Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Do you live in a city with food trucks? Minneapolis just changed their laws to allow them this year, and it's been great. I just had a good Banh Mi at Vellee Deli. There are more that I want to try. This one was cheap, too - $6 for a large sandwich. Of course, I don't think they'll hang around for the winter here . But it's a nice change of pace from the usual lunch fare.

Oh yes. I live in NYC and we have an abundance of trucks. Almost too many.

There's a blog that caters to food trucks and good, low-cost eats called Midtown Lunch. They've since launched similar blogs in other cities.

KC used to have laws that required that all food be prepared in a commercial kitchen, then kept warm in a food truck. Bleh! We had a friend who tried and tried to get a hot dog stand but no luck.

Now I've seen a few around but don't know if the law has changed. Problem was the trucks wanted to be where the hot restaurants were and the restaurants didn't want the competition.

fitzie

fitzie - the food trucks here are only allowed in a few locations and they are pretty much not near any other type of quick food. One is just outside a swanky restaurant but not really a competitor.

We have many of them in Denver and the city is working on ordinances to assist them. Every Tues and Thurs, civic center park (right downtown) hosts Civic Eats where about 13-15 of the trucks can come and serve lunch. Then once a month during the summer, the trucks have formed a group and take over a parking lot for a Friday night gathering (generally 30 trucks). Between the trucks and carts in denver, the lunch scene has really changed....it is fun and yummy.
ilene

All,

So we've had the food trucks invading San Francisco, and I'm mostly hoping that they're a short-lived fad.

Food trucks have, of course, their partisans. Hipsters who are all crazy about them, and activists who are trying to change the regulations to make it easier to run one. And for that matter, I adore the interesting, varied, and ubiquitous food cards of Portland.

However, San Francisco already has a large number of interesting, varied, and cheap restaurants all over the city. Downtown, without food carts, you can already get lunches of 16 different cuisines for less than $12/person. So unlike Denver or Portland, the need for food carts is just not there.

Besides which, most of the food carts we do get suck. They have a once-a-week food cart wagon circle around 1/4 mile from my apartment. Kris and I tried it; not one of those trucks was worth revisiting, and eating there cost as much -- or more -- than eating in an order-at-the-counter restaurant in our neighborhood. One with, you know, a place to sit down. And silverware.

There are a few exceptions, such as the taco trucks of the southeast quadrant of the city, and a couple interesting ones like the Chowdermobile. But overall, if they ever put new food truck regulations on the ballot, I'm voting against them.

Because you don't like the food they serve? Seems a bit harsh to me. If they cost the same as local restaurants, and serve bad food, soon they will go wheels-up. NYC has as many eating places as SF, and the food trucks there do some amazing stuff. Some of them, any way. ButbI bet that plenty of restaurants in SF serve food that is either just bad or that you just don't like.
I'm hoping the new city counsil (sp?) in Chicago will start allowing them.

maybe theiy'll add pho in the winter?

We have a lot of carts and some trucks down in CC/Univ City...as Becky points out, they survive as long as they have decent food...and some of them even graduate to actual stores/restaurants; there's a reason why that bakery is named Le Bus

If I recall my Phoodie history correctly, it was a guy at a food cart who was credited for inventing the cheesesteak

In a reverse strategy, a number of our restaurants have food trucks and they don't think they compete with themselves....its just a limited menu from the restaurant and it allows them to expose their restaurants to potential new customers.

OMG if only, if only! I haven't found any Pho here yet. I have heard of some, but don't yet know where it is. Maybe this fall I'll look harder - in the dead of winter I avoid driving the icy streets even if good food is the destination. (More a loathing of stupid drivers than fear of running into the ditch. )