The Pinball Hall of Fame owner Tim Arnold, left, and owner Floriana Pastore is seen in front of the Signora Pizza Truck during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering in the parking lot of the Pinball Hall of Fame, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Chef Floriana Pastore is seen in the Signora Pizza Truck parked in the the Pinball Hall parking lot during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Chef Floriana Pastore is seen in the Signora Pizza Truck parked in the the Pinball Hall parking lot during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Chef Floriana Pastore is seen in the Signora Pizza Truck parked in the the Pinball Hall parking lot during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Signora Pizza Truck’s Wallet Pizza is seen during the Pinball Hall of Fame launch of a weekly food truck gathering in their parking lot on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
The Signora Pizza Truck is parked at the Pinball Hall of Fame during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering in their parking lot, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Cashier Demy Somera, center, and chef and owner Floriana Pastore are seen as Las Vegas locals receive their order in the parking lot of the Pinball Hall of Fame, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Chef Floriana Pastore is seen in the Signora Pizza Truck parked in the the Pinball Hall parking lot during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
The Pinball Hall of Fame owner Tim Arnold is seen in the museum during the launch of a food truck gathering in its parking lot, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Oliver Blair, 46, of San Antonio, Texas, plays games at the Pinball Hall of Fame, during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering in their parking, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Sayler Eastin, 17, of Columbia, Mo., plays games at the Pinball Hall of Fame, during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering in their parking, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
Individuals are seen in the Pinball Hall of Fame during the launch of a weekly food truck gathering in their parking lot, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Elipagephoto
The Pinball Hall of Fame is adding food trucks to its list of attractions. Starting Saturday, the popular tourist spot will invite three trucks per week into its parking lot. Organizers tried out the idea this past Saturday with a single truck.
“It perks up the whole experience,” the hall’s founder Tim Arnold said on Saturday, standing in front of the Signora Pizza truck.
“Things like pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and amusement games have always gone together,” he continued. “Look at the Fonz, and ‘Happy Days.’ They used to have a pinball machine in the drive-in!”
Arnold is hoping the weekly gatherings will help “get the word out” that the museum is still welcoming customers on East Tropicana Avenue, as construction continues on a new Las Vegas Boulevard location that’s expected to open in the spring. He also sees it as a service to his customers, who often find themselves waiting in line to enter under COVID-related occupancy restrictions.
“We have lines some days, simply because we’re now operating at 25 percent of our rated capacity,” he explains.
Saturday’s trial run featured pizza and Neapolitan street food from Floriana Pastore, four-time World Pizza Champion and owner/operator of the Signora Pizza truck.
“It’s a very good idea, because people can eat and they can play in the same (place),” she said of the setup.
Moreover, she says, her food is a great fit for the location.
“Everybody loves pizza: kids, middle-aged, old people. And pinball is the same.”
The food truck event is expected to run from 2-8 p.m. each Saturday in the lot at 1610 E. Tropicana Ave. The lineup is expected to rotate weekly, curated by The Feast of Friends (the same promoters who produced the Vegas Unstripped festivals in the Arts District). In addition to providing his customers with delicious food, Arnold hopes truck owners will benefit as well.
“I have a lot of sympathy for food truck and restaurant owners right now,” he explains. “They’re in a terrible, terrible situation money-wise. And if they can make a few bucks in my parking lot, I’m all for it.”
