GRAND RAPIDS – Cindy Schneider credits her Lottos Lunch Wagon as her first step to launching the venerable San Chez restaurant downtown, so she has a soft spot in her heart for any entrepreneur who uses a food truck as a way to build a business in Grand Rapids.
By the same token, Cindy says, food truck owners need to recognize that they have to pay their dues in starting their companies — just like she did when she converted an old popcorn truck into Lottos that served “Real Home Cookin’!”
One of those dues is accepting lower traffic and less prominent locations in downtown Grand Rapids, especially during major events like ArtPrize, she says. Food trucks shouldn’t be allowed to locate close by established restaurants downtown – within 100 feet – simply to siphon off potential patrons, all the while paying relatively little in overhead costs compared with a brick-and-mortar business.
The issue will come to a head soon in Grand Rapids. After years of tussling with regulation of food trucks, the Grand Rapids City Commission is scheduled to consider the proposed Mobile Food Business Ordinance on Aug. 23 that sets particulars on how food trucks can serve customers at city parks, curbs of city streets and open spaces.
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