In the Boston Globe, Edward L. Glaeser, a professor of economics at Harvard University and director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, asks himself, “Why do food trucks matter?” and answers his own question:

“Cities work economic magic and entertain their citizens by connecting smart people, helping them to learn from one another and to innovate….Food trucks are a natural part of the innovative culinary process…Preserving the monopoly power of local eateries is a terrible reason to restrict food trucks.”

Subsitute the word “Atlanta” for the word “Boston, and you have it in a nutshell:

“As in many other areas, a one-stop permitting process that aims at providing speedy approval seems like a step forward. While I admire the Food Truck Challenge in City Hall Plaza to bring food trucks to scale, we should give up on micro-managing the location of every food truck. Instead, public spaces should be rented to food trucks, so the space will go to the truck that values it most. Food trucks can improve Boston’s streets and Boston’s palates ­ they just need to be free to do so.”

(photo of Mayor Thomas Menino from the Boston Globe)

Yesterday, Councilman Kwanza Hall of District 2 invited the Atlanta Street Food Coalition to City Hall to spark an interest with the other members on the City Council and honor pioneers such as the Yumbii truck, the King of Pops, and other attendees.

Proclamations were read, popsicles were shared, and sincere thanks went to the Councilman, who briefly alluded to the current statute of street food (“not quite legal at the moment”) and has vowed to introduce new legislation to help vendors over the hurdles.

Look at all the happy faces of the honorees!

The City of Atlanta Police Department revokes the vending permit it just granted to the Yumbii truck to operate on the public right of way (typically at 5th and Spring in Tech Square), claiming that such permit was issued in error!

The owner and his supportive family are scrambling to find a comparable (highly visible) spot on private property and resume a business granted full approval by the Fulton County Health Department.

Unincorporated DeKalb County, meanwhile, prohibits vending entirely, and many locations (including the Emory campus and many large buildings) are tied to preexisting food service contracts and can’t align themselves with the demands of an enthusiastic public.

What is it going to take, Atlanta? Don’t you know that the street food movement is growing by leaps and bounds as seen on the Food Network’s new show the Great Food Truck Race.

Reader Boyd Baker sent us a tip that the Orleagian Snowball truck at the corner of Ponce and Moreland may be closed. Here’s what he said:

I was at the Snowball truck at Ponce & Moreland this afternoon when a City official told them they had to close until they had a health certificate. They had a license but the poor kid running the thing knew nothing else. I thought I overheard the man say it’d be a $5k fine if they opened without a health cert. When I talked to the kid, all he could say was, “This truck has been open 3 years.”

Let us know if it’s open or not.

[Photo courtesy of their Flickr stream.]

Jennifer and John Maley, who live in Ansley Park and run the Atlanta food blog Food We’ve Eaten, linked us last week in a blog post on street food. John writes,

Personally, I think there’s something really appealing to being able to walk down the street and pick up a hot dog, or a burro pollo, and enjoy it al fresco. There’s none of the experiential overhead of a restaurant to deal with  (waiters, counters, decor, elevator music, etc.). It’s just about the food. Plus, when everyone is forced to improvise seating, you end up a little more connected to the people around you, even if you don’t necessarily talk to them.

We agree!

Given the chance to decide between a candidate who likes street food and one who is mum on the subject, go for the one who will make delicious things happen.

Joan Garner, candidate for Fulton County Commissioner District 6, showed up at the Urban Picnic in front of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. If elected, she will align herself with Kwanza Hall and support legislation freeing up opportunities for the food truck community to thrive in the city of Atlanta.

Look at Ms. Garner moving between the Yumbii Korean taco truck, the popsicle cart of the King of Pops, and Hayley Richardson’s adorable Artichoke Bliss tricycle cart and follow your intuition: the woman loves food and supports young entrepreneurs. Vote for her August 10 (or early, August 2-6) in the runoff election for District 6, which includes much of intown Atlanta.

You may have noticed a break in the sequence of picnics organized at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market to promote street food culture on the last Friday of the month.

A permitting issue rose its ugly head and the picnic slated for Memorial Day weekend had to be canceled.

Thanks to the joint efforts of Pamela Joiner, the Market’s fiercely smart manager, and Councilman Kwanza Hall who stepped up to the plate as an official sponsor, the event will resume on Friday, June 25, and be held every month until at least October with the City’s blessing.

This official letter of sponsorship and the Councilman’s blessed signature renew our hope for city-approved vending!

In New York City, two City Council members will introduce a new local law giving the Department of Health authority to “suspend any vending permit issued to a truck with two parking tickets in a 12 month period and revoke the permit of a truck that receives three parking tickets in a 12 month period.” Feeding the meter and idling while hogging a parking space should, indeed, be discouraged, but the business resulting from a new generation of gourmet food trucks shouldn’t. http://midtownlunch.com/2010/06/08/city-council-to-introduce-first-anti-food-truck-law/

In Chicago, on the other hand, the City Council just heard testimony from executive chef and food truck advocate Phillip Foss and chef Matt Maroni, author of a model food truck ordinance  that has the support of at least four aldermen. In his column, our friend Phil Vettel of the Chicago Tribune begged the city (“Don’t make me go to Hoboken”) to legalize street food. “What we need is an ordinance permitting trucks with onboard cooking equipment, so they can serve hot, made-to-order dishes,” he wrote. “Serving bad, warmed-over food is already OK in Chicago. Let’s amend the rules to permit trucks to serve first-rate food.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/ct-play-0603-vettel-food-truck-rant-20100603,0,3811246.column

In Houston, where a local TV station savaged the taco truck industry, blogger J. C. Reid rose to its defense, reporting that there is basically no difference in terms of health rating between a decent taco truck and one of the city’s most beloved upscale restaurants. “What can we conclude from a review of these records?” the author asks. “Most health inspection reports are reflections of exactly what they are: routine inspections where otherwise sanitary kitchens are reminded about actions they need to take to stay clean and compliant with legitimate health codes. Just because violations are found at Tony’s during a routine inspection does not mean it is a ‘filthy’ or unsanitary restaurant. It’s not. But neither is the Taqueria Veracruz taco truck.”
http://www.29-95.com/restaurants/story/khou-does-hatchet-job-taco-trucks

[image by J. C. Reid]

Mike Cutno, a graduate student in City Planning at Georgia Tech, recently wrote a paper about food cart regulations for a planning-law class. Based on what he calls a “rudimentary research of the ordinances and legal precedents in place,” Cutno came to the conclusion that “the only way to get food carts on the streets legally is to seek a political solution.”

If you are interested at all in the topic, whether as a possible vendor or, more likely, a frustrated consumer, read the paper and educate yourself about the many issues and the way they have been addressed in other cities.

Of special interest: the section about the Vending Advisory board and its composition and an extensive bibliography that should inspire further reading.

[photo by Vene Franco]

Chicago wants to help us. New York takes notice of Atlanta’s efforts toward legalizing street food. We are feeling the love!

Look at this report from the Big Apple featuring a food fight in New Haven;  vendors in front of Yale New Haven Hospital; and a picture from our own Food Truck Extravaganza in Buckhead!