The old adage about real estate–”location, location, location”–may be a key factor in the city of Creve Coeur’s consideration over how to regulate food truck operators.

Food trucks came up in discussion during Monday’s city council meeting and Thursday’s meeting of the Economic Development Commission. EDC member Glenn Wilen wondered if there was a way to limit them to areas possibly near office parks, or to limit operators to offshoots of existing brick and mortar businesses. The latter sentiment was suggested Monday by Imo’s owner Steve Noles at City Council, given the amount of investment those brick and mortar businesses have made in meeting other city regulations.

City officials have noted in the past that areas surrounding the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centerhave expressed a sense of isolation when it comes to the availability of restaurants. In fact, a food truck catered the opening of the nearby Helix Center last year.

Community Development Director Paul Langdon said the concern for having the trucks on a site like the Danforth campus could be just as much a worry for the operators as anyone else. While the trucks use social media to create an initial buzz, he said there’s a question as to whether there’s enough business there to sustain a full hour of operation.

Part of the city’s motivation in investigating the issue stems from the fact that Creve Coeur’s Parks department has expressed interest in having trucks draw crowds to city facilities. Similar efforts in neighboring Chesterfield and in the city of St. Louis at Tower Grove Park have attracted attention.

Advocates and opponents have their own anectdotal evidence to suggest the trucks could have some impact on brick and mortar businesses or no impact at all, City Administrator Mark Perkins said the next step would be to survey the business community and the chamber of commerce for more feedback.

While at least some corners of the EDC and the Planning and Zoning Commission have wondered aloud if a provisional ordinance could be established to test out the process on a temporary basis, no such interest has yet emerged during the course of discussion at the city council level.

http://crevecoeur.patch.com/articles/food-trucks-all-about-location-in-creve-coeur

Earlier this month, bad weather rained out The Star’s Food Truck Friday, a gathering of Kansas City food trucks in the newspaper’s parking lot at 18th and McGee.

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/13/4233518/the-stars-food-truck-friday-rescheduled.html

Chesterfield bakery Sarah’s Cake Shop’s mobile cupcake truck is part of the food truck craze. Credit Christopher Reilly

The arguments for and against food trucks have been fairly well-laid out in the St. Louis area in recent years. They’re popular and trendy, but will they hurt brick and mortar businesses, or get away without paying sales tax?

The debate has crept into Creve Coeur in the last year, and Monday, city leaders conceded that they don’t know enough about how those assumptions would actually play out here.

Food trucks are allowed in Creve Coeur as a conditional use which would have to be permitted, or as a catering outlet. To date, the city has not issued any permits for them. Debbie Blanchard, of CenterCo Office Suites, told the Planning and Zoning Commission Monday that she questioned the idea of paying a $200 permit for a truck selling food at $5 a pop.

Papa Tom’s Fancy Franks parked at an office building on Geyer Road in September. Credit Karlie Baker

Paul Langdon, the city’s Planning and Community Development Director said he didn’t know if the Conditional Use approach was the correct one to take, and pointed to Friday’s St. Louis Post Dispatch, which reported on retail trucks which are now creeping into the region, seeking equity with the way food trucks are treated in the city of St. Louis. The issue isn’t going away.

Commissioner Michael Barton wondered aloud if there was data suggesting traffic on Olive would go down if food trucks were in operation. Langdon was not aware of any but indicated he had heard from restaurants with concerns about how the business would be impacted. Barton pointed to the fact that Lowes and Home Depot tend to end up near one another, creating something of a destination.

“If they’re successful than that means its fulfilling a demand,” Barton said, suggesting the city “give it a run” and see how it goes.

Commissioner Gary Eberhardt said the city didn’t have enough information to make a more a permanent decision on how to handle food truck regulations, and suggested a one year trial ordinance of some sort.

No ordinance was put forth or suggested Monday but a report prepared for the meeting suggested that the issue would be back before Planning and Zoning and City Council.

The city’s parks department has indicated interest in hosting food trucks but has held off out of concern that they could be used in ways that are restricted for private businesses in the city.

http://crevecoeur.patch.com/articles/food-trucks-in-creve-coeur-city-looks-for-more-info

Food trucks like this one in Maplewood, have been both the source of avid support and controversy in communities in St. Louis. Creve Coeur appears to be ready to address the issue more fully this year. Credit Doug Miner

The city of Creve Coeur is getting ready for a discussion about how best to handle the use and regulation of food trucks.

