SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (Gannett) – A food truck in San Francisco called Bacon Bacon is being ordered to shut down, after neighbors in the area complained that the store gave off too much of a bacon smell, which led to the discovery of a permitting issue.

But folks on the the Bacon Bacon Facebook Page are putting up a fight against the shut down.

On Friday, a post was made on the page saying:

“Update from director of health department, Mr Lee to attorney for neighbor and myself ‘if you pull your formal complaint against bacon bacon, planning department will approve and I will allow bacon bacon to stay open while they make upgrades.’ Our fate now lies in the lawyers and said neighbors hands.”

Bacon Bacon’s Facebook page says it opened in July 2011 and specializes in “bacon on a burger, bacon dipped in chocolate, a pork belly sandwich and bacon jam for added bacon deliciousness.”

http://www.thv11.com/news/article/265522/70/Bacon-Bacon-shut-down-for-smelling-too-much-like-bacon

Another food truck has gone wheel-less. Chupacabra, which operates two taco trucks, has opened a “Latin kitchen” and taqueria at 822 H Street NE.

On the menu at the fast casual spot, you’ll find arepas and seven varieties of tacos, including panko-crusted tilapia, shredded beef braised in Argentine Malbec, and squash and eggplant with chipotle black beans. (You can turn any of the tacos into a salad or a bowl.) Also look out for chef’s specials like a Cuban sandwich and a beef soup with rice and veggies, garnished with lime and mint. Many of the items are gluten-free and vegan. See the full menu below. No liquor license yet, but stay tuned.

Chupacabra joins the growing number of food trucks to open a brick and mortar eateries. Check out a full list below. Interestingly, more than half of them sell tacos.

El Floridano —> Mothership, 2301 Georgia Ave. NW

Far East Taco Grille —> Far East Taco Grille, 409 15th St. NE (coming soon)

Pleasant Pops —> Pleasant Pops Farmhouse Market & Cafe, 1781 Florida Ave. NW

PORC —> Kangaroo Boxing Club, 3410 11th St. NW

Takorean —> Takorean at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE

Curbside Cupcakes —> Curbside Cupcakes at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE

Tacos El Chilango —> Tacos El Chilango, 1119 V St. NW

District Taco —> District Taco, 5723 Lee Highway, Arlington; 1309 F St. NW; 656 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

Seoul Food —> Seoul Food, 11310 Georgia Ave., Wheaton, Md.(coming soon)

SOL Mexican Grill —> SOL Mexican Grill, 1251 H St. NE

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/05/13/chupacabra-becomes-latest-taco-trucks-to-open-restaurant/

Jamie Castro cited family matters for taking the summer off. She hopes to come back with Jamie’s Bitchen Kitchen in the fall.

Tucson chef Jamie Castro sold her Jamie’s Bitchen Kitchen food truck to a “happy young man.”

In a Facebook posting on Thursday, Castro said the buyer is taking the truck to Montana “where there are hardly any food trucks and not all these Blood Sucking Fees lol!”

Castro early this month said she was taking a hiatus to attend to family matters and “may be back in the fall.” But she said then that she had put the truck up for sale.

Jamie’s Bitchen Kitchen specialized in Cuban fare.

http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/blogs/caliente-tuned-in/tucson-chef-sells-food-truck-calls-it-quits/article_84ced79e-b9c0-11e2-bd0d-0019bb2963f4.html

Endless Summer, back in the days when no one had ever seen a food truck before.
Photo: Melissa Hom

Every few weeks, a reader will write Grub Street beseeching us to unravel the mystery of Williamsburg taco purveyor Endless Summer, which first appearedon North 7th and Bedford Avenue back in 2008. We knew that original owners Curtis Brown and Jeffrey Jensen sold the truck a few years ago and that it soldiered on and off seasonally until recently, when it went on a self-described “hiatus” and retired to some anonymous garage. Gothamist has finally found the food truck, on eBay, where it’s going for a cool $50,000. Its current owner boasts that the winning bidder will not only get a fully functional Grumman van packed with taco gear, but will also be spared “countless hours of legal wrangling with the Department of Health and other nightmarish city institutions. It’s hard to put a price on that,” the listing claims. “Trust us. But we have.” [Gothamist,Earlier]

http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2013/04/endless-summer-taco-truck.html

Pinup Panini via Facebook

Another D.C. food truck is leaving the road over the District government’s proposed regulations over the growing industry. Cori Bryant, the owner of the Pinup Panini sandwich truck, announced that today would be her last day serving pressed sandwiches out of the window of her light blue truck painted with the image of a 1940s-style pinup girl.

