Barone Meatball Company had a huge line during the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo.
(Copyright 2013 Capitol Broadcasting Company)

The food truck movement is finally coming to Raleigh … in a big way.

Of course, the City of Oaks has had smaller rodeos as these collections of food trucks are called. I’ve been to a few of them, picking up an ice cream cone at Lumpy’s at one or a sandwich at Baguettaboutit at another. A neighbor had Captain Poncho’s stop in her cul de sac. Another had Chick-N-Que stop in for a party.

But I’ve always looked longingly at our neighbor, Durham, which has had big events featuring dozens of food trucks, for a few years now. Sadly, those events, what with birthday parties, soccer games and all the usual kid activities, seem to always land on busy weekends for my family.

So when I heard about the plans for the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo, held for the first time on Mother’s Day, I knew we’d be there. It was a Mother’s Day wish.

For the uninitiated, including the man who sat next to us at last Sunday’s event, these aren’t your garden variety sandwich and taco trucks, which move around to construction sites and other workplaces during the day. And it’s not usually the food that you find at a fair or festival either (though I’ve seen some food trucks at these too).

Though they do make stops on a regular basis at office buildings and elsewhere during the week, they often have more gourmet or unusual offerings. Some feature locally made products. Others excel at just one type of food – burgers, pizza, barbecue, Chinese style dumplings, cupcakes, ice cream.

I expected huge lines at Sunday’s event, the first of four planned this year. Luckily, the church my family attends gets out at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays. So we walked over to Fayetteville Street and were among the first in line when it opened at noon.

This event was huge. More than 40 trucks were parked along Fayetteville Street and a few other streets. Even before the rodeo opened, lines were forming at some of the most popular ones. Within 20 minutes or so, there were really long lines at those places.

Fayetteville Street was packed with food trucks and hungry people during downtown Raleigh’s first food truck rodeo.
(Copyright 2013 Capitol Broadcasting Company)

Getting there early and getting our food at the very beginning were key to our family’s great time. After we ate, we walked up and down the street to see a bit of the scene and then headed on to our next stop for the day.

Here’s what we’ll do when we go again with our kids, ages 3 and 8:

1. Before the event, we’ll research each of the trucks and figure out which ones we want to hit. My eight-year-old really loves food of all kinds. The number of choices was a bit overwhelming for her when we got there … burritos or crepes or pizza or dumplings. Next time, we’ll be better prepared. I’ll probably even check in on the truck’s different Facebook and Twitter pages to see what the menu will be.

2. We’ll get there early again. It was nice to be able to check out the scene without huge lines getting in our way. We could inspect the menus and make decisions without feeling rushed. Getting there early also meant that we had absolutely no problem finding a table to eat at.

3. Eat at the trucks with smaller lines. Yes … I did want dumplings from Chirba Chirba. I was craving an Only Burger. And the Urban Street Grill’s Korean dishes looked amazing. But I also had absolutely no desire to wait in a long line with a hungry, antsy three-year-old. If I wanted to keep my sanity, I would have to enjoy those dumplings on another day. And bonus: Now I know which trucks to keep an eye on in case they stop somewhere near me again.

4. Get out of there once the lines get crazy. I’m sure this would be a fun date afternoon with the husband or some friends. We’d get a beer, walk around, wait in line and try some amazing food. That kind of leisurely pace is not going to happen with my kids right now. So once it’s busy, we’ll be out of there.

What can I recommend? The cheese pizza from Pie Pushers, the pulled pork sandwich from The Humble Pig, the chicken burrito from D’Burritos, and the tomato, basil and mozzarella panini from Deli.icious. Oh, and the Italian ice from SweetWater Ices was out of this world.

Smaller ice cream carts participated in downtown Raleigh’s food truck rodeo as well.
(Copyright 2013 Capitol Broadcasting Company)

The prices were all responsible. We paid between $2 for a small Italian ice and about $7 for the pork sandwich. Bottles of water were just $1. I definitely didn’t feel like were being gouged there.

And hats off to the organizers for setting up so many tables and the city workers for keeping it all so clean.

