A legal Food truck: All it took was a year and 60 trips to city hall

**RO_Resident** · July-19-11, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by JDKeepsmiling

Love it, made me spew my water all over my keyboard. What exactly is a dark meat snack? I have no idea but they are mighty tasty.

Per the Chicken Shack, it is a leg, thigh, a hand full of fries, and a roll [[generally) in a styrofoam container. For most of the sidewalk places, replace the fries with corn on the cob.

**canuck** · July-19-11, 07:27 PM

Any business on wheels in Detroit should be encouraged and promoted by the automotives. The food truck should be on the move so the customer gets to walk an extra coupla blocks from work and back. Make the things run on their own used french fry oil. Like a perpetual engine dream come true.

**iheartthed** · July-19-11, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

Yes, but you see a lot more hot dog carts in many areas where there arent a lot of restaurants at street level.

This isn't true for NYC. Food trucks and sidewalk vendors operate primarily in areas with a lot of foot traffic, which also happens to be areas with high concentrations of restaurants.

**canuck** · July-19-11, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

This isn't true for NYC. Food trucks and sidewalk vendors operate primarily in areas with a lot of foot traffic, which also happens to be areas with high concentrations of restaurants.

Yes but you can walk for blocks in midtown Manhattan and not find affordable restaurants at street level. You can work at an office tower on Madison avenue and of course the foot traffic is high, but the food offer not as extensive as one might think. The foodcarts are a cheap alternative to a limited food offer in areas where you have a choice between a Qiznos or The Russian Tea Room.

**shasy99** · July-19-11, 11:11 PM

There are several thousand employees coming into the city over the next few years. A few strategically placed food carts is not going to depress the restaurant market.

Moreover, there are tens and thousands of people who drive home after sporting and concert events.

Restaurants won't hurt as much as think. In fact, it may increase curb appeal to the city thus allowing more exposure for walk-ins to competing restaurants anyways.

**Goose** · July-19-11, 11:19 PM

capuchin soup kitchen and the government bread/cheeze line is competing with local resturants for business.... shut that schit down.......

**shasy99** · July-19-11, 11:30 PM

I'm not sure if you're following the news lately. Between DMC-Vanguard, Quicken Loans, GM, Blue Cross, Compuware and several creative and tech firms moving into the city, there will be an increase of 6,000-10,000 new employees over the next few years. At least.

In addition, there are thousand upon thousands of people who leave concerts, sporting events, etc soon after the event is done. They are jetting right out of the city. A few diverse food carts strategically placed not only can leverage these people, but also increase the curb appeal of the city.

The people are there. Need to find creative and innovative ways on leveraging what's already out there.

**iheartthed** · July-20-11, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by canuck

Yes but you can walk for blocks in midtown Manhattan and not find affordable restaurants at street level. You can work at an office tower on Madison avenue and of course the foot traffic is high, but the food offer not as extensive as one might think. The foodcarts are a cheap alternative to a limited food offer in areas where you have a choice between a Qiznos or The Russian Tea Room.

Not sure what's your definition of affordable, but this isn't a point worth arguing so I'll leave it alone.

**ResurgetCineribus** · July-20-11, 08:09 AM

Sooooooo anyways.... did anybody out there in forumland get food from this tax avoiding, monstrocity El Guapo food truck? How was it?

**Detroitkid** · July-20-11, 08:13 AM

The wait was long but the food is pretty good. My coworkers went yesterday and said they waited 40 minutes but they also said the burritos were awesome so.....

**Fnemecek** · July-20-11, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by motownmark04

SWMAP, my point is that if Fnemecek is worried about blight, abandonment, and further loss of tax revenue, then he shouldn't worry about blaming some food trucks.

My response to that is 6 pages long and contains an embedded video. This forum, unfortunately, does not support such a thing.

You can find it @ http://warrendale.blogspot.com/2011/...d-of-cool.html

**noise** · July-20-11, 09:10 AM

There were about 5 unique mentions of the word "cool" in a 5 page thread.

Furthermore, food trucks are not refusing to pay taxes. They will pay taxes. They will not pay taxes that do not [[and should not) apply to them.

**Fnemecek** · July-20-11, 09:36 AM

Food trucks are willing to pay taxes, as long as those taxes are a tiny fraction of what other pay.

