In case you’ve been out of town for the last week, you’ve probably heard a thing or two about Buffalo’s ongoing Food Truck debate. We’ve mentioned the fight between “brick and mortar” restaurants and food truck operators, but the discussion is really starting to ramp up now. Everyone’s favorite politician Carl Paladino has decided to get involved and urge the city to limit and/or ban food trucks from downtown. I’m not against food truck legislation, I think some set rules and guidelines would make everyone’s lives easier. But these rules and laws should be fair to all sides and should be following the example of other progressive cities who have successful restaurants and food trucks living side by side.
You may be asking yourself, “What can I do as a supporter of food trucks?”
First you can sign Jeremy Horwitz’s (aka Buffalo Chow) petition that is being sent to 9 Buffalo Common Council members and the Executive Director of Buffalo Place. When you sign the petition an email will be sent with your name to all 10 of them. As of right now ~2,350 people have signed this petition in a little under 2 days. The goal is to get 4,000 by Thursday morning and I think we can do it. Sign the petition and spread the word. Post the link on facebook, twitter, google plus, message boards and anywhere else you can think of.
Second you can attend tomorrow’s (Thursday Sept 29th) Common Council public meeting at 10am in Room 1417 at City Hall. If you have the time, come on down and voice your opinion on the matter. The most vocal “brick and mortar” restaurant owners will be there and will be arguing against Chris and Pete from Lloyd, Kathleen from The Whole Hog and Chris from The Roaming Buffalo.
If you are still on the fence on the issue, I can’t recommend reading Christa Seychew’s article on Buffalo Spree enough. As someone who has countless friends in the “brick and mortar” industry, she fantastically breaks down the alleged complaints about food trucks and their potential harm to local restaurants.
Take 15 seconds and sign the petition, it could make a big difference.