“The new regs are to much for this little startup,” Bryant wrote from her truck’s Twitter account this morning. And after serving today’s lunch crowd in Chinatown, Pinup Panini packed it up for good.

Bryant launched Pinup Panini in October, serving up hot, made-to-order meals in competition with a fleet of trucks where success comes from a combination of expedient service and culinary creativity. But D.C.’s food trucks have also found themselves hampered by the city’s proposed regulations over their industry. Mayor Vince Gray first proposed regulations last year; since then, the proposed rules have gone through three extensive makeovers.

The most recent version of proposed regulations, published last month, would establish 23 mobile vending zones around the city. But those zones could only be accessed by vendors who win a lottery for one of the spaces; both the lottery and the spaces come with fees.

In response to the current version of proposed regulations, Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington, which represents about 100 mobile food vendors, launched a fundraising campaign to publicize its opposition. There is also a D.C. Council hearing on the proposed rules scheduled for April 30.

But already some the owners of food trucks might be eyeing different territory where they might not have to face such burdensome rules. Arlington officials are also deliberating food truck regulations, and those proposed rules would actually open up the areas and lengths of time food truck could operate.

Fans of Pinup Panini, though, are out of luck. In subsequent tweets, Bryant wrote that she planned out two years to become profitable, but she “just can’t afford the war on trucks.”

Bryant also isn’t the first food truck owner to shut down her business over the threat of difficult regulations. Last month, Brian Farrell, the owner of the Italian food truck Basil Thyme, told Washington City Paper he was quitting, saying the proposed regulations would make the already difficult food truck business too burdensome to be find any success.

UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.: ”It’s sad and unfortunate,” says Doug Povich, the chairman of the Food Truck Association. “She made some pretty cool food.”

Povich, who is also a part-owner of the Red Hook Lobster Pound trucks, says the ongoing ambiguity over how the city plans to regulate his industry creates an environment that makes small-business owners fearful.

“Without certainty, it makes it extremely difficult to operate a business,” he says.

On top of that, the food truck game is tricky enough to navigate, with truck operators having to account for weather, midweek holidays, and street closures. “When you lay on top proposed regulations that are extremely detrimental to our ability to operate,” he says.

Povich expects Bryant will not come out of Pinup Panini, which was not a member of the Food Truck Association, in great financial shape. “When someone invests their time and money, there’s no question she’ll be out a lot of money,” he says. “I hate to see it.”

http://dcist.com/2013/04/pinup_panini_food_truck_quits_over.php

MANHATTAN — A month after City Councilwoman Margaret Chin supported the shutdown of 20 SoHo food vendors, she’s set to introduce legislation Wednesday to limit where food trucks can park citywide.

Chin’s bill would make it illegal for food trucks to set up shop within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, an issue residents say they have pointed out to officials for years as a potential safety hazard.

Chin said she wants to minimize the effect of food vendors on public safety and quality of life, as the trucks produce noise and emit fumes.

“It is imperative that we update and strengthen regulations as mobile food trucks become more prevalent in our city,” Chin said in a statement.

The proposed law would fine vendors $250 the first time they are caught parking too close to a fire hydrant. If caught a second time within six months, the offending food truck would be impounded and the vendor hit with a $500 ticket.

The plan to impose new fines related to vending follows the Feb. 27 passage of new legislation by the City Council to slash vending fines in half, in order reduce their burden on often-struggling workers.

But Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed to veto the bill, which he slammed as “one of the stupider things I’ve ever heard.” He argued it would encourage vendors to break the rules.

The law suggested by Chin would take effect 120 days after it is enacted.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130320/soho/food-truck-parking-would-be-limited-under-proposed-vending-legislation

Basil Thyme, whose pasta and lasagna trucks are the highest rated food trucks on Yelp, is putting the brakes on its operations.

