Over the last several years,...
the mobile vending scene in the US has exploded and there has been a tremendous increase in the prevalence of food trucks around the nation. Right now, the food truck market is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry. For this year alone, it's estimated that food trucks will generate around $2.7 billion in revenue.
Food trucks offer speed, convenience, and a wide variety of culinary options and researchers suggest that this isn't a food fad, they insist that street food is a viable market segment and it's one that is here to stay.
But not everyone has been eager to make room for the change and some jurisdictions have been fighting the trend, with areas like Chicago, Baltimore, and New York opting to pass legislation that bans food trucks in an effort to supposedly protect brick-and-mortar business locations in the area.
For example, Baltimore currently has rules in place which ban food trucks from operating within 300 feet of any brick-and-mortar business; if that food truck is going to be selling any products that are similar to those which could be found in the brick-and-mortar location that's nearby.
While it's been a difficult and uphill battle in some areas, that can't be said to be the same situation for all jurisdictions.
Not everyone is looking to actively fight this consumer trend.
Some areas like Oregon, Portland, and much of California etc, have moved to promote and embrace the popular food truck trend, rather than try to shut it out.
For people not only in the US, but in many areas around the world, engaging in the mobile vending market is how they go about trying to make an honest living for themselves and their families. In order to engage in this market, those individuals have had to jump through many costly hoops in order to try and set-up their food business so that they can serve their fellow man.
The regulatory hurdle in place that prevents these individuals from trying to exchange with others voluntarily, no doubt prevents many people from ever looking to get involved in the first place. Not only that, but it also dampens the success for those individuals who are heavily burdened by the costly requirements. The well-established restaurant corporations, unlike the street vendors, also have enough funding to be able to sway and influence their local policy-makers to make changes in their favor.
In many ways, these rules prevent people from bettering their lives and the lives of their loved ones because they prevent those individuals from serving and engaging in exchanges with others; before they meet a variety of strict guidelines.
In Chicago, dozens of food vendors have tried to deal with the issue of cost, by coming together in order to pool their funds and invest in a commercial kitchen so as to meet regulatory requirements in their area.
Thanks to the ongoing political food truck battle in just the Chicago area, city officials there have recently made changes in decreasing the vending license cost but there is still a lot of improvement that could be made and the fight isn't over yet.
When it comes to the current rules in place for food trucks that sell their products within 300 feet of a restaurant, cafe, or other business, that might be selling the same products as them, those food truck vendors could face up to a $500 fine each time that they are caught. They could also have their vendor license taken away altogether.
According to a legal expert with the Institute for Justice, this sort of ban is an example of unconstitutional economic favoritism and the IJ has been helping food vendors fight for their right to serve the people in their communities. Right now it's estimated that there are thousands of food trucks all around the US, with about 70 located just in the Chicago area.
Pics:
Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News via buffalonews.com/2016/06/24/proposed-food-truck-fees-williamsville-among-highest-country-lawyer-says/
US Census Bureau/US Bureau of Labour Stats via Economist
DANNY MOLOSHOK / REUTERS via nbcnews.com/business/consumer/17-sandwich-why-food-trucks-are-getting-expensive-n142506
Sources:
https://www.eater.com/2015/5/21/8601951/food-trucks-food-carts-street-food-nyc-los-angles-san-antonio
https://www.economist.com/news/business/21721699-chicago-and-new-york-try-protect-bricks-and-mortar-restaurants-americas-food-truck-revolution
http://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-street-vendors-open-shared-kitchen-to-operate-legally-in-chicago-20170721-story.html
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/food-trucks-decline-parking-ticket-fines-ordinance/Content?oid=26035054
https://mobile-cuisine.com/off-the-wire/food-truck-industry-to-grow-from-615m-to-2-7b-in-5-years/
https://patch.com/maryland/baltimore/baltimore-food-truck-lawsuit-heads-trial
https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2017/05/daily-chart-3
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