While city officials have pointed to concerns about not wanting to undercut brick and mortar restaurants in the city, food trucks have been present in Creve Coeur in recent years.

Some businesses have been critical of the city’s approach thus far in allowing some areas like CityPlace to bring them in to cater to employees, while denying others, like CenterCo Office Suites, which sought to use them as a draw to bring traffic to the building.

In a memo prepared for Monday’s Creve Coeur Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, Theresa Bradshaw, Public Information Officer and Management Analyst laid out a comparison of cities nearby, noting Chesterfield’s embrace of them, with stipulations like hours of operation, a buffer distance from brick and mortar restaurants, among others.

Read the rest of the meeting agenda

As for Creve Coeur, Bradshaw wrote:

“Going forward, the approach for Creve Coeur depends largely on what concerns are or are not present in the community as well as whether the city would have the staff resources necessary to enforce regulations. Based on staffing concerns, a more simplistic and streamlined approach will be preferable.”

No vote on any kind of policy is scheduled for Monday. Bradshaw indicates in her memo that the subject will come up in future Planning and Zoning and City Council sessions.

http://crevecoeur.patch.com/articles/planning-panel-to-talk-about-food-trucks

Truckily in April launched its public beta with an aim to link food trucks with consumers.

For the fortunate few who can smell the delicious waft of food trucks miles away, you can stop reading. For everyone else, read on to find out about Truckily, your taste buds’ new best friend.

The Kansas City startup’s app—available nationwide—helps foodies find and interact with local food trucks, which have the opportunity to use the app as a location-based marketing tool that can automate social media, send push alerts to app users and create virtual punch cards.

Last month, co-founders Derek Kean (right) and Matthew Berkland launched the public beta for mobile and stationary vendors, working to onboard several in Kansas City, including CoffeeCakeKC, Indios Carbonsitos and TheFunnelCakeTruck, Kean said in an email.

“The big point we reiterated during our private tests and discussions was the idea of a ‘Big Red Button’ that would automate your marketing—both before arriving and once arriving at a new location,” Kean said in a blog post. “Well, we delivered on the functionality, but sadly the button was changed to light blue.”

Truckily is available for free on iOS devices and an Android version will be available soon, Kean said. Food truck owners can sign up for the app’s marketing tools at the registration page.

http://www.siliconprairienews.com/2013/05/truckily-serves-up-food-truck-finder-for-foodies-marketing-tools-for-trucks

A brisket sandwich from Bob Craver’s food truck. Ed Peaco/For the News-Leader

Bob Craver opened his food truck in January after years of cooking meat at his home and striving for ever-better results. The outcome is a menu focused on pulled pork, brisket and ribs — lively seasoned, boldly smoky.

“I’d been doing it for 10-12 years in the back yard and just perfected it,” in part by injecting his pork with flavors, Craver said. “I thought, this is really good; I need to market this. The food trucks are coming on. I thought it’d be a good idea.” He sold his independent insurance agency to concentrate on the new business.

Starting this week, Smokin’ Bob’s is located in the parking lot of Transport Graphics on the east side of North Glenstone Avenue just north of Chestnut Expressway.

Carver said he uses paprika, black pepper and sugar on his rubs. Chili powder is present in the brisket rub and absent in the pulled pork rub, which has brown sugar. He provides a sauce — regular or spicy — based on the Carolina style, vinegar-based but thicker than typical from that region.

Here are three popular choices, which come with a drink and beans, slaw or chips.

Pulled pork wrap with coleslaw($7): This creative selection collects items that you would find on a barbecue plate and allows you to taste them all at once. The homemade slaw has just a hint of sweetness, and the crunch adds texture with the pork. The hearty sun-dried tomato wrap brings everything together.

Pulled pork sandwich ($7): Once the sandwich is in your hands, the hickory aroma inflames the appetite: you cannot resist. The meat is tender and juicy, and the bun is sturdy enough to contain the meat while you eat.

