When new products and services enter the market, it often takes a while for necessary rules and regulations to be crafted.
Recently, we’ve seen an example in Columbus on the subject of food trucks when a local restaurant owner complained on social media about a food truck that had opened shop near his restaurant.
While the food truck business has been booming across the country for more than a decade, the trend is only now arriving in the Golden Triangle.
Columbus has just one licensed food truck vendor. Starkville has several.
In both cities, food truck operators must obtain licenses from the city. In both cities, food trucks can operate on public property only by the city’s permission. In Starkville, food truck operators can only operate on public property for a 24-hour period, which ensures these mobile eateries do no become de facto permanent restaurants operating on public land.
As was the case with the Columbus restaurant, the potential for conflict between traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants and food trucks is to be expected, something that represents a challenge for city officials.
We do not expect, nor do we desire, that city governments take sides in these conflicts. Both types of businesses should be permitted to succeed or fail on their own merits. Competition is healthy, providing residents with more options.
At the same time, regulations must protect the interests of both groups. Brick-and-mortar restaurants, obviously, are confined to the space they occupy and come with much more overhead. Food trucks, obviously, are mobile and have the advantage of going where the customers are, rather than the other way around.
This mobility provides convenience to the customer in a way that brick-and-mortar stores may not.
But there is a question of fairness in play here, too. Food truck operators should be respectful of brick-and-mortar restaurants’ space.
It is not a simple matter. Restaurant owners should have no expectation of an exclusive market. A restaurant in a shopping center, for example, cannot prohibit someone from opening a restaurant next door. The same principle applies loosely, at least, to a food truck.
Even so, food trucks should not be allowed to set up shop outside the front door of a restaurant whenever the owner pleases.
The best solutions probably aren’t going to made through government regulations, but by mutual respect between brick-and-mortar and food truck restaurateurs.
For private property, responsibility also lies with property owners/landlords. In the above example, ideally, the owner of the shopping center would allow the food truck only in places that won’t disrupt brick-and-mortar tenants.
In public spaces, regulations should encourage cooperation rather than choose sides.
Since it seems the food truck business will only increase, local governments would be wise to study how other cities have addressed the matter and learn from them.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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