Posted on 02/19/2010 12:04:27 PM PST by Tamar1973
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This clash between the police, brick-and-mortar restaurants and the truck food scene is not unique to Los Angeles. The business climate is worse in San Francisco. Initial setup costs for a truck food vendor in San Francisco can be as much as $150,000, according to the organizers of San Francisco Street Food Festival. Food and business permit costs an additional $10,000 per year. With those high-start up costs, one marvels at how most of these trucks can keep their costs down to less than $8 per dish.
One Korean fusion taco truck vendor called Seoul on Wheels wasnt able to overcome San Franciscos regulation structure. Julia Yoon now does most of her business on the east side of the San Francisco Bay. She started operating in and around Emeryville, Calif., by offering her Korean fusion flavor to Pixar Animation employees.
(Excerpt) Read more at zenkimchi.com ...
Taco Truck Takedown: Why is the LAPD hassling food carts?.
Another example of the government interfering with free competition rather than encouraging it.
There was a somewhat related story on FR a while back about a California school district trying to get the local taco trucks banned because of alleged concerns by school officials that the vendor was contributing to obesity/unhealthful eating. (Talk about chutzpah. The folks that serve up “chicken fingers” and sugar-laden “juice” drinks complaining about unhealthy foods!)
BTW, some of the best food I’ve ever eaten (Mexican or otherwise) has come from street vendors.
Best tacos I’ve ever had come from a street vendor on the norhtwest side of Albuquirky. Choice of meat, a little pico de gallo, cilantro and green chile salsa served on a warmed soft corn tortilla.
A few years ago McDonald's outlawed smoking in their facilities in order to protect their clients health, my wife said, McDonald's food probably kills more people than second hand smoke ever would.
A real shame. When I went to high school (in the darl ages) in Denver the best (and cheapest) lunch around was at Pasquale’s——the local taco/soul food (yup pig ear sandwiches,collard greens and chitterlings, and even dirty rice)
meant to add “truck”
There are a few of these Korean taco trucks around L.A. They actually twitter to tell where they’re gonna be. Bulgogi marinated beef and kimchi on a taco is amazing.
Me too. We used have a taco truck that would parked next to our condo complex. They would stay there parked longer than taco trucks are normally supposed to park but I loved their burritos.
The story you mention is another example of a government that doesn't want to let go of its monopoly of corrupting the diets of our children.
They shut them down around here long ago.
A lot of taco trucks, Korean and otherwise, are getting into social media like twitter to be able to announce their locations and times because the nanny staters in a lot of these urban areas harrass them and make them move around all the time.
Yes, the food truck phenomenon in LA is a great example of free market working even in these bad times. People are able to start businesses (mobile restaurants) at a fraction of the cost of a fixed location. We should be suspending regulations to support entrepreneurship, not cracking down.
In Miami we had “roach coaches”. Sandwiches, Cuban coffee, yogurt, sodas, etc. It was very convenient to have them come to places of work and pretty cheap, too. Run by hard-working Cuban immigrants. Don’t know if they still have them or not. It was years ago since I lived there.
To win such accolades in a city that boasts La Placita and Little Anita's, those tacos must have been darn good!
One of the best burritos I have ever had was from a truck vendor in the city of Sacramento, CA purchased while on my way home on a 50 mile commute. I searched for that truck for a year after that and never found that particular truck again.
Oh man...I skipped lunch today...you’re killing me! :-)
Oh man...I skipped lunch today...you’re killing me! :-)
If more of these folks start getting a following on twitter, it might make them easier to find. LOL!
These guys are all over the Philadelphia business district. My favorite when I was working in Philly was a Chinese food trailer. Great food, cheap, ate their stuff for years, never a problem.
I've never been to La Placita, never had the tacos at Little Anitas (I love their enchiladas, though). I live in Rio Rancho, so I don't get to the main part of Albuquerque much. However, there is a new place in Rio Rancho on Southern called Dahlia's that is great. Good food, good prices. The first time we went in, the place was darn near empty. The second time, it was darn near full. Word of mouth pretty much helped them out.
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