Brisket sandwich ($8): The beef has a mellower flavor but the smoke remains strong.

A side of beans ($2 for 8 ounces, $4 for 16 ounces) brings another surge of flavor — onion, bell pepper, brown sugar and Craver’s spicy sauce.

Smokin’ Bob’s is a simple operation that focuses on the meat. There’s no fryer in the truck, and therefore no fries. The food has attracted a steady following during the first few months of business, which Craver said he finds gratifying.

“When I give you a sandwich, you’re going to come back for another one,” he said. “If people say that’s very, very good, or it’s the best I’ve ever had, that’s what I like to hear.”

Smokin’ Bob’s BBQ

417-838-7898

Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday at Transport Graphics parking lot on North Glenstone Avenue just north of Chestnut Expressway; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Harter House, 815 Kenneth St. in Nixa

Web: smokinbobsbbq.com

Facebook: “Smokin’ Bob’s BBQ”

E-mail: craver@windstream.net

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20130503/ENTERTAINMENT12/305030005/Restaurant-Profile-Smokin-Bob-s-BBQ-SPRINGFIELD-MISSOURI-NIXA?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1

Krupa Panchal in front of her new food truck, Bombay Food Junkies | Kaitlin Steinberg

When Sid and Krupa Panchal moved from Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to St. Louis eight years ago, they knew they would miss the street food of the coastal Indian city. Finding that none of the Indian restaurants in town specialize in the type of food traditional to Mumbai, the Panchals took matters into their own hands.

On Saturday, the Panchals celebrated the grand opening of their new food truck, Bombay Food Junkies (@bombayfoodtruck), with a special five-course tasting menu for their friends, family and invited guests.

“The inspiration was we grew up the majority of our lives in Bombay,” Krupa Panchal explains. “It’s so famous for its street foods. There are only a couple of restaurants here that provide something like it, but nothing with the same taste.”

Krupa’s mother-in-law cooking in the truck and bhel, a puffed rice snack | Kaitlin Steinberg

Sid and Krupa began working on creating their own food truck about six months ago. Krupa studied optometry and recently got a masters degree in gerontology. She worked in a doctor’s office for a while, but decided the food truck route was her true passion. Sid is a computer engineer, and he plans to keep that job while helping out with food truck events on the weekend. He, too, believes that Bombay Food Junkies is filling a niche in St. Louis.

“Others Indian restaurants in town are more northern Indian cuisine,” he says. “It’s not pick-up-and-go kind of food. You sit down and eat and have a proper meal. This is more quick, on the go. That works well with the idea of a food truck.”

All of the recipes are Krupa’s own, but she’s had some help from her mother-in-law, who once ran a catering business back in India. Though Krupa herself is not a vegetarian, all of the cuisine that Bombay Food Junkies will serve is vegetarian, and many dishes can be prepared vegan by request.

“Ninety percent of Bombay street food is vegetarian,” Krupa says. “but we don’t really miss meat when we’re in Bombay. We wanted to go with vegetarian because we want to have people know that there is nutrition in it, there is taste.”

Vada pav, a potato cake or “Bombay Burger” | Kaitlin Steinberg

The Panchals took out a loan to fund the endeavor, but when it came time to decorate the truck, they realized they didn’t have much money left. So they did what many restaurants are finding helpful recently; they turned to Kickstarter.

They launched a campaign in early March, offering pledgers everything from a dessert and a personalized thank you letter for $10 to a private party for 30 people for $1000. They met their $5000 goal on March 26, and the truck was “wrapped” with their colorful design and logo.

The Kickstarter-funded behemoth | Kaitlin Steinberg

The same friends and family who helped fund the truck’s design came out for the grand opening on Saturday afternoon. The Panchals offered free tastes of some of their Bombay street foods, a henna tattoo artist and some Bollywood dances courtesy of Krupa. The menu included vada pav, a potato patty rolled in chickpeas and spices, then fried; pav bhaji, mashed vegetables and spices; bhel, puffed rice with chopped onions and potatoes; kulfi, an ice cream flavored with cardamom; and finally paan, a betel leaf filled with rose petals, fennel seeds and dried fruit.

The Panchals intend to mix up the menu, offering different items daily, but some dishes will be fixtures. Mango lassi, a mango and yogurt drink, will always be on the menu, as will kulfi and the “Bombay Burgers,” vada pav.

