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Chowhound rworange nailed it recently for a lot of people disillusioned with the nation's two-year-old food truck boom: "[W]hen the truck becomes the destination it loses its purpose." Ouch! The thrill is likewise gone for another Chowhound, pane, who imagined the whole point of trucks was to serve really great food more cheaply than a restaurant could. "I thought the purpose of the truck phenomenon was to keep overhead low, but that hasn't been passed along to customers."
Is the pendulum swinging against food trucks? Mounting evidence suggests that, while all but one or two U.S. cities have been skeptical about mobile vending (some have been flat-out hostile), broad new regulations are swirling that would make it even harder to operate a food truck.
Officials in New York City have a well-established history of kicking trucks out of metered parking spaces. But California's recently introduced AB 1678 would prohibit trucks from operating within 1,500 feet (about two city blocks) of any school. (That's even more restrictive than San Francisco's current ordinance, which forbids trucks on private property from parking within 1,500 feet of any middle or high school. Did we mention that San Francisco has 92 schools crowded into 49 square miles?)
Given the steep grade for trucks in these days of cranky foodies and hostile legislatures, maybe it's time to take it inside. With John T. Edge's eagerly awaited Truck Food Cookbook due out in May, spring might be the perfect time to try our hands at Cheezasaurus sandwiches and coconut chicken crêpes. At home.
Image source: Flickr member SusieFoodie under Creative Commons
Ah crap you all sound like a bunch of old cranks, get a life! Walk a lil. Long live Food Trucks.
I am pretty sick of food trucks myself. Like why would I spend $10+ on food from a truck and then have to take it back to the office to eat it? If I'm paying $10 or more for lunch I at least want a place to sit.
From what I can tell, the "war on food trucks" in Oakland has largely been initiated by non-mobile businesses that are feeling threatened by the popularity of their mobile competitors. They argue that mobile vendors don't have to jump through the same hoops they do to establish their businesses. I feel just as irritated with this stance as I do anytime someone feels threatened by competition....+READ
From what I can tell, the "war on food trucks" in Oakland has largely been initiated by non-mobile businesses that are feeling threatened by the popularity of their mobile competitors. They argue that mobile vendors don't have to jump through the same hoops they do to establish their businesses. I feel just as irritated with this stance as I do anytime someone feels threatened by competition. Don't try to shut it down, just work harder to up your own game.
Not being a food truck vendor, of course, there are probably things I don't understand about all of this. But I'm still a fan of food trucks. Or perhaps I should say I'm a fan of delicious food, and I really don't care what type of establishment it comes from.-COLLAPSE
Food trucks in Portland, OR have been around longer than two years. I don't see the food truck "trend" waning in Portland. Since you mentioned Brunch Box's Cheezasaurus (that food truck rocks, btw) - where else can you buy a Redonkadonk, go two trucks over to wash it down with a $1 thai iced tea (yes, just $1.00!), walk one more truck over and pick up fresh Alaskan haddock (fish and chips) with...+READ
Food trucks in Portland, OR have been around longer than two years. I don't see the food truck "trend" waning in Portland. Since you mentioned Brunch Box's Cheezasaurus (that food truck rocks, btw) - where else can you buy a Redonkadonk, go two trucks over to wash it down with a $1 thai iced tea (yes, just $1.00!), walk one more truck over and pick up fresh Alaskan haddock (fish and chips) with homemade sauces, then walk another two trucks over to pick up some organic reindeer sausage? Sorry, you just can't do that at home.-COLLAPSE