Three more Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos are scheduled through October. They are noon to 5 p.m., June 9; 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Aug. 11; and noon to 5 p.m., Oct. 13, Can’t wait!

http://www.wral.com/destination-downtown-raleigh-food-truck-rodeo/12442164/

Thousands came out on a beautiful spring afternoon to enjpoy the goodies at a food truck rodeo Sunday, May 12, 2013, in downtown Raleigh.
Kyle Jahner — kjahner@newsobserver.com

Hungry people by the thousands packed five city blocks on Fayetteville Street for the first of four Food Truck Rodeos, as Raleigh hitched onto a trend started in Durham in 2010.

Attendees sampled culinary offerings including barbecue, crepes, gyros and pizza. Ice cream, pie and flavored ice provided dessert, and drink vendors including regional breweries offered various methods of washing it all down.

“Is this the line for the dumplings?” one attendee asked.

After receiving a nod in response, the young customer looked at the food truck a good 50 feet away – and back at the line that extended even farther behind the person he asked. In the background, a city street swarmed with a river of customers at dozens of food trucks in downtown Raleigh.

In all, more than 40 food trucks lined the streets, and patrons literally ate up the offerings.

“The waits have been crazy long all day,” North Raleigh resident Roxanne Hoover said as she waited in line for Parle-vous Crepes, one of the more popular trucks. She said she’d been in line for nearly 45 minutes.

“At least it’s nice out,” Hoover said.

But the longest line belonged to Chirba Chirba, the dumpling truck. For much of the day, at least 100 people waited in the line, which stretched across Fayetteville and then along the street.

Attendees tried a variety of ways to deal with the lines. Richard Mihm, a Raleigh resident who learned the virtues of Chirba Chirba and Parlez-vous Crepes at a food rodeo in Durham, said having one person in a group hit the longer lines helped max out the experience. Having a friend bring a beer to the person doing the waiting would help too, he said.

“You have to divide and conquer,” concurred his friend in line, Dean McCord of Raleigh.

Even at 5 p.m., when the 5-hour rodeo ended, more than 40 people waited in the line at Chirba Chirba and there were plenty of people remaining on Fayetteville Street, which was blocked off from Davie Street to the state Capitol. The event extended to parts of Martin and Hargett streets as well.

The Mother’s Day edition of the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo will not be the last of the season; encores are scheduled for June 9, Aug. 11, and Oct. 13, all Sundays. The one in August will run from 4-9 p.m. while the other two will last from noon-5 p.m., like the Mother’s Day event.

Raleigh’s City Council initially resisted the idea of allowing food trucks to freely operate in the city two years ago. Members cited food safety, impact on existing restaurants, litter, crowds, noise and parking as concerns. Food trucks have since been seen as increasingly legitimate and have operated without problems.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/12/2888695/downtown-food-truck-rodeo-wrangles.html

‘Bagista’ Emily Goldman, right reaches for more sausages to throw on the grill as chef Alex Swearingen turns on an exhaust fan at lunch May 10, 2013. The Baguettaboutit food truck moves around various locations in the Triangle and was in the Research Triangle Park for lunch before re-stocking and heading to Durham for a dinner and evening location. In a city that was once reluctant to embrace food trucks, the first of four Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos takes place Sunday. Each event will include 40 trucks, including Baguettaboutit, lined up on Fayetteville Street.
Chuck Liddy — cliddy@newsobserver.com

RALEIGH — When Mike Stenke rolled out his Klausie’s Pizza truck in Raleigh three years ago, people would ask him what he was doing, and then tell him to move.

Raleigh was slow to embrace this new class of mobile entrepreneurs, and many of Stenke’s competitors hid in the shadows, fearing they would be chased out of the city if someone complained.

Things have changed. Now Stenke is preparing his square pizza dough, grating cheese, and stocking up on toppings for a massive food truck rodeo to be held downtown Sunday, the first of four planned for this year.

About 40 mobile food vendors and as many as 6,000 people are expected to attend the first Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo. The event, and the related expansion of the Triangle food truck scene, show how far the street vendor industry has come in the Triangle and nationwide.

