Food Trucks for Lexington?

Food trucks are certainly taking the nation by storm!  The Food Network has the “Great Food Truck Race,” San Antonio has a food truck park, Nashville has a food truck court, and Austin has an “app” to find them.  They all have social media.  Apparently the “best of the best” is Portland, OR which CNN has named the “best street food city.”

But is there a cloud in the silver lining?  How should they be regulated?  Should they face the same strict standards as “itinerant merchants, mobile vendors, and peddlers” or just be regulated by the health department like other restaurants?  Should they be allowed in business districts or also in residential zones?  Is there a difference between public and private land?  Several cities are grappling with how to deal with them – Chicago, Los Angeles, and Louisville – to name a few.  Boulder has just passed an ordinance but limits their locations, hours of operation, and the distance they can be from brick and mortar restaurants.  Louisville was enforcing the ordinance they had on the books for mobile vendors, but according to one food truck owner the city has recently held that the ordinance does not apply to food trucks.  The city now treats them like other restaurants.

Food trucks were recently discussed at the LFUCG Itinerant Merchant Task Force with much passion.  While some believe that the only appropriate regulation is through the health department, and that the city ought to encourage the development of food trucks, others believe that more restrictive regulations are required to protect residential districts and private property.  The Itinerant Merchant Task Force is continuing to discuss this issue.  Where do you stand?