1. Food Trucks in Atlantic City
April 19, 2017
Noon-time talk

2. Food Really Can Determine/Influence the Fate of Cities and Neighborhoods
Great food
Waterfront
Historical Architecture
Source: Sasaki Associates;

3. Eighty-two percent of urbanites appreciate their city’s culinary offerings, and a new restaurant is the top reason nearly half of those surveyed would venture out to explore different parts of their city. The majority of city residents also consider food and restaurants to be the most outstanding aspect of cities they love to visit.
Source:

4. RECOMMENDATIONS for FOOD TRUCKS: Regulatory Best-Practices
Thirteen cities of varying sizes and geography analyzed, excluding New York City and San Francisco.
Source: National League of Cities; Food on Wheels: Mobile Vending goes Mainstream

5. RECOMMENDATIONS for FOOD TRUCKS: Regulatory Best-Practices
Regulations are grouped into four policy areas:
Economic Activity
Public Space
Public Health
Public Safety (not addressed in presentation)
Source: National League of Cities; Food on Wheels: Mobile Vending goes Mainstream

6. 1. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
“For the community and city, creating opportunities for economic development is a key priority because it raises… vibrancy, and creates a level of attractiveness for business and residents as well as for the city as a whole”

7. Economic Activity REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
2. Cost of Permitting:
One of the most basic barriers to entry is start-up costs, which includes permitting fees
1. Streamlining:
more centralized process for permitting
Greater ease of entering the market
More efficiency
The thirteen cities analyzed had the cost of permitting range from $110 – 1,500 annually.
Majority of cities fall within $150-$400 (five cities) or $1,000+ range (five cities).
Majority of cities do not have centralized permitting process in place
A trend of 3-5 departmental interactions, and 3-5 permits to procure
Three cities have centralized process, still need for county health permit
Residents of city who do not have resources to open-up a restaurant, can more easily venture into mobile-vending :: incubator for new restaurants.

8. 2. PUBLIC SPACE
“Flexible access can lead to over-utilization, which can produce unwanted contestation, pollution, and conflicts between different stakeholders trying to use the space at the same time.
In most cases, cities are tasked with managing this property, which includes balancing the needs of all interested parties, diminishing negative externalities, and otherwise preserving the integrity of the space.”

9. Public Space REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three issues to consider: TIME CONSTRAINTS, PROXIMITY RULES, and GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS (related to density)
TIME CONSTRAINTS: how much time food trucks are allowed to park and vend in one location.
4-5 hours is the preferred approach  balances the interests of restaurants, vendors, patrons, and other stakeholders. Adequate time for city inspectors too.
Vendors need approx. one hour to set-up and pack-up; 1-2 hours actual vending
5 cities = no limits; 3 cities = 45 minutes/less; rest = 4-5 hours limit.
More restrictions = lax enforcement
Example:
Oakland originally had a two hour limit for one location, this gave them little time to sell food.
Vendors complained about their predicament and were successful in changing time to 5 hours.
Example:
In Atlanta, virtually all vending happens on private property, and the city has contracted a private company the responsibility of all mobile vending management. In 2013 vending on public property was prohibited.

10. Public Space REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three issues to consider: TIME CONSTRAINTS, PROXIMITY RULES, and GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS (related to density)
2. PROXIMITY RULES: Designate the amount of distance that must be maintained between food trucks and other establishments, people, or infrastructure.
Our focus is distance between food trucks and restaurants that impact the use of public space.
Recommendation: No more than 200 feet, but context matters! Density issues may call for tiered structure, or abandoning proximity altogether. There is no “one size fits all” rule.
Tiered structure: distance requirements are shortened for denser neighborhoods, and widened for other others.
Most cities have moderate to lenient restrictions.
6-7 cities have no restrictions, or relatively short distances
4 cities require a foot requirements
New Orleans requires a 600 foot restrictions; 50ft proposed but there is resistance

11. Public Space REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three issues to consider: TIME CONSTRAINTS, PROXIMITY RULES, and GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS (related to density)
3. GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS related to density: related to whether vending is permitted in particular segments of public space.
Limiting vendors to certain locations makes it easier for cities to find vendors, but might hinder growth and opportunity. (Boston and GPS requirement)
Most cities embrace a patchwork approach  vending is restricted to certain zones, districts, parking spaces, or limits on operations in Central Business Disrict (CBD).
3 cities have lenient provision  few public spaces are off-limits
3 cities are restrictive  outright bans on public space or CBD vending

12. Public Space REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three issues to consider: TIME CONSTRAINTS, PROXIMITY RULES, and GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS (related to density)
3. GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS related to density: related to whether vending is permitted in particular segments of public space.
In Baltimore, the 10 new food truck zones are stationed near areas with high pedestrian traffic,
hospitals
college campuses
transit stations
will include space for two trucks to operate between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily

13. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH
“The role of health departments and increasingly, commissaries should be continually reevaluated to address these concerns within a regulatory framework that is cost-efficient, thorough, but not onerous…”

14. Public Health REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three things to consider: SANITATION, FOOD SAFETY, and ROLE OF COMMISSARIES
SANITATION: refers to trucks’ proper cleaning of preparation utensils and disposal of garbage, wastewater (grey water), and remnants of grease taps. The sanitations guidelines tend to be similar across cities.
Recommendations: Adhere to standard requirements in cities with an already established food truck industry; Austin’s website has a particularly clear process. If cities unable to enact own sanitation laws, they may articulate their needs/concerns to state legislature.

15. Public Health REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three things to consider: SANITATION, FOOD SAFETY, and ROLE OF COMMISSARIES
2. FOOD SAFETY: the specifics of food safety do not vary much from city to city.
Recommendations: Have the mobile vendors adhere to the same food safety regulations as the brick-and-mortar restaurants. It is an effective way to promote proper food handling and accountability. Many vendors appreciate these standards because it combats the “roach coach” stereotype.

16. Public Health REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three things to consider: SANITATION, FOOD SAFETY, and ROLE OF COMMISSARIES
2. FOOD SAFETY: the specifics of food safety do not vary much from city to city.
Atlanta (example)
Mobile Vendors are mandated to have a “Certified Food Safety Manager” (CFSM)
CFSM could be owner or operator  must complete safety-training program and pass a “professional validated” CFSM exam.
Mobile unit must always have a designated Person in Charge (PIC), this will be the CFSM when present.
During Health Authority inspections, the PIC may be asked to demonstrate their “knowledge of foodborne disease prevention”

17. Public Health REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three things to consider: SANITATION, FOOD SAFETY, and ROLE OF COMMISSARIES
3. ROLE OF COMMISSARIES: Commissaries are fixed location kitchens where food must be prepped before being loaded onto the truck for cooking and selling. Often operate as storage for various ingredients as well. The “home base” of sorts, and one of the most promising and more diversified aspects of mobile food vending.
All of the cities analyzed have a commissary requirement

18. Public Health REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three things to consider: SANITATION, FOOD SAFETY, and ROLE OF COMMISSARIES
3. ROLE OF COMMISSARIES: Commissaries are fixed location kitchens where food must be prepped before being loaded onto the truck for cooking and selling. Often operate as storage for various ingredients as well. The “home base” of sorts, and one of the most promising and more diversified aspects of mobile food vending.
All stakeholders can benefit from the appropriate utilization of commissaries, especially if more than one truck may operate out of a commissary.
City employees would have fewer places to visit  collecting licensing, permitting documents, fees; or performing routine inspections for maintaining sanitation/public health standards. Also, can more easily streamline their permit review and inspection process.
Commissaries provide new vendors with a central facility to get all the information they need to operate; can save time and cost, esp. when city codes are difficult to track down.
Assurance that commissaries cut down on the number of unregulated mobile vendors and that health concerns are addressed in a thorough and efficient manner

19. Public Health REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Three things to consider: SANITATION, FOOD SAFETY, and ROLE OF COMMISSARIES
3. ROLE OF COMMISSARIES: Commissaries are fixed location kitchens where food must be prepped before being loaded onto the truck for cooking and selling. Often operate as storage for various ingredients as well. The “home base” of sorts, and one of the most promising and more diversified aspects of mobile food vending.
Recommendations: Adopt an approach where all food trucks have a contract with a commissary, but more than one may be associated with a single commissary.
Food trucks may also negotiate with restaurants to utilize (and pay) them as places to dispose of waste. These contracts foster a sense of community and keep conflicts to a minimum.

20. CHICAGO and NEW YORK CITY
1. CONSISTENCY IN ENFORCEMENT
Vendors cannot follow a profitable business plan, if enforcement is sporadic and inconsistent
Market deterrent
2. MINIMAL REGULATIONS
Keeping regulations cohesive, sensible, and minimal will allow consistency in enforcement
More regulations = harder to keep track of the rules, and could be a factor in inconsistent enforcement

21. THANK YOU! :)

22. Implementation Guide (recommendations)
Hold Town Hall Forums, and Private Meetings
Encourage Dialogue and the Building of Relationships Among Competing Stakeholders
Implement Pilot Programs to Determine What Regulations to Adopt
Use Targeted Practices as a Way to Address Underserved Areas of the City
Identify Private Vacant Lots and Create Partnerships for Mobile Vendors to Gather and Vend in the Same Location.