Two years ago, when the Raleigh City Council considered whether to allow food trucks to operate routinely in the city, council members worried about food safety, the impact on brick-and mortar restaurants, and whether trucks would hog scarce parking spots. Council members also asked whether trucks would bring crowds, litter and noise.

But when the council revisited the policy a year later, it increased the numbers of food trucks allowed per lot, after no complaints had been lodged against the mobile vendors.

The process gave local trucks some legitimacy, Stenke said, and the city started to embrace the mobile vendors after business owners, event planners and nonprofit organizations learned that the trucks are an easy and affordable way to cater an event and increase visitor traffic.

“And people started to say, ‘Hey, wow, this is a great idea,’ ” Stenke said.

A growth sector

Across the U.S., the street vendor industry is a bright spot in the food service sector, growing at an average annual rate of 8.4 percent in the past five years when the weakened economy drove consumers to decrease overall spending on nonessentials such as dining out, according to an August 2012 report prepared by IBISWorld, an independent publisher of U.S. industry research.

In the Triangle, the mobile vendor phenomenon can be measured by the short history of food truck rodeos.

The first food truck rodeo was held on a Sunday in June 2010 in the parking lot at Sam’s Quick Shop in Durham.

It was organized by one of Durham’s food truck pioneers, Only Burger owner Brian Bottger, who coined the phrase “food truck rodeo” when he struggled to explain the event in less than 140 characters on Twitter. His then partner, Tom Ferguson (who now owns biscuit and doughnut shop Rise), said when a handful of boats fished together in Texas, they called it a rodeo.

“I said, ‘All right, let’s call it a food truck rodeo,’” Bottger said.

The event drew a large crowd, but the generators were noisy, the heat was brutal, the lines were long, and many of the trucks sold out of food within the first two hours.

“Nobody came prepared for the crowds that we had,” Bottger said.

Soon, the Durham rodeos moved to Durham Central Park, which includes bathrooms and a covered pavilion.

“Since then it has just gotten progressively bigger, more trucks, obviously, and bigger crowds each time,” Bottger said.

Pie Pushers co-owner Becky Jo Hacker volunteered to help Bottger plan the quarterly rodeos, which attracted more than 50 vendors in March. Organizers expanded by closing surroundings streets, and added silent generators, live music and local beer.

Hacker said that 75 trucks have requested to participate in the Father’s Day rodeo in June.

“It’s crazy to see how we can incorporate as many food trucks as we can fit safely in that space, but how it doesn’t actually take away from our individual sales,” Hacker said. “You might see a little up and down because of the weather and the turnout, but in the larger picture of it, because we have 10 more trucks doesn’t mean we do that much less.”

Meanwhile, food truck owners have spent the years perfecting their rodeo performance. Only Burger sold out early at the first couple of rodeos, but they developed a system to serve customers from beginning to end that involved installing a second fryer and restocking the truck faster.

Over the years, the Only Burger truck has doubled its output from 60 to 70 burger combos an hour to 120 to 130, Bottger said.

Bringing it to Raleigh

Guy Caprioli, president of Music on the Porch, which is organizing the Raleigh rodeos, said he hopes the downtown event will take food truck rodeos to a new level. Vendors will line one side of Fayetteville Street starting at the State Capitol, and tables and chairs will line both sides of the street, he said.

Food truck vendors pay $155 each to attend the event, which helps cover the infrastructure costs.

Initially the event was hoped to raise additional money by offering early VIP tickets, but that was scrapped and tickets refunded after social media and website traffic indicated that attendance could be well more than the 4,000 initially expected, Caprioli said.

Caprioli said he and others have worked hard to ensure easy traffic flow, and that there are enough bathrooms, hand-washing and handicap stations, trash and recycling areas, along with seating for 1,000 people and two silent generators for the trucks. Food truck “gurus” will be stationed at the information table to answer questions about menus and vendors with special menu needs.

Caprioli said he spent months scouting the best location for the event after people kept asking him about organizing a Raleigh rodeo.

“It seemed to be something that people were really passionate to make happen in Raleigh,” he said.

Food trucks will line up on Fayetteville Street with local bee r, music, buskers, magicians and other entertainment for your enjoyment!

We are expanding the event in order to support a larger crowd on May 12th. Our priority is to have a safe crowd friendly event with a lot of open space and seating.

