Vendors: Proposed NYC Law Would Kill the Street Food Scene

By Megan Conniff

New York’s food truck operators prove their mettle daily, jumping a host of barriers to serve Manhattan’s lunchtime crowds, writes Midtown Lunch. Last week, City Council members Jessica Lappin and Karen Koslowitz proposed an ordinance that promises to make life even tougher. The proposed city ordinance would authorize the Health Department to revoke food trucks’ permits for parking violations. Two violations in a year could result in a temporary permit suspension and a third would mean permanent revocation. Lappin says the move was spurred by constituent complaints about “meter feeding” vendors who take up the city’s scarce parking spots all day and leave no room for their cars.

Vendors and their representatives, including the Street Vendor Project, say the move is yet another in a string of proposals, decisions and laws designed to drive them out of business. The Street Vendor Project, part of the nonprofit Urban Justice Center, is gearing up to fight the ordinance, which it says imposes a much harsher punishment on small-business owners than it does on individual citizens who merely have to pay a fine when they’re cited for violating parking laws.

“The last few years have brought an explosion of creativity and innovation to the New York street food scene, mostly in the form of trucks,” SVP said in its statement opposing the ordinance. “These vendors — most of whom don’t have the capital to open restaurants — are incredibly popular. They are investing in our economy and creating their own businesses during a time of financial crisis.”

The SVP has created a Facebook page for those who want to speak out on the bill, and vendors will have a chance to have their say at a public meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.