Matthew Geller, September 2010
Street food vending precedes restaurants by centuries. As far back as Ancient Rome, merchants served the public by selling "street food" in marketplaces, sporting venues, fairs and other large gatherings. In the late 1700s, France saw the fall of the aristocracy, which minimized the royal rights of the guilds (confectioners, rotisseurs, butchers) that had had control over certain foods since the middle ages. Many of the guild members sold food in open air marketplaces. Back in those days restaurants were opposed vigorously by the guilds, who thought that allowing patrons to sit down and eat food in the same place where it was being sold was unfair. The modern restaurant industry was born out of the public's demand for choice and the emergence of jobless cooks who had previously served the aristocracy. The guild opposition proved to be no match for public demand.
Los Angeles is no stranger to street food or food trucks, but the new gourmet food truck trend is popularizing a historically low profile industry. Much like the food guilds of post revolutionary France, restauranteurs today are wary of the fresh competition these new trucks present. Los Angeles consumers, however, are happy about the array of new choices, as well as the reasonable prices. Lower costs of operation have allowed the trucks to introduce higher-cost items such as duck confit and truffle-infused whatevers to a larger audience.
Emerging trends that affect local businesses are sometimes met with reactionary calls for regulations from municipal governments. Paradigm shifts in any industry spark debate about fair competition, safety, and public need. Currently, the City of Los Angeles is debating new food truck regulations meant to curb deleterious parking impacts that are supposedly affecting areas of the city where these new trucks operate. These shortsighded measures ignore the less-obvious but nonetheless positive effects of food trucks on parking, traffic and transportation throughout Los Angeles.
Food trucks are often drawn to areas that have large lunchtime populations but that are underserved by sit-down restaurants. The gourmet trucks present seemingly endless options--including Korean, Indian, Jewish deli, organic, and various fusions of these and more--and this fuels the public's demand for them.
The aforementioned regulations are supposedly being sought because the trucks are taking up valuable parking. The rationale behind the regulations is the City's attempt to keep parking meters open and clear for the benefit of the public. This action begs the question: What is the best use of a public parking space?
Councilman LaBonge correctly asserts that parking meters were established to create turnover in business districts and so give more access to parking to the buying public. However, meters were introduced in the 1950s, and starting in 1972 the City of Los Angeles required all new businesses to provide their own parking. This was done so that public parking remained available to teh public and did not end up reserved for the sole use of business owners who happened to be located near public parking spaces.
Land use policy should address the public's needs. A food truck parked at a meter can serve 100 lunches (not an uncommon number) over the course of two hours. In most lunchtime areas served by the trucks, their patrons are walking from their nearby offices. This has a net positive effect on traffic, pollution and parking in Los Angeles by keeping hungry office workers off our congested streets and close to work.
Food truck lots have now emerged out of this new industry. They're simple parking lots or open spaces that rotate trucks on a daily or weekly basis. Finding a truck can be difficult due to their mobility, but a food truck lot is always in the same place, with a rotating variety of food.
The food truck lot on Century Boulevard near LAX operates once a week. A partnership between the SoCal Mobile Food Vendors' Association and the Gateway to LA Business Improvement District (BID) provides area workers (around 800 every Tuesday) a comfortable place to eat from a changing variety of trucks. The BID provides tables and chairs and a band for the patrons. Office workers who would normally drive to El Segundo or Westchester for lunch instead walk to the lot from their offices. That area of Los Angeles benefits immensely from reduction in area car trips.
Every year, "Park[ing] Day LA" reminds the citizens of Los Angeles that streets, including parking spaces, are for all the people, not just drivers. On "Park[ing] Day," citizens put a quarter in a meter "and proceed to transform park[ing] spaces into temporary parks, engaging the public in a variety of discussions on public space and community priorities for the use of our streets." (http://parkingdayla.com/)The narrow minded definition of parking meters and public parking needs to be reexamined. Food trucks are providing a much needed service for area residents or workers that are hungry for affordable options.
Street food has been around for centuries, and the recent upswing in public demand will ensure that is around for years to come. Cities should embrace the trend and work with the industry to maximize its benefits to the public. Instead of limiting holding them back, cities should be encouraging trucks to service areas where need is the greatest. Cities can do this by authorizing lots and allowing for extended stays in parking spaces.
The City of Los Angeles is an eclectic area, and the trucks add to its diversity while serving the public's needs.
Matthew Geller is CEO of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors' Association
Photos by Richard Risemberg