Based on the reaction from the crowd at the grand opening (and the speed with which the food was devoured) it’s safe to say that Bombay Food Junkies has indeed supplied something that St. Louisans were missing.

Pav bhaji, a dish of cooked veggies and spices with Indian bread | Kaitlin Steinberg

The truck will officially start service at SAIC in Earth City on Tuesday, and they’ll be updating their schedule daily on their website and Twitter. Bombay Food Junkies will initially spend most of its time in St. Louis county before moving into the city once it picks up some momentum. Maybe someday it’ll even be popular enough to keep the same hours as street food stands in Bombay.

“You go out on the street any time — it could be two in the morning — and you’ll find vendors selling food,” Krupa says. “That’s how popular it is.”

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2013/04/first_look_bombay_food_junkies_food_truck.php

Donna Jackson greets a young customer from her Kona Ice truck on Riverside Drive in St. Charles. Jackson said business during the city’s April 16 food truck event was good despite the cool temperatures and threat of rain.

St. Charles’ second Food Trucks in Frontier Park drew an enthusiastic crowd even though the event didn’t actually take place in the park.

Two days of heavy rain saturated the ground and prompted officials to move the April 16 event to the asphalt of nearby Riverside Drive.

“We had to decide whether to leave it in Frontier Park, move it to Riverside Drive or cancel the event,” city Parks and Recreation Director Maralee Britton said. “We were fearful of cancelling it because we have three more events planned this year and we don’t want to lose our followers we’ve gained.”

Despite the wet conditions, gray skies and mild temperatures, all 15 businesses that signed up for the event showed up, and Riverside Drive was busy with patrons.

Emily Pogrelis of Lake Saint Louis found the perfect comfort food for a dreary day. She stood with friends and family in the line at Sarah’s Meltdown, which offered grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.

Pogrelis said she didn’t attend St. Charles’ first food truck event last October but has been to others in parks in St. Louis County.

“It’s fun because of the variety of things,” Pogrelis said. ”There’s always music and drinks, and you can bring your kids. One of my friends owns the Burger Ink truck and they told us about it.”

The St. Charles Parks Foundation sold soda and water, Little Hills Winery sold wine, and Trailhead Brewery Co. sold microbrews. Rhythm Music & Performing Arts Studio provided the music of Madison Letter singer Clayton Jones, Jordan & Andy and Mariah Broeker.

Britton said the attendance of more than 3,500 people at last year’s food truck event far exceeded officials’ expectations. The Parks and Recreation Department carried that momentum forward to this spring, getting the word out by using social media accounts through Twitter and Facebook. Britton said the department’s last Facebook post drew more than 17,000 viewings and received 158 shares.

Hot Aztec, which is owned by Robert and Dana Gardaphe and specializes in Mexican cuisine, returned after participating in the October event. Robert said they sold out of food in October in about an hour. Two of Hot Aztec’s biggest sellers are the Hot Aztec hot dog, which is bacon wrapped with roasted pork, hot sauce, Mexican cheese, peppers and onions, and the diablo shrimp taco.

“We do a lot of city events,” Dana said. “We’re doing park events this year as well. It makes it unique here because they do so much advertising and it draws a lot of the trucks and it becomes its own event.”

Despite less-than-ideal weather, Donna Jackson said her Kona ice truck was busy selling flavored shaved ice and that she was impressed by the size of the crowd.

“Kids don’t know what cold is when they see our truck,” Jackson said, laughing. She said her truck would return for the city’s Fourth of July festivities in Frontier Park.

Other food trucks included The Cheese Shack, Completely Sauced, Burger Ink, Cha, Cha, Chow, Yo! Taco, My Big Fat Greek Truck, Go Gyro Go, Guerrilla Street Food, Sarah’s Cake Stop, The Sweet Divine, Zia’s, and Speedway Eatery.

Dale Johnson and his wife, Lori, were tailgating on a parking lot adjacent to Riverside Drive. After getting their food, they wanted a dry place to retreat to if the rain started up again.

“I came back to St. Charles two years ago and so much had changed,” Dale said. “I like the historic areas, and St. Charles is doing a great job of promoting tourism.”

