\u201cI\u2019ve not heard any complaints that it\u2019s not working well,\u201d Hallam said. \u201cNor have I heard complaints from brick-and-mortar restaurants as far as being infringed upon. Nor have we heard any complaints from citizenry.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2011, opponents of the permit ordinance foresaw many problems, including safety hazards, traffic hazards, litter, grease dumping and unfair competition with bricks-and-mortar businesses with higher overhead. Supporters said the problems were manageable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recommended that food trucks be allowed but restricted within certain distances of existing restaurants,\u201d said Paul Reimel of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. \u201cThough a fine dining restaurant may not compete with a food truck for the same customer, the majority of downtown restaurants have a fast casual format that caters to our 40,000 employees who want a quick bite.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/valentinosfoodtruck.jpg\" "\\"valentinosfoodtruck\\"")
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Photo by Steven Valentino<\/p><\/div>\n
Hallam said police have only issued one truck-related citation in the eight-month period, for a food truck operating without a permit. City staffers are drawing up a report for council on the effects of the ordinance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t had any issues come up that need changes,\u201d said Zoning Administrator Walt Fulcher. \u201cUnless some of the food-truck owners were to propose something, the staff position is that we wouldn\u2019t recommend any changes.<\/p>\n
City Councilor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the city crafted the food-truck rules to bring extra fun and excitement downtown without hurting bricks-and-mortar restaurants. She said the ordinance appears to have succeeded.<\/p>\n
Among the restrictions in the ordinance are that trucks must park on private business property \u2014 the business they park at needs its own permit \u2014 at least<\/span> 100 feet from the main entrance of any eating establishment, 100 feet from any outdoor dining area and 50 feet from any permitted food-vending cart.<\/p>\n
Truck owner requirements include a business license; a Wake County food-vendor permit; a grease-disposal facility; and a $150 permit fee. The hosting property requirements include a site plan showing where the trucks will park; a business license; and a $76 fee. Truck owners told the Record they\u2019re happier with Raleigh\u2019s fees than Chapel Hill\u2019s $718 annual permit.<\/p>\n
City Councilors discussed the food trucks Tuesday. Some reported seeing more trucks on Rock Quarry Road on state-owned property and outside the flea market. Neither location is permitted. The issue will go before the Council’s Law and Public Safety Committee for further discussion.<\/p>\n
Cynthia Deis of the Ornamentea jewelry store said she\u2019s glad she took out a hosting permit: Food trucks make a good promotion, a nice amenity for customers and they\u2019re also convenient when she wants a quick bite.<\/p>\n
\nTo set up shop in Raleigh, truck owners have to find businesses with permits to let food trucks park there. Twitter helps.<\/p>\n
Cynthia Deis said that when truck owners find an opening in their schedule, they\u2019ll tweet her and other property owners to ask if the property\u2019s available. Alternatively, they simply twee their free time and wait to see if any property owners are interested. <\/p>\n
\u201cI usually get about 6,000 followers on Twitter,\u201d Steven Valentino said. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk to them, see what their ideas are, what they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n
Stenke said he\u2019d like to improve the process, setting up a site where business owners and truck owners can announce their availability, compare schedules and contact each other to suggest a good time to collaborate.\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Nevertheless, she said, the permit process would have discouraged her if she\u2019d been less eager.<\/p>\n
Deis said city staff hadn\u2019t seemed familiar with the requirements so she kept getting different instructions. A bigger problem was that her landlord had to take out his own business license, \u201cwhich didn\u2019t fully make sense even to the people in the permit office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deis said that even though the staff comped her landlord\u2019s license fees, completing the paperwork, taking it to him and getting it signed \u2014 after he consulted his lawyer \u2014 made for another hurdle to getting her permit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire permitting process should be re-thought,\u201d said Jim Belt of the Downtown Living Alliance. \u201cI feel the new rules are too restrictive to food trucks rather than encouraging them to set up. Events bring them downtown but on off nights, food trucks don’t really set up in downtown that often.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Stenke of Klausie\u2019s Pizza and Steven Valentino of Valentino\u2019s Food Truck both said they\u2019re glad to have Raleigh permits, but the city\u2019s requirements are often overkill: Wake\u2019s health permit for food businesses covers grease disposal so there\u2019s no need for the city to watchdog that as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t, over-all, have anything negative to say,\u201d Valentino said, adding that he didn\u2019t think trucks were a challenge to restaurants. \u201cRestaurants have the ability to have air-conditioning, bathrooms, tables, wait service. They don\u2019t need<\/span> to attack the food trucks, they need to go after the city to get their taxes lowered.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Fowler of Wilmoore Caf\u00e9 said he doesn\u2019t see any problems with food trucks entering Raleigh\u2019s food mix: \u201cWe\u2019re in a redevelopment part of town, so the more the merrier.\u201d<\/p>\n