Street Food Now: Send this letter!

After a bit more communication with the Chicago Public Health Department’s Tim Hadac, it has become clear that the next step for the Street Food Now campaign is to get an alderman on our side. Hadac told us that the CPHD does “have an open mind on proposals related to amending the law to accommodate food trucks. That said, we have not yet seen any proposed legislation introduced in the City Council.” While getting legislation from an idea to an actual proposal is likely to be a tough task, we’re confident that there’s no time like the present to get the process started.

The first step is finding an alderman who will support the idea of having licensed food trucks cooking and selling food out of mobile kitchens in his or her ward. (To alleviate any concerns aldermen might have about alienating restaurants who might be fearful of the competition, even the current municipal code, via Article 2 Section 7-38-115 (f), states “No operator of such vehicle shall park or stand such vehicle within 200 feet of any principal customer entrance to a restaurant which is located on the street level.”)

In an effort to reach out to and get an alderman on board, Troy Johnson is personally dropping off informational packets to various ward offices that include his business plan, a copy of his mobile food vendors license, proof of truck registration and insurance, copies of applicable municipal codes and a proposal of the amendments to those current codes that would result in a food truck being treated essentially as a restaurant, adhering to the same health inspections and requirements, while also being allowed to operate on approved public parkways.

To aid Johnson (and would-be street food vendors everywhere), we've drafted a letter that we encourage readers to send to their appropriate alderman. Find it now at StreetFoodNow.net. Our hope is that with Johnson’s proactive approach and a show of support from the public, at least one alderman will step forward to attach themselves (and their clout) to this movement. At that point, they are the ones with the power to call for a public hearing on the matter. Once that’s scheduled, our hope is that the outpouring of support will be enough to convince them to move forward and propose legislation to the City Council, at which point the CPHD will (ideally) come together with the Council to review it.

Is this ambitious? Yes. Is it necessary if we want taco trucks? Absolutely. So send that letter. And let us know how it goes.