Owner Brian Farrell says he’ll close the trucks in the next month or two. Basil Thyme was among the first 20 food trucks in D.C. when it launched in June of 2011. But Farrell says his business is no longer sustainable, and he doesn’t want to stick around to be a guinea pig for new food truck regulations.

“This isn’t the life and money that people think it is,” Farrell says. “I’m tired of living like an animal… I can hardly take care of my basic stuff, and I’m supposed to be one of the more successful trucks.”

Farrell also says he’s tired of putting up with the D.C. government, which he says has been super unfriendly to food trucks. “The city of D.C. has been nothing but a series of hurdles and difficulties … They’re just painful to deal with.”

He believes the latest proposed regulations, which would limit the number of food trucks in certain high traffic neighborhoods, could mean more food trucks will face the same fate as his. “I hope that I’m wrong,” Farrell says. “Food trucking as it is, even for one of the highest rated trucks, is an uphill battle. With these regs on top, it’s exponential.”

Farrell says he plans to return to his previous career in IT sales.

Photo by Stephanie Gans

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/03/14/basil-thyme-food-trucks-closing-up-for-good/

A reader tipped Gut Check off that the food truck Papa Tom’s Fancy Franks(@papatomsff; 314-713-4431) is listed for sale on Craigslist. In fact, there are two listings for the truck: one for just the truck; and one for the truck and the brand.

Gut Check is always hungry for more restaurant news. Feed us your tips.

Owner Tom Broadwell tells Gut Check that there were many reasons behind the decision to sell the truck, not least of which was the fact that he is back working a full-time job.

“It’s been a lot of stuff,” he says, adding that his main goal is to “keep the family first.”

Papa Tom’s was one of the first of the new generation of St. Louis food trucks. It launched in March 2011 as Papa Tom’s Gateway Dog House, serving food from a trailer attached to a vintage pick-up truck. Broadwell later upgraded the operation to the full-sized truck now for sale.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2013/02/papa_toms_fancy_franks_food_trucks_for_sale.php

Pottstown’s Funky Lil’ Kitchen Chef Michael Falcone has decided to put the restaurant up for sale after nearly 10 years in the community.

Falcone told Patch that he felt he had gone as far as he could with the Pottstown restaurant.

The Pottstown icon, has served seasonal, local, and organic meals to diners from Pottstown, Montgomery and Chester Counties, and Philadelphia.

Falcone said that he’s always wanted to have a restaurant in Philadelphia, and that he couldn’t do that without a brick and mortar commitment to the city.

However, Falcone will not stop cooking and feeding the area. Instead of the brick and mortar restaurant, Falcone’s unique local, organic and seasonal cooking will be found on a food truck in Philadelphia and Philadelphia suburbs. Falcone said a food truck will allow him to have a presence in Philadelphia, as well as continue serving their hometown area.

Falcone told Patch that the food offered on the truck won’t be much different than what is offered in the restaurant, but scaled down for the truck and for mobility, rather than a restaurant and a sit down dinner.

The truck, which will be named HEART, is expected to launch late spring or early summer.

Since the announcement, Falcone said they have been asked to participate in events in the Phoenixville ad West Chester areas, and have a lot of things already planned once the truck is on the street.

Falcone said diners should continue to come out and support Funky Lil’ Kitchen and when the truck hits the streets, to “come and enjoy the food.”

Learn more about HEART on their website, follow them on Twitter, and “Like” them on Facebook.

http://upperdublin.patch.com/articles/funky-lil-kitchen-chef-launching-food-truck#photo-3032947

Chattanooga may be losing one of its food trucks—Taco Sherpa.

“We are indeed getting out of the food truck business,” owner Whit Altizer said via email. “We found we weren’t passionate enough about the food industry. We have a newfound respect for people in the restaurant business.”

Whit and his wife, Lindsay, are moving back to South Korea, where Whit got a job teaching English at a university.

Before starting the food truck last summer, the couple spent four years in Korea with Whit teaching there.

Taco Sherpa was an effort to bring the country’s taste to Chattanooga.

The truck is for sale on eBay.

“We are looking for buyers and would love it if someone carried on the name,” Whit said.

http://www.nooga.com/159762/food-truck-taco-sherpa-for-sale/