Future food truck events in Frontier Park are scheduled for June 18, Aug. 20 and Oct. 15. Britton said Tuesday nights were selected to avoid overlapping with festivals and bands that use the riverfront park and that business on Main Street typically is slower on Tuesday nights.

“Tuesday nights made the most sense,” Britton said. “Once you get into June, July and August, the Municipal Band plays in the park every Thursday, and we don’t want to intrude on their event. There are a lot of festivals on the weekends. We know from past experience these people will visit the food trucks, then travel to Main Street for more food and drinks.”

http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/stcharles/news/food-trucks-make-nd-appearance-on-st-charles-riverfront/article_a6bfba38-ff35-5882-a0f7-eddeba4fa933.html

Facebook: 3 Girls Cupcakes
Liberty has joined the food-truck movement.

People of Liberty, the food trucks are coming. The Liberty City Council approved a two-year mobile-vending pilot program earlier this month that allows for vehicles and trailers to set up in a designated area or private parking lots downtown.

Food trucks will need to apply for a two-year license, which costs $50, and have the proper insurance and health permits. They had previously been prohibited from operating in the city. 3 Girls Cupcakes  owner Simonie Wilson, who worked with the city to create the program, has been selling her cupcake creations in Liberty this month.

“Well, I’ve been waiting three years and the city of Liberty has always been very supportive, but it’s been ironic that my Liberty-based business hasn’t been able to do business in Liberty,” says Wilson, who has sold to businesses or residents, but not been able to vend to customers on the sidewalk. “I’m glad that now the sales tax that was going to the KC-side of 35 can now go to my own town with the new vending spots.”

3 Girls Cupcake

As part of the program, spaces have been marked off downtown in the Central Business District. Vendors will be allowed to park on Leonard Street between Kansas and Mill streets (near Liberty Square). Food trucks will also be allowed to park in private parking lots between 7 a.m. and midnight Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the written permission of the lot’s owner.

3 Girls Cupcakes will be in Liberty tomorrow on Leonard Street from 10 to 10:45 a.m. The program will be evaluated after two years, and at that point the city may consider a permanent resolution.

http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/archives/2013/04/18/liberty-to-allow-food-trucks-under-new-two-year-pilot-program

Though food trucks abound in St. Louis, since Wanderlust Pizza trucked out of town in 2011 and Pi Pizzeria retired its food truck last summer, the city hasn’t had a go-to pizza truck.

Thanks to new food truck Slice of the Hill(@SliceoftheHill; 314-791-2557), that’s about to change.

According to owner Mike May, Slice of the Hill hits St. Louis streets next week.

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

May, who works for Zia’s Restaurant(5256 Wilson Avenue; 314-776-0020), which is owned and operated by his in-laws, and Zia’s Italian Food Truck, says Slice of the Hill is its own venture separate from the family biz, and it will serve Tuscan-style pies using local ingredients.

“It’s a rustic style, but we’re still using all the local ingredients from the Hill,” May says. “Simple, fresh ingredients…as much as we can we’re going to use a lot of local stuff. Pepperoni and meats from Volpi Italian Foods, Provel for a little bit just to fit the theme, but then we’ll do some other cheeses too.”

May says he and the truck’s co-owners installed equipment on Wednesday night, plan to go on test runs this weekend and are waiting to get the truck wrapped in Slice of the Hill’s logo. After a health inspection of the truck early next week, May says it’ll be open for business.

Slice of the Hill’s menu will offer pizza and salads, and it might eventually expand to include locally made gelato. May says Slice of the Hill’s pizza isn’t traditional pizza-by-the-slice, as each piece of pizza is custommade.

“They’re more individual-shaped portions, but it’s not exactly a slice; it just looks like a slice of pizza,” he says. “We’re going to make each pizza separate for each individual — if you don’t want mushrooms on it or onions or whatever, we’ll be able to make that.”

Stay tuned to Gut Check for updates on Slice of the Hill’s first day of business, and check back for a first look following the truck’s opening. Meanwhile, keep up with Slice of the Hill via its Facebook and Twitter pages.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2013/04/new_st_louis_food_truck_slice_of_the_hill_mike_may.php