HOBOKEN -- The Hoboken City Council has ditched a proposed annual $1,250 fee for food truck vendors, according to a story on a local news website, but the rest of the $3,000 in proposed fees will remain.
The City Council recently voted to introduce legislation that would, among other restrictions, charge food truck vendors $4,250 total to operate in the city limits. The proposed fee would now be lowered to $3,000. As part of the process, city officials studied ordinances in approximately 15 other cities. Last week, food truck vendors spoke out against the originally proposed ordinance in a council committee meeting.
Currently, vendors pay approximately $500 for a permit to operate in the city. They also pay to feed parking meters all day. However, the $500 permit was designed for non-motorized food vendors, like a hot dog cart, according to city officials.
Also, instead of being forced to park 100 feet from a brick and mortar business, the new proposed ordinance will stipulate that the trucks have to be at least 75 feet from the business, according to the article.
The $2,500 enforcement fee and a $500 permit will remain in the legislation, Councilwoman Jen Giattino said in the story. - Ray Smith
The mobility of trucks also allows food service in under served areas. Restaurants in neighborhoods with both day time office workers and residents can easily support restaurants, but in the northern or western portions of the city with fewer day time customers, supporting a food business full time is more difficult. But the mobility of food trucks allows venders to follow customers to match demand.
Food trucks provide a great way to incubate a new business. Consider the Taco Truck Shop, a one time food truck turned brick and mortar store. While the Taco Truck still roams the streets from time to time, the truck served as a launching pad for the Hoboken based store as well as a mini chain of other stores across New Jersey.
Food trucks have limited kitchens and limited supplies. Brick and mortar restaurants with full kitchens and the space for much more food storage should easily be able to compete with food trucks; stores that can't compete are doing something else wrong and probably should focus on improving the quality of the food coming out of their restaurant.
The new regulations speaks more to the desperation of unqualified elected leaders suckling from the teat of the Hoboken taxpayer than to good public policy.
Food trucks currently *illegally* park and feed the meter, violating several Hoboken ordinances. Unless these food trucks would like to permanently leave Hoboken, they need to abide by the law.
I love the food trucks -- especially the Cinnamon Snail -- but a balance needs to be struck here. The proposed fees might be higher than the trucks are paying now, but considering the trucks are currently illegally operating I don't see this as a negative.