Minneapolis Grapples with Food Truck Regulations

As mobile merchants, food trucks encounter practical and regulatory questions that neither other vehicles nor other vendors contend with. Now Minneapolis is trying to balance the needs of food trucks and property owners in its Downtown area.

Property owners want to limit the number of trucks that can operate in the same area. But food truck operators say business is best when they vend together, creating a "destination." They also want to expand the areas they can operate in, as well as the hours, to serve people leaving bars at closing time.

The city, according to MinnPost, comes down in the middle. It amended a local ordinance on food trucks in January—imposing some restrictions and removing others.

Some regulations are there for safety: Trucks can’t park in a space with a bike lane between it and the curb, which would put moving cyclists between the truck and the customer on the sidewalk.

Others—like prohibiting trucks from operating near fairs, parks, or sports stadiums—protect brick-and-mortar vendors from competition.

Though property owners say City Hall is soft on food trucks because of their popularity, the reporter says both mobile and stationary eateries appear to be thriving.