Food Trucks in Downtown Minneapolis (live, restaurant, marketplace)

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Wow, turns out that this is a hot and continuing issue. The restaurants are asking for city action, and one suggestion is simply limiting licenses. The picture in the TC Daily Planet sort of tells the story. The trucks are not only taking business, they are hogging parking spaces that customers of nearby businesses would otherwise use. Downtown parking iFair enough. But at least with longer, hotter summers, there are pools and rooftop bars to hang out at. You have to embrace the heat; become one with it. s supposed to be time-limited. They could enforce those limits and chase some of the trucks out of there.

Food truck wars? Minneapolis brick and mortar restaurants ask food trucks to spread out | Twin Cities Daily Planet

Hogging parking spaces? Hogwash. Food trucks downtown on Marquette and Second Ave. are required to be in the bus lanes only.

Did you see the pictures of the lines? People want those food trucks there. Maybe the restaurant owner should think about adding a truck to his line up, like a friend of mine did. And I really loved the comment abut limiting the number of licenses....from a guy who already has one!

I'm a pro-business guy, but business owners always want to outdo the competition, and of that means trying to get the government to knock off the other guy, well they'll try that to.

The food trucks are not "taking business" --- they are earning it. And the winners are the consumers. More choice, more convenience, better prices. Leave the food trucks alone.

[ManBearPig1]

Instead of going after the competition with city intervention, the brick and mortar places should be going after the competition with a compelling product. If they can't offer one, it's not their competitors' faults, and is no basis for government intervention.

[Beenhere4ever]

I have a feeling many of my discussions involve a lot of people NOT living in Minneapolis. Seems the entire metropolitan area is full of opinions about what our city government should do. Not living here seems hardly to matter. My opinions are based upon 40 years of paying taxes to fund this government. So that's why I feel I can write them and expect some attention.

So that makes me wonder who contributing to this discussion actually resides in the city being discussed. Yes, I realize the section says "Minneapolis - St Paul", but that doesn't make every topic a bicity topic.

[ManBearPig1]

Pretty sure most of the replies here have been from city-dwellers. Myself, I've lived in Minneapolis all the years I've lived in Minnesota, and will be very upset if they do anything to disrupt food trucks' thriving businesses because their competitors want their business.

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

People want those food trucks there. Maybe the restaurant owner should think about adding a truck to his line up, like a friend of mine did.

The food trucks are not "taking business" --- they are earning it. And the winners are the consumers. More choice, more convenience, better prices. Leave the food trucks alone.

I agree...

Saffron wasn't getting enough lunch business to justify staying open for lunch, so the owners closed for lunch and started the very successful World Street Kitchen food truck. They ended up opening another brick and mortar restaurant named after the truck at Lyndale & 28th. I really like the food at WSK.

Saffron Restaurant & Lounge Official Website

World Street Kitchen

[Beenhere4ever]

Here's a suggestion. Whatever you think of them, look up your council member and call or write to them. They will be most receptive to what their constituents think. If you don't have one, keep posting here where no difference is made.

[PullMyFinger]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Can you please clarify what you mean? I am not clear on how food purchased from a food truck is more fattening than the same food purchased from a stationary restaurant.

Look around, half of the people out there have a butt 3 axe handles wide. The food trucks are probably part of the problem.

Bring a cooler for lunch with a small salad and a half turkey sandwich and that's all your need all day. You don't need BBQ spare ribs and cornbread for lunch.

[PullMyFinger]

I guess also, the appearance of FOOD TRUCKS is just another indicator that people just don't have any class anymore.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Look around, half of the people out there have a butt 3 axe handles wide. The food trucks are probably part of the problem.

Bring a cooler for lunch with a small salad and a half turkey sandwich and that's all your need all day. You don't need BBQ spare ribs and cornbread for lunch.

It's pretty clear that you've never actually looked at the selections offered by the food trucks. As to this:

The food trucks are probably part of the problem.

Let's see some documentation supporting your position.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

I have a feeling many of my discussions involve a lot of people NOT living in Minneapolis. Seems the entire metropolitan area is full of opinions about what our city government should do. Not living here seems hardly to matter. My opinions are based upon 40 years of paying taxes to fund this government. So that's why I feel I can write them and expect some attention.

So that makes me wonder who contributing to this discussion actually resides in the city being discussed. Yes, I realize the section says "Minneapolis - St Paul", but that doesn't make every topic a bicity topic.

I live in Minneapolis but that is not a requirement for posting or having a view on the topic. Actually, if we're going to rank views on this topic by legitimacy, the views of a downtown office worker who lives in the suburbs may have more relevance than those of a city resident who doesn't venture downtown or to any of the other areas serviced by the food trucks.

Personally, I live and work in the city, and have had numerous conversations with regulatory services in the subject of mobile food vendors when I helped my friend get his truck set up, so I feel pretty well versed in the topic. You do know, for example, that mobile food vendors are required to be on the street at least 150 days a year, that they must have an obstruction permit to use the bus lanes, that they cannot park within a certain distance of a restaurant, that food trucks must be based in a kitchen inspected by the city, the food truck itself must be permitted by regulatory services, environmental service, and the fire dept., right? If not, perhaps you should read up on this a little more thoroughly than just a newspaper article.

You wanted "attention" to your topic and you got it. What you are not getting is agreement.