I'm sorry, but that just isn't good enough.

**noise** · July-20-11, 09:42 AM

Simply put, you're wrong.

Food trucks are willing to pay APPLICABLE taxes. They shouldn't be required to pay taxes that don't apply to them, regardless of your bizarre logic.

**SWMAP** · July-20-11, 09:51 AM

The food truck people won't get to decide that. The politicians will. Fnemecek has a background in local municipal/county politics [[I believe) and he pretty much knows how it will go down. If I were you, I wouldn't be so know-it-all unless you have similar experience with the decision-makers.

**corktownyuppie** · July-20-11, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by shasy99

There are several thousand employees coming into the city over the next few years. A few strategically placed food carts is not going to depress the restaurant market.

Moreover, there are tens and thousands of people who drive home after sporting and concert events.

Restaurants won't hurt as much as think. In fact, it may increase curb appeal to the city thus allowing more exposure for walk-ins to competing restaurants anyways.

I don't think restaurants will hurt at ALL. That's like when a small family diner on a deserted block worries that the new McDonald's opening up next door is going to take business away. Yeah, I get the fear...but a new McDonald's will draw in tons of new drive and foot traffic, and many of those are gonna get tired of 2 apple pies for a $1 and stop by for a real meal.

**shasy99** · July-20-11, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

I don't think restaurants will hurt at ALL. That's like when a small family diner on a deserted block worries that the new McDonald's opening up next door is going to take business away. Yeah, I get the fear...but a new McDonald's will draw in tons of new drive and foot traffic, and many of those are gonna get tired of 2 apple pies for a $1 and stop by for a real meal.

Thank you. Takes a little innovative and outside-the-box thinking to make the idea of food carts work. Detroit needs this.

Established restaurants will not be greatly affected by this, rather benefit from the newfound curb appeal and foot traffic.

Moreover, do people not understand that there's at least 6-10,000 new employees already coming into the city?

It seems like we don't know how to handle this incredible blatant in-your-face opportunity.

**jackie5275** · July-20-11, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitkid

The wait was long but the food is pretty good. My coworkers went yesterday and said they waited 40 minutes but they also said the burritos were awesome so.....

I drove past it close to 1 pm. There was a line of about 30 people. I decided against waiting due to the heat, but I'll check it out next week when I'm in that area again.

**Fnemecek** · July-20-11, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by shasy99

Moreover, do people not understand that there's at least 6-10,000 new employees already coming into the city?

It seems like we don't know how to handle this incredible blatant in-your-face opportunity.

Right. All of those new employees would simply go away if food trucks had to pay taxes and fees that were on par with their brick & mortar counter parts.

An extra 50 cents for a taco or sandwich would totally destroy everything.

**Wesley Mouch** · July-20-11, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Right. All of those new employees would simply go away if food trucks had to pay taxes and fees that were on par with their brick & mortar counter parts.

An extra 50 cents for a taco or sandwich would totally destroy everything.

Do not forget that businesses exist to fund local government. That 50 cents is critical to the wages of city workers. Do not get between the city staff and their money.

**jackie5275** · July-20-11, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by shasy99

In addition, there are thousand upon thousands of people who leave concerts, sporting events, etc soon after the event is done. They are jetting right out of the city. A few diverse food carts strategically placed not only can leverage these people....

I think "strategically placed" is what's key to the success of this idea.

**noise** · July-20-11, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

The food truck people won't get to decide that. The politicians will. Fnemecek has a background in local municipal/county politics [[I believe) and he pretty much knows how it will go down. If I were you, I wouldn't be so know-it-all unless you have similar experience with the decision-makers.

If you're talking to me, I believe you're missing the point entirely.

**noise** · July-20-11, 12:25 PM

I don't believe all brick & mortar buildings need to pay for auto insurance and gas taxes on their buildings for automobiles they don't own.

**Fnemecek** · July-20-11, 12:56 PM

Yeah, and food trucks don't have to buy tiolet paper. What's your point?

**noise** · July-20-11, 01:16 PM

Are you sure of that?

In any case, I'm sure they'd rather pay for unnecessary toilet paper than paying taxes on property they don't own because of an unfounded doomsday prophecy from somebody on an internet forum.