Tag: food trucks

Originally published on Huffington Post.

Every weekday, close to a dozen food trucks line up at Wacker Drive and Adams Street in downtown Chicago to serve lunch. But Oct. 5, city officials ticketed trucks and told them to leave. The food-truck bust serves as a chilling reminder to Chicago’s culinary entrepreneurs: No matter how popular or productive your business, the city can shut it down on a whim.

Bruges Brothers, a popular local vendor that sells Belgian-style frites, was one of the trucks the city ticketed. The citation, which came with a $25 fine, said the food truck had violated a city parking ordinance that prohibits trucks, buses or other commercial vehicles from parking on any business street in the city.

But that doesn’t add up. Chicago’s Municipal Code allows mobile-food vehicles to vend at a location for the lesser of two hours or the maximum time allowed for parking at that spot. If city officials ignore the sections of the code that allow food trucks to operate and ban these vendors from business streets, some of the city’s most popular meal options are likely to vanish.

Charles Belt, who does social media outreach and works daily on the Bruges Brothers food truck, said the ticket his truck received yesterday set an unsettling precedent.

“What the ticket was saying was that none of the food trucks were allowed to operate anywhere in the Loop, if you take into account that ticket on top of the 200-foot rule and the two-hour rule,” Belt said.

“That’s what bothered us. The people who came through gave everyone a ticket, told us to leave and said if we didn’t leave they’d put boots on the trucks. We chose to stay because we really don’t have a choice. We’re a small business: Every day matters, and every dollar matters. To give up real estate is not an option for us.”

It’s possible the ticketing flurry on Oct. 5 was just a fluke.

But attorney Robert Frommer worries that incidents like this could be a sign of something more. Frommer, an attorney for the Arlington, Virginia-based Institute for Justice, is representing the Cupcakes for Courage food truck in a lawsuit challenging Chicago’s food-truck rules.

“If the city is going to maintain that [its code] prevents food trucks from parking on any business street, notwithstanding what other parts of the city code say, then they are essentially banning all food-truck vending on public property in Chicago,” he said.

“I cannot believe that is what they actually intend; if it is, though, then Rahm is basically saying he intends to destroy the entire food-truck industry.”

No matter what motivated the city to issue tickets to food trucks at this intersection, one thing is clear: Chicago’s food-truck rules make it difficult for these entrepreneurs to operate. The city continues to issue licenses to new vendors, but it is not increasing the amount of space available to food trucks that want to meet high customer demand.

Chicago already restricts food trucks from operating within 200 feet of a restaurant and mandates that trucks have GPS trackers to monitor their movements –requirements Frommer’s lawsuit seeks to overturn. Limiting where food trucks can operate based on their proximity to brick-and-mortar eateries does nothing to protect the public – this rule exists purely to shield restaurants from competition.

“We operate under rules that other cities don’t have to deal with,” Belt said. “In Portland and LA, where there are thriving food-truck communities, they don’t have to deal with stuff like this. Rahm wants Chicago to be a first-class city. A strong food-truck scene is paramount to that.”
“It’s something the city — the people — want. We have the people on our side.”

The intersection at Adams and Wacker was barren of food trucks on Oct. 6, the day after the city’s bust. Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly, whose ward encompasses the Wacker and Adams location, did not respond to a request for comment on the incident. Reilly was among the chief proponents of heavy restrictions on food trucks when City Council considered the topic over the last several years.

“We’re just trying to make a living out here,” said John Nguyen, owner of Chicago Lunchbox. “The city makes me feel like I’m doing something illegal.”

Originally published on Huffington Post.

Less than a day after Chicago lifted its ban on food carts on Sept. 24, city aldermen with a history of limiting the city’s food options made moves to restrict vendors’ ability to operate in lucrative locations.

Two aldermen have launched proposals to limit where food carts can set up: Alderman Tom Tunney, whose ward covers the Wrigleyville neighborhood and who formerly owned restaurants of his own, and Alderman Brendan Reilly, whose district encompasses River North and many of the city’s most well-known brick-and-mortar dining spots, are leading the charge.

Food carts should be a boon to Chicago neighborhoods, with the potential to bring up to 6,400 new jobs and create more than $8 million in new local sales-tax revenue. Unfortunately, the hardworking food-cart vendors who fought so long for the city to recognize their industry now operate at the mercy of all-powerful local aldermen, many of whom use their authority to grant political favors and keep out businesses they don’t like.

