Is it fair to ban food trucks near restaurants?

[The Straight Story]

Is it fair to ban food trucks near restaurants?

The battle between food trucks and brick and mortar restaurants is getting ugly in the city of Monrovia. A group of 100 trucks is challenging a law that bans food trucks in the city's historic shopping district, according to a a report by the Associated Press.

Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association told AP that cities cannot ban trucks simply to protect other businesses.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trucks-294644-food-restaurants.html

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. It's up to the people of Monrovia.

:shrug:

Easy.

[The Straight Story]

3. True. Just like abortion and anti-immigration laws are up to the folks in AZ

Does not mean they are fair though :)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Um, no.

Choice, immigration and food trucks are in three different categories.

One is constitutional, one is federal and the other is local.

[uppityperson]

9. Odd, he didn't throw in smoking as usual.

[sudopod]

10. Parent isn't saying that they are legally alike.

He's making a general statement about the questionable justice involved in leaving questions of rights up to the whims of the voters.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. That's adjudicated law.

Zoning is legal.

If it's not, then the restaurants can build on top of the food trucks. :freak:

[sudopod]

16. You're both right. It's legal, and it's unfair.

As others have pointed out, it's only an issue because the trucks are selling tacos, if you catch my meaning. If it comes to a legal battle between established business owners and Mexican taco-truck owners, I doubt the conclusion will be in doubt.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. What's the fair resolution?

[sudopod]

25. Surely some accommodation can be reached other than banishment? nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

41. They're two different customer bases, anyway.

Free market!
:woohoo:

[JI7]

36. wrong, it's an issue because it's bringing competition for others, as seen below

the usual taco trucks have always been around and it was never an issue.

but it's now becoming an issue with these other trucks selling different speciality foods including gourmet and providing competition to other food places.

it has nothing to do with immigration or race.

[GKirk]

2. I can understand the brick and mortars

point of view. They are paying property taxes and then this truck pulls up ands sucks off a percentage of their lunch business.

[ThomCat]

23. What does that have to do with

someone else's right to do business too?

Just because someone else's business model is to use a truck doesn't mean that the person who chooses to own or rent a fixed location should have preferential treatment?

People will eat where they want to eat based on the type of food, the quality of the food, how good the service is, and how much of a hurry they are in.

They both have just as much right to be in business. The whole point of doing business in a truck is to go where the lunch and dinner crowds will be, and that's okay too. There is no reason why anyone has a right to tell the food truck that they aren't allowed in a certain area. That's privileging certain businesses over others.

[JI7]

27. because food trucks can maybe offer lower prices since they don't have to pay for some taxes and

other costs of having a building.

[ThomCat]

28. So?

:shrug:

They also don't offer sit-down service, and can't offer as large a menu. So it balances.

I still don't see how that justifies telling the owners of one business that they're going to be restricted in where or how they do business.

[JI7]

30. i agree, but this always happens

i'm hoping the trucks will get support and hopefully the prices at sit down places become more reasonable.

the food on these trucks are really good and it's a way for someone who wants to get in the business but without much money to start off.

[jmowreader]

37. You can build a brick & mortar restaurant without sit-down service

And one that has a very limited menu. They still pay taxes.

[ThomCat]

38. The guy in the truck pays taxes too.

He doesn't pay property taxes, but so what? How does that give anyone the right to discriminate between businesses?

[jmowreader]

42. I would call it unfair competition

A restaurant that pays property tax is going to have to charge more than one that does not.

I can see both sides of this. It looks like discrimination (although, at its root, ALL zoning is discrimination) but if you owned a hamburger restaurant in a downtown area and a hamburger truck pulled up in front of your store selling burgers a buck cheaper than your cost, you'd be mad as hell about it.

[ThomCat]

43. Then make better burgers and sell more side orders.

So what?

Anyone who knows anything about restaurants already knows that you get MORE business the more competition there is in an area, not less. People get to know that your area is the place to go to find food, and they congregate in that area. The increase in business because of increased traffic more than makes up for the loss from having competition right next door, or right outside.

That is why you always find fast-food restaurants clumped right next to each other. Having them all together increases business for all of them.

So complaining about having that competition right outside is just petty whining. It's probably good for business.

[Tesha]

26. So here in the U.S, we believe in free markets until it's inconvenient for established businesses?

Have I got that right?

Tesha

[GKirk]

4. double post n/t=-

[DJ13]

5. I would think a city should be able to say where vehicles are allowed to park

Those trucks have to be stationary to be open for business, and unless they are parking on private property the city should be able to restrict them.

[Quantess]

6. Food trucks = taco trucks, in So Cal.

Hard to compete with $1 tacos.

[Thunderstruck]

8. We have them here too. Some of the best food I have access to.

[JI7]

12. not anymore, now you have more variety and it's more expensive

[SoCalNative]

18. No they're not

Food trucks in So Cal are not just roach coaches and "taco trucks" anymore, they have gone more specialty and some even "gourmet." And nothing on ANY of these trucks only costs $1.

Just off the top of my head, there is:

The Grilled Cheese Truck

Kabob n Roll (middle eastern fare)

The Border Grill Truck

The Sprinklesmobile (cupcakes)

The Patty Wagon (grass fed beef sliders)

The Buttermilk Truck (breakfast)

The Canters Truck (deli)

Coolhaus (ice cream sandwiches)

The Flying Pig (BBQ)

Crepes Bonaparte

The Dimsum Truck

The GrillEmAll truck

Lake Street Creamery (Artisan home made ice cream)

The NomNom truck (Bahn mi and other Vietnamese food)

The Lardon Truck (all bacon all the time)

and many, many more...

