The City of Pensacola Planning Board will discuss today an ordinance proposed by Councilman Andy Terhaar that would ban food trucks from the heart of downtown Pensacola. Instead of letting the free market decide whether it wants them, Councilman Terhaar has decided that restaurants should be given the exclusive right to downtown dining. Read Food Truck Ordinance.
When we did our research in August for the cover story “Eat Street,” we found that food trucks are part of the dining landscape for some of the most vibrant cities in the country–Austin, New Orleans, San Francisco and Chicago. In Tampa, the local community—and even the mayor himself—have shown visible support with a monthly event titled “The Mayor’s Food Truck Fiesta.â€
In the Big Easy, the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition provides an online hub that is the ultimate guide to street food in New Orleans. Plus, it keeps people up to date on “pop up†rallies and other events, and acts as a resource center for those looking to get started in the industry with a truck of their own. nolafoodtrucks.com
Food trucks can work. We find Terhaar’s ordinance a step backwards and out of step with the rest of the nation.
Pensacola loves food. If the food trucks don’t offer good food and something different from what customers can find elsewhere, they will not stay in business. There are regulations that can be put in place that let both peacefully coexist. The outright ban is taking a meat cleaver to an issue rather than a surgical knife to properly carve how the two types of eateries can compete in downtown Pensacola.