Chicago’s more than 1,500 food-cart vendors are primarily Latino and serve low-income neighborhoods where food options are often scarce. They are a beloved part of their communities – kids pick up elotés for after-school snacks, walkers grab champurrado on cool mornings and anyone looking for a delicious lunch knows vendors’ tamales won’t disappoint.

Now that Chicago has lifted its ban on food carts, there should be no restrictions on where vendors can operate. City Council’s Sept. 24 vote to legalize the industry was a huge victory for the small-time entrepreneur – it would be a mistake to walk it back.

But the move isn’t surprising. History has shown Chicagoans where Tunney and Reilly stand when it comes to culinary competition.

Even though the city does allow food trucks to sell, aldermen imposed severe restrictions on how these businesses can operate. Food trucks can’t set up shop within 200 feet of a restaurant. To enforce this rule, the city requires food trucks to install GPS tracking devices. Vendors must stay in one location for no more than two hours, and there are just 35 designated “food stands” in which food trucks are allowed to park.

Tunney and Reilly were among the chief proponents of heavy restrictions on food trucks when City Council considered the topic over the last several years. Tunneymade no secret that the main reason behind the city’s oppressive rules is to protect established businesses.

“One of the major issues is spacing from brick-and-mortar restaurants,” Tunney told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2011. “We’ve got work to do. We need to hear from all sides. We need to make sure we protect … restaurants and foster a trend that, I think, is gonna be here for a while.”

Tunney was right about one thing: Despite heavy regulations, food trucks are thriving in Chicago. These mobile vendors have become immensely popular among the thousands of workers looking for variety in their lunch options downtown. Trucks like La Cocinita, The Jibarito Stop and Boocooroux bring new flavors and choices to diners, in a location where brick-and-mortar chains used to dominate. Now that City Council has unleashed food carts, there’s no reason to doubt that these vendors will receive a warm reception from diners across the city.

But Tunney is dead wrong when he says the city must “protect” restaurants. It should be left to hungry Chicagoans – not all-powerful Chicago aldermen – to determine where vendors take their talents.

Originally published on Huffington Post.

Chicago likes to shackle food-truck operators.

Food trucks can’t operate within 200 feet of a brick-and-mortar business that sells food. Food trucks must have a GPS tracking device so government officials know where they are. Food trucks can only sell food in 35 city-approved, specifically designated locations.

But from July 8-12, 60 vendors will serve food from stands – outside, from carts, tents and trucks at the city’s 35th annual Taste of Chicago.

Most of the vendors are brick-and-mortar restaurants, such as The Purple Pig, Lou Malnati’s and Billy Goat Tavern & Grill. Fifteen food trucks, some of which also have a brick-and-mortar presence, will be at the food festival as well.

Though brick-and-mortar restaurants and food trucks will be comingling at the festival, their relationship remains tumultuous.

In 2012, the city approved restrictive new rules that limited proprietors’ ability to do business in the city. A year later, Emanuel joined the Food Network on its show“The Great Food Truck Race” for an episode titled “Chicago is a food truck kind of town.”

“We remain committed to creating the conditions and opportunities that will allow this industry to thrive, create jobs and support a vibrant food culture across Chicago,” Emanuel said in a 2013 statement.

Rahm’s words don’t line up with the consistent actions he and other city leaders have taken for years. The truth is, Chicago isn’t a food-truck town – it’s a special-interest city, where political connections reign supreme and organic innovation is seen as a nuisance that would upset the established order of things.

Those backing the city’s restaurants make no secret that the main driver behind the city’s oppressive rules is to protect established businesses.

Alderman John Arena, 45th Ward, who cast the only “no” vote on the 2012 ordinance, said: “A brick-and-mortar restaurant lobby got ahold of [the ordinance], and it was stuffed with protectionism and baked in the oven of paranoia.”

So while Rahm’s words describe a city that welcomes food-truck innovation with open arms, his actions prove the city wants to keep the industry on a short leash.

“Opening and operating a food truck in Chicago is somewhere between difficult and impossible,” said Robert Frommer, an attorney for the Institute for Justice. “The city has put together a menagerie of rules that seem almost intended to make it as hard as possible to open up and be successful.”

Taste of Chicago offers an illusion of a city where powerful players coexist with new flavors. But this veneer is far from reality. Once the festival packs up and Grant Park clears out, Chicago will go back to normal: a brick-and-mortar oasis, shielded from competition from outsiders.