About 4 years ago, I posted about something I'd read in the N&O about Raleigh's restrictive ordinances for mobile food vendors ("Taco trucks get the runaround"). Instead of adapting to the new climate, Raleigh responded to an increase in mobile taquerias by applying, er, selective enforcement. When it was pointed out that many existing food carts were also prohibited by the same ordinances, those ordinances were re-drafted to exclude, say, that Sabrett's hot dog truck that hangs out in front of a Home Depot. Taco trucks and their ilk were still suppressed. A lonchera noted in the article was cited in March 2005, and eventually run out of business.
Fast-forward 5 years or so to today. Food trucks in Durham, at least, happen to be booming. So it's with a certain amount of satisfaction that I read in Durham's Independent about how Raleigh is now reconsidering, at least, how badly they're restricting such trucks ("Food trucks starving for Raleigh approval"), and what to do moving forward.
Raleigh, congratulations. Please try not to be so racist this time about what you're doing. It should be easier for you now that garden-variety White folks are starting food trucks too.
I came out from lurking to say I'm happy to see Raleigh reconsidering their absurdly selective ordinances. Of course, I'm biased as I think food trucks, especially taco trucks, are awesome. Which means Durham is awesome.
Los Angeles, where I'm from, tried to pass ordinances that banned all taco (and other) trucks from parking on a spot for more than an hour a couple of years ago. It was born from complaints from restaurants that the trucks were taking their business and were nuisances to neighborhoods.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/world/americas/04iht-4tacos.12554510.html
Luckily, it was overturned. Yay for taco enthusiasts!
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/11/local/me-tacotrucks11
Posted by: Sharon | 20 November 2010 at 18:34
Sharon -- Thanks for the links. It's nice to see what else is going on. A Gentle Reader wrote me & told me Durham had a meeting about some food truck regulation earlier this week, but I didn't go.
Posted by: Joe Eater | 03 December 2010 at 17:38