or not being accepted for future events.
• Food trucks must be self-contained. Electrical access is not provided!
• Due to the weight of our large trash receptacles, we ask that you do NOT place any trash in our trash cans. Instead, please leave your trash in your food truck space before departing and we will collect it from there. If trash is placed in our trash cans, you will be subjected to a $50 fine. 
• Vendor generators are allowed but are subject to the event management's discretion in regard to the noise level.
• If you serve out of a trailer, you will need to park and detach your vehicle and relocate it to a parking spot outside of the event grounds.
• You will need to provide a sign with your food items with clearly visible prices.
• Excluding Bavarian Inn Corporation and Frankenmuth River Place Shops corporate trucks, all trucks will be under consideration to attend for a maximum of two events for the continuation of providing a rotation of unique trucks for our guests to enjoy. 
• We will host only one specialty dessert truck per event. If your business serves only desserts, the application will be taken under consideration to attend for one event only. Participation is at the Frankenmuth River Place Shops management team's discretion. 
• You must include your certificate of insurance and a valid STFU or Mobile License from a health department organization with this application. The application is not complete without these documents.

 Food Vendor Policies and Procedures 

Application Approval/Rejection Policy: Approval of any application will be at the sole discretion of the Frankenmuth River Place Shops which reserves the right to accept or reject any and all irregularities and accept or reject any and all applications. All applicants MUST complete all parts of the application in a legible manner.
To ensure uniformity, food items are subject to approval. Booth space and vendor privileges may NOT 
be assigned or transferred. Assignment of any available space(s) is solely at the discretion of the 
Frankenmuth River Place Shops. Any changes to the original application must be approved in writing no 
later than 7 days prior to the event. Due to our pre-publishing of vendor menus, menu changes made without WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION may result in loss of privileges as a food vendor.

Insurance: Our insurance provider requires that we maintain Certificates of Insurance from all vendors 
that participate in the events we sponsor. Please send us your Certificate of Insurance along with your 
application to participate in this event. 

Legal Requirements: To sell any products, you are responsible for having a valid license and complying 
with all laws governing your activities. This includes but is not limited to health department licenses, 
collection of and payment of taxes, and reporting for the same. The Saginaw County Health Department 
requires that all food booth concessionaires meet sanitation standards. Operators should anticipate an 
inspection prior to the event and no less than two (2) inspections during the event. Food Vendors must 
make arrangements for proper licensing with the Health Department. 

Operations Policy: Frankenmuth River Place Shops must receive food truck festival payments in full 
must be received upon approval of the application. Failure to do so will result in a forfeited vendor 
space. We will only accept credit card payments.

Cancellation Policy: Only written cancellations received at least 7 days prior to the event will be 
accepted and are subject to a $150.00 cancellation fee.

Non- Disparagement: The vendor agrees they will not disparage by way of any negative statement, 
whether written or oral, about Funtown Chowdown, Frankenmuth River Place Shops, and its related 
Companies, as well as the Owners, Officers, Operators, and Management of the same. Violation of this 
term may result in the removal of the Vendor from the Event and barring from future events, as well as 
forfeiture of the application fee.

Event Setup and Operations: Setup is between 10 AM and 1 PM on the event day. Vendors must be on-site and ready to operate NO LATER than 2 PM. Deviations from these times need to be approved by Frankenmuth River Place Shops event staff. Food vendors are responsible for all of the assembly of their booths in accordance with Frankenmuth River Place Shops Policies & Procedures, Fire Marshal, and Saginaw County Health Department rules and requirements. Participation is subject to the full approval of those and law enforcement authorities. Location, facilities, utilities use and appearance of the booth are subject to approval.

Concessionaires are responsible for the cleanliness of their unit and the immediate area thereto. At the 
end of each festival day vendors are expected to clean their entire area. Trash bags can be left along the 
festival fence perimeter for the RPS maintenance crew to dispose of. Please DO NOT place the trash inside of our trash cans. If trash is placed in our trash cans, you will be subjected to a $50 fine. No grease may be poured into any 
drain or on the ground. 

Hours of operation are from 2 PM to 9 PM, rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, any 
cancellation and/or rescheduling of the event is at the sole discretion of Frankenmuth River Place Shops 
and all registration fees will be applied to the rescheduled date. Food trucks are responsible for having 
their unit fully functional until at least 9:00 PM, trucks are encouraged to condense their area, inside and outside of their truck, but must remain open until 9 PM. If your truck departs before 9 PM, you will be forfeited your opportunity to return and subject to a $50 fine. All vendors must have cleaned their space and vacated the area no later than one hour after the end of the event. Frankenmuth River Place Shops Event Staff holds the right to approve a later departure after the event concludes. 

Excluding Bavarian Inn Corporation and Frankenmuth River Place Shops corporate trucks, all trucks will be under consideration to attend for a maximum of two events for the continuation of providing a rotation of unique trucks for our guests to enjoy. 

Frankenmuth River Place Shops will not be responsible for losses of any kind, whether by fire, theft, 
physical violence, elements of nature, or any other cause. Vendors are responsible for their own 
merchandise, employees, and equipment, its protection, and insurance at the risk of the vendor only 
and Vendor shall hold the Frankenmuth River Place Shops harmless from any damages, including 
subrogation claims by Vendor’s insurance carrier. Discourtesy to patrons or other vendors, obscene 
language, or shouting will not be tolerated and may result in the Vendor’s removal from the festival and 
forfeiture of your registration fee, as well as being barred from future events.

Frankenmuth River Place Shops reserves the right to reject any vendor for any reason it deems
necessary. If based on the sole judgement of Frankenmuth River Place Shops the actual presentation of 
performance of the vendor has from the original approved application deviated removal of the forfeit of 
your registration may result. 

Frankenmuth River Place Shops reserves the right to amend these Policies and Procedures at any time. 
Amendments will be made in writing and will become effective immediately.