Food truck freedom? Spokane considers ending permission requirement for the mobile meal vendors downtown

There are many signs of spring in Spokane: naked branches starting to bud, tulips in bloom, and, of course, food trucks flocking to Riverfront Park’s many warm-weather events.

But rarely are those trucks seen elsewhere downtown. City officials and Spokane Councilwoman Sarah Dixit are hoping to change that.

“Right now, it’s pretty cumbersome for mobile food vendors,” Dixit said in an interview. “We’re just trying to do things to make it easier for people to do what they’re passionate about.”

A modest package of reforms scheduled for introduction at Monday’s council meeting would eliminate some decade-old regulations that food truck operators argue are unnecessary obstacles for merchants who want to sling shawarma or hock hot dogs from their roadside eateries.

Most of the changes would be relatively minor. Dixit’s ordinance would eliminate a $60 permit required only if a food truck operates within city limits for more than 14 days in a year, not including operating at an event. Practically no one actually gets these permits – the city estimates that eliminating the additional license would lose the city just $500 in annual revenue, likely less than it costs to administer.

Current regulations also only allow food trucks to operate in parking lots if the lot is paved; the reforms currently being considered would allow them to operate in any parking lot with the property owner’s permission.

The most significant reform would eliminate a requirement that food trucks operating downtown receive written permission from the owners of the property they park next to, which is a headache that most food truck operators don’t want to deal with, said Tony Epefanio, owner of Mixed Plate Food Truck & Catering and president of the Greater Spokane Food Trucks Association.

“Sixty dollars is a drop in the bucket compared to everything else we have to pay, but the signatures are a waste of time,” Epefanio said. “If we’re already permitted, why do we have to get signatures from anybody?”

Food truck owners want to be good neighbors, he stressed. Many of his association’s members own both food trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants, and existing regulations will continue to bar food trucks from parking within 50 feet of a downtown restaurant.

These reforms likely won’t mean that Spokanites can expect to see a food truck on every downtown block this summer, Epefanio acknowledged. But removing extra hurdles might make the downtown area more attractive to operators who currently steer clear, he added.

“Right now, nobody goes downtown except for events,” he said.

City Administrator Alexander Scott noted that Spokane’s food truck regulations were created in 2014 and haven’t been touched in the 12 years since.

“(Food trucks are) a market that has matured and found their way to make money at private events, and there’s no sense in us keeping provisions that no longer make sense,” Scott said.

Dixit argues that encouraging food trucks downtown and on surface parking lots is one small way the city can activate public spaces by getting more people walking to lunch, especially in places that might otherwise see little pedestrian traffic.

Not everyone sees the changes as an unvarnished good, however.

Emilie Cameron, president and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, stressed that her organization agrees food trucks can help activate sleepy public spaces, but worries about some of the steps the city is taking to get there.

Even if the city wanted to eliminate the $60 charge, getting rid of the additional permit altogether may limit the city’s ability to oversee food truck operations, manage oversaturation and actively enforce other regulations. And if adjacent property owners have no say in whether a food truck opens up just outside, it could limit access and visibility to their business at exactly the times they most need it.

“What’s unique about downtown is, as we get busier, we see a lot of congestion on the public right of way,” Cameron said. “Without that permission requirement, how does that affect the ability to manage space?”

In addition, some vendors simply operate without the proper permitting, Cameron said. She expressed frustration that city leaders weren’t taking the opportunity to reconsider how it enforces these rules while taking a look at food truck regulations.

“We’d like to see the city anticipate what could be unintended consequences,” Cameron said.

Spokane Regional Health District food safety program manager Jessica Martin also warned against “unintended consequences” in a letter to city council.

“We believe that food-handling regulations, consumer education and the prevention of foodborne illnesses are vital for the well-being of the citizens in the greater Spokane area. Providing clear guidelines for business owners is crucial for their success,” she wrote.

Martin requested council delay passage of the bill for the next month.

Councilman Michael Cathcart, who also chairs the health district’s board, said SRHD is concerned removing the city permit may disincentivize food trucks from complying with food safety regulations enforced by the agency.

“If somebody is out there with a food truck and they’re not meeting health district standards and they have no permit from the city, there really is no impetus for anybody from the city to come and make sure that they are in compliance,” Cathcart said.

The health district is “limited in how it enforces compliance” through citation and may struggle to ensure food trucks meet standards, he added.