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Sacramento says no to hot new food trend
Aug 24, 2010 (The Sacramento Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the blog written by Catherine Enfield. The correct name for the blog is "Munchie Musings."
The hottest new food trend literally rolls through the country, using Twitter and other social media to alert hungry customers.
From Korean short rib tacos at Southern California's Kogi BBQ truck, to chicken tikka masala at Desi Food Truck in New York City, mobile food vendors are all the rage with the hungry masses. The Food Network is also riding this trend, launching "The Great Food Truck Race" on Aug. 15.
But that food truck wouldn't be able to stop for long in Sacramento. The City Council adopted ordinances in 2008 that make it nearly impossible to create a regional version of Kogi BBQ, a mobile food truck featured in Time magazine and Bon Appetit that tweets its latest location to 70,000 followers.
Among the provisions of the Sacramento City Code: Mobile food vendors cannot stay in one commercial area for more than 30 minutes -- and cannot operate after 6 p.m. from November through March. The trucks also cannot operate within 400 feet of one another.
The scene is different in such cities as Portland, Ore., where www.foodcartsport-land.com tracks more than 200 mobile food vendors.
"They pretty much have everything from pupusas to curries to standard taco fare," said Catherine Enfield, a Sacramentan who authors the "Munchie Musings" blog. "What is wrong with Sacramento?"
Even Mayor Kevin Johnson acknowledged that Sacramento should welcome food truck culture.
"The current ordinance, adopted before my election, should be reworked," said Johnson, in an e-mail. "I'm confident that like other cities we can develop a plan that allows mobile food trucks to thrive alongside other businesses and neighborhoods."
Neighbors complained
City code distinguishes between "food vendors," including hot dog and pretzel carts, and "mobile food vendors." These vehicles include taco trucks, ice cream trucks and the so-called "roach coaches" often seen at construction sites. The city approved 87 mobile food vendors for 2010.
Back in 2008, a controversy started simmering because of taco trucks in south Sacramento. Complaints came primarily from residents about music being played too loudly from the trucks, trash and loitering.
"Some regulations were not being followed, and that prompted the whole thing to happen," said Dafna Gauthier, business permit manager for the city of Sacramento. "The aesthetics (of the trucks) weren't that great, and people started complaining about the way they were set up."
Food truck operators found an ally in Sacramento City Councilman Ray Tretheway. His district includes a stretch of Northgate Boulevard that's home to such trucks as La Mex Taqueria and Tacos Piedad.
"It's a way of life," said Tretheway, of the taco trucks. "It's a distinct choice in lunches and dinners and late-night eating. I think there's an important place for them."
The City Council still adopted its regulations for mobile food vendors but allowed some compromise after consulting with food truck operators. The ordinance for a 30-minute time limit would stay. However, 10 taco trucks with longtime stationary locations were given until 2013 to comply.
George Azar, who owns the La Mex Taqueria taco truck, doesn't want to be forced out of his business. He leases parking space from the owners of S-P Liquor Market, pulls up around 11:30 a.m. and sells upward of 600 tacos daily.
"I can do a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but that's not the business I built up," said Azar, as a half-dozen customers waited for orders on a recent day. "It's like the difference between going into Gunther's or going to an ice cream truck. But I go through the same health inspections as restaurants."
Gourmet fare, plebian prices
Beyond trucks peddling carne asada and tortas, trucks serving gourmet and ethnic cuisine offer some of the most coveted meals on wheels. How about escargot "lollipops" from San Francisco's Spencer on the Go or Belgian waffles from New York City's Wafels and Dinges truck?
The trucks' combination of social media savvy, with scrumptious food at reasonable prices, has turned into a recipe for popularity.
"The economy dipping made people more conscious about where they spend their money," said Matt Geller, co-founder of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association, which includes more than 80 food trucks as members. " -- You get three trucks together and people are standing in line talking to each other: 'Have you tried this?' They get out, and they're excited about the food, and find people who are excited about the same things."
At the Food Network, producers rolled out "The Great Food Truck Race." The show follows food truck operators cooking their way across the country and competing for a $50,000 grand prize. Their trucks specialize in foods ranging from puddings and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, to Cajun dishes and frogs' legs from Spencer on the Go.
"The Great Food Truck Race" garnered more than 2 million viewers in its debut.
"The phenomenon has been sweeping the country, and at the Food Network, we want to stay on top of trends," said Brian Lando, the Food Network's vice president of programming and special projects.
The boom has prompted backlash in some cities. A Los Angeles City Council committee recently heard testimony from a member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that food trucks were "undercutting" restaurants.
Yet some Sacramento-area restaurateurs would like to see the city steer into the mobile food trend.
Randall Selland of the Selland Family of Restaurants, which operates gourmet eateries Ella Dining Room & Bar and The Kitchen, has considered taking his culinary show to the roads. He was inspired by a street food festival in San Francisco, where truck vendors were selling everything from paella and pizza to craft beers.
Selland's plans to run a mobile food truck are on hold, due in part to the city's tight restrictions.
"It's such a cool thing, but it just goes back to Sacramento being so backwards," said Selland. "When I drive down to Napa, there must be three to four trucks serving food, and nobody cares. Any little conflict that comes up with the City Council, they just don't want to hear it."
How would Selland feel if a food truck set up shop near one of his restaurants?
"It wouldn't bother me," said Selland. "If anything, it would bring more people to the area to see what we were doing. As long as they're not in the parking lot taking up parking spaces, it's OK."
Sacramento's fans of mobile food are raising awareness and encouraging the city to revise its regulations. You'll find a "petition to save Sacramento's taco trucks" at www.yumtacos.com. The petition has received 350 signatures since 2008.
Paul Somerhausen, founder of the Sacramento Epicureans food group, hopes to throw a mobile food festival next spring that would feature local food trucks, vendors from other cities and examples of how local restaurateurs might run their own trucks.
"Sacramento is ready," said Somerhausen. "We have plenty of gourmet food venues; we have an incredible variety of opportunities."
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Call The Bee's Chris Macias, (916) 321-1253.
To see more of The Sacramento Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.sacbee.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
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