[trackfan]

29. Here's a link to some more:

http://www.yummyeats.com/gourmetfoodtrucks.htm

There was a festival with 80 trucks at Santa Anita on 4/2.

[Nailzberg]

32. The Knockout Taco truck has 4 dollar tacos

And they are worth every bit of it. I recommend the BBQ burnt ends taco.

Food trucks are a booming industry in SoCal. This is gourmet stuff and foodies go out of there way to eat at the trucks. There's even smartphone apps to track their locations.

[Raine]

33. No, not anymore. They have gourmet

trucks now. They offer all kinds of fancy food, French, Asian, American, deserts. I'm in So Cal and it does not automatically equal tacos, no way. What they have certainly doesn't sell for $1, can cost as much as a sit down restaurant minus the tip.

[underpants]

34. "roach coach" we call it around here

[Liberal_in_LA]

46. not anymore. Gourmet food trucks all over Los Angeles

[JI7]

11. This is becoming a big issue all over So Cal, i'm seeing more of them these days

and the food is good also. it's not the usual food trucks from before where it was mostly for convenience and the food not great maybe but usually the only option.

but these days you have these gourmet type trucks also. people go out of their way to go to these trucks. they post on facebook, twitter etc where they will be .

[haele]

20. Many of these trucks make deals with bars and studios -

One of our favorite locavore Burger and "American Classics" truck - MiHo - will set up on the street next to a local sports bar for a Friday night special. Last Friday they sold out of everthing but the salad and their home-made Falafel and extra-spicy hummus.

Haele

[Wounded Bear]

14. "Fair" is a relative term....

Most people seem to think that "fair" means "the way I want it." ;)

So, I guess it's fair for the restauranteurs, not so much for the roach coach drivers. Given the economy, I expect more of this kind of stuff cropping up, as the corporatists seem to like the little guys fighting among themselves.

[Curmudgeoness]

15. This would be up to local laws. Some cities have zoning laws

that do not allow too many of one business to open close to each other. Other localities could require hefty permit fees to run a business out of a truck. So it depends on the laws in that city.

I can see both sides in this and cannot determine which is fairer. Brick and mortar businesses should have some protection, since it is not easy for them to move down the road with business fluxuations. They also pay taxes on their property. I am not sure if the truck businesses are paying any taxes, because I don't know how they are regulated and how they do business. But they also do have a right to start up a business. I just don't know.

[DBoon]

19. any sit-down restaurant that can't compete with a food truck deserves it

A nice air conditioned facility with table service, table seetings, restrooms, and likely alcoholic beverages can't compete with a food truck?

So local laws need to be passed to protect the restaurant?

Are they going to make off-brand colas illegal to protect Coca Cola and Pepsi's business?

[Raine]

35. What if the food trucks take all the customer parking.

Monrovia is one of those places where you pull in outside the place you intend to go into. A real old fashioned looking old town area. The restaurant goes out of business because the patrons can't park. Stores go empty, the food trucks aren't drawn there anymore and they move on.

I get your point but sometimes there are all kinds of ripple effects.

[DBoon]

45. I almost missed that one

... and the sit-down restaurant is REQUIRED BY LAW to have off street parking, while the food truck does not

Never heard of a restaurant in Southern California that gets away without off-street parking. Never ever.

[snooper2]

40. You posted what I was going to....pretty sorry excuse for a restaurant

if a dude selling burgers and fries out of the back of a trailer has a better selection/quality :)

[HowHasItComeToThis]

21. BAN THE TRUCKS IF NOT INSPECTED

THE FOOD SURE LOOKS DIRTY TO ME.

[Codeine]

22. HOW AM I DOIN' TODAY, GARY BUSEY?!

[Modern_Matthew]

24. No. Sounds like restaurant owners pushing petty laws to prevent competition. nt

[upi402]

31. happens all over the world

people invest so much into a restaurant and someone pulls up in the lot next door, or pulls a cart onto the sidewalk in front... and trouble follows.

Most countries bride cops, we bribe politicians and call it a campaign contribution.

[Shagbark Hickory]

39. Is it fair to ban cars near bus stations? Is it fair to ban other b&m restaurants near b&m restauran

I think I know where they're going with this.
They don't want the mobile taquerias.

[IcyPeas]

44. Food Trucks are given health ratings now in SoCal

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/19/food-truck-health-ratings_n_768716.html

also there was a news story here in L.A. about these trucks that park along Wilshire Boulevard blocking/hiding the restaurants from people driving by. I never saw a follow up about this particular feud, but I can see the restaurants point. Also the trucks actually put money in the parking meters so they can legally be there. I feel for the restaurants though.

[DBoon]

47. the "restaurants" in that part fo WIlshire suck massively

the so-called "Miracle Mile" area has been restaurant-deprived as far as I remember.

Somehow, despite central location, lots of office workers, and a dense residential community, we have seen nothing better than Baja Fresh and Marie Callendars.

The food trucks are filling a need that local landlords and restaurant owners refuse to.

[TheKentuckian]

48. Nope but it may be legal.