Food Trucks and City Council Talk Regulation Updates

Yesterday New Orleans food truck owners had their first meeting with City Council members in their continuing effort to improve regulations for mobile vendors, and things went very well. Both sides agreed regulations that allow the city to issue only 100 mobile food vending permits a year are totally outdated. Food trucks that already have permits get first dibs year after year, and the scant 100 includes everyone from gourmet taco purveyors to produce vendors like Mr. Okra. New trucks barely have a chance to break in, and they must be up to code before even being considered for permits, which means investing a lot (like $40,000 worth, says La Cocinita's outspoken Rachel Billow) into a business that might not even be able to operate.

City council could vote on an updated set of ordinances before the end of the year, but Stacy Head noted it could take longer, which means it probably will. The number of permits will likely be much higher, but still have a cap. Mobile Vendors also want the time a truck can stay in one spot extended, and the allowed hours of operation extended. No one expressed much opposition, focusing instead on how the city could give the food truck industry a boost.

On top of all this good news, Stacy Head and Good Work Network are hosting the inaugural Central City Food Truck Fest tomorrow, October 11, from 5:30-7:30 pm at the 2000 block of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, on the corner of St. Andrew Street. The event will showcase the emerging food truck scene, and redevelopment in Central City with tons of good food and music by local musicians.

· New Orleans Food Truck Owners Say to Ease Regulation [Nola.com]
· All Food Truck Coverage [ENOLA]