Yellowstone Food Village in Idaho Falls Faces Closure as Bonneville County Ends Nearby Lease
Food Vendors Scrambling as Popular Idaho Falls Gathering Spot Prepares to Shut Down
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The Yellowstone Food Village, a well-known food truck hub that has served the Idaho Falls community for years, is preparing to close its doors, leaving a number of small business owners uncertain about their futures. Vendors at the site say they were told to vacate the property by October 1, though no confirmed official explanation for the closure has been provided to them directly.
Several vendors have already departed the site, while others in the area are planning to relocate by the end of the week. The uncertainty stems in part from the Bonneville County Commissioners’ decision, announced in September 2025, to end the lease for the adjacent Idaho Innovation Center on September 30, 2026. The Idaho Innovation Center manages the lot where the food village operates, and the pending end of that lease appears to have set off a chain of events affecting the food vendors.
County leadership stated that while the Idaho Innovation Center has provided valuable contributions to the community for many years, the county’s significant financial investment in the facility is no longer aligned with its economic development goals to unify and strengthen efforts across the broader Bonneville County community.
Vendors Hope to Stay, But Face Uncertainty Without Answers
For Delbert Kirkham, owner of Thai Food Plus and one of the longtime vendors at the site, the situation has left him and his fellow business owners in a difficult holding pattern.
“We’ve run into some news lately that Bonneville County will be either shutting this down or selling it,” Kirkham said, as reported by KIFI Local News 8. “And we’re kind of in limbo trying to figure out what they’re going to do.”
Despite the uncertainty, Kirkham expressed a clear desire to remain at the Yellowstone Food Village location, citing the community atmosphere and the mutual benefit the site provides for small businesses operating together in one place.
“It would do nothing but benefit us being small businesses as we are,” Kirkham said. “You can’t get much smaller than what we are, but we’re all together, it’s a hometown feeling here. The whole family’s here, and they do enjoy it. And we would like to stay.”
Kirkham also indicated he remains optimistic that a resolution could be reached, expressing faith that county officials are weighing the situation seriously even if vendors have not yet received detailed explanations.
“I’m sure they have some good reasons,” he said. “But we have some good reasons to stay.”
The Yellowstone Food Village has represented exactly the kind of small-business ecosystem that communities like Idaho Falls depend on — low overhead, locally owned, and accessible to families looking for affordable dining options. The loss of a centralized food truck hub would eliminate not only a dining destination but also a gathering point that has contributed to neighborhood commerce in the area.
With many vendors already searching for alternative locations, the window for a solution that keeps the food village intact is narrowing. Whether Bonneville County will offer vendors any alternative arrangement on the property — or whether the site will be sold or repurposed entirely — remains unclear at this time.
The closure of the Yellowstone Food Village comes at a busy time for community activity across Idaho Falls. The city recently launched a citywide cleanup effort with free dump sites available across town, and community members looking for other local events may want to check out a new exhibit opening soon at the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho.
What Comes Next
Bonneville County has not released a formal public statement detailing plans for the property following the end of the Idaho Innovation Center lease in September 2026. Vendors who remain on-site are continuing to operate while seeking answers about their long-term options. Residents and customers who frequent the Yellowstone Food Village are encouraged to check with individual vendors for updates on their locations and hours. Bonneville County News will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available from county officials.