VIP, Bicycle check-in and Motorcycle parking efforts will be postponed until Aug 11th date.

The City of Raleigh Museum will also be open and hosting activities.

Over 40 participating food trucks, including:

• Philly’s Cheese Steaks
• Big Johns Hot and Spicy Food Truck
• Chick n Que
• American Meltdown
• Sweet Stacey Cakes
• Stoke & Smoke BBQ
• The Humble Pig
• Olde North State BBQ
• Kona Ice Raleigh
• Big Mike’s BBQ
• The Great Escape
• Parlez-Vous Crepe
• Captain Ponchod
• Tarheel Creamery
• Porchetta
• Sympathy for the Deli
• Yael S Megaloudis
• King Creole
• CJ Street Food
• Pie Pushers
• Sarges Chef
• LoYoOn The Go
• Crossroads Concessions
• Valentino
• Klausies
• Loco Pops
• Sunset Slush
• Hibachi Xpress
• Big Als BBQ
• Only Burger
• Baguettaboutit
• Big Island Shaved Ice
• Mama Duke’s Food Truck
• Deli-icious Truck

Beer vendors include:

• Aviator Brewing Company
• Raleigh Brewing Company
• Carolina Brewing Company

Fayetteville Street Mall
Sun, May 12: 12-5 p.m.
Sun, Jun 9: 12-5 p.m.
Sun, Aug 11: 4-9 p.m.
Sun, Oct 13: 12-5 p.m.

http://downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com/info@downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com

Pricing info: Free, VIP early access $5

http://www.wral.com/entertainment/out_and_about/event/12255573/

Baguettaboutit

A few months ago we asked you to tell us your favorite food truck in the Triangle. We took those suggestions and went on a mission to try as many food trucks as we could.

We also counted your votes to determine the fan favorite, who will occupy the fifth spot on the list.

In no particular order our Five Fave food trucks:

Sarge’s jerk chicken taco

Sarge’s Chef on Wheels - They describe their menu as “chop soul” – down-home cooking with an Asian/Caribbean flair. We just call it delicious! This family-run mobile kitchen was inspired by and dedicated to the chef’s parents. His father served in the Air Force for 30 years and his mother loved to cook.

Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits

 Menu items to try: Shrimp and grits (spicy, cheesy and perfect on a cold day!), shrimp po-boy and jerk chicken taco.

Baguettaboutit

Baguettaboutit - The idea for this truck came from a lunch the creators had in Switzerland in 1999. Now, everyone is enjoying North Carolina-made sausages topped with handmade sauces and stuffed inside toasted baguettes. They even offer vegetarian options! Their food is the epitome of food truck fare – you can walk around and eat it with one hand! Menu items to try: U Betcha (Bratwurst and beer garden mustard) and the United Nations (Chicken Chipotle Sausage topped with Chimichurri Sauce).

Porchetta’s Mediterranean sandwich

Porchetta - When I see this truck going down I-40, I actually point at it and yell. I am that excited about this food truck. (I know I am pathetic!) They specialize in slow-roasted Italian style pork sandwiches on toasted kaiser rolls, but they also offer pork burgers, roasted eggplant flatbreads and more. They know how to cook! The pork is tender, perfectly seasoned and the juices that soak into the rolls create a perfect topping! Menu item to try: The Mediterranean (their famous pork served with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, mozzarella and herb aioli).

The Pie Pushers food truck was a popular choice at the RTP Food Truck Rodeo on July 12, 2012.

Klausies and Pie Pushers - We couldn’t decide between these two, so we decided to let them share a spot on the list. They are opposites – Raleigh-based Klausies is all about the thick, hearty crust. Pie Pushers is based in Durham and has what they call “Durham style” crust – hand tossed and thin. Each love to top slices with great combos – like Klausies’ Gyro and Pushers’ State of Nirvana. You really can’t go wrong with either for a great slice in the Triangle.

The American Meltdown food truck was on hand for this special cheese edition of the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market.

FAN FAVORITE WINNER: American Meltdown - Grilled cheese on wheels – that is what we call this truck. Who doesn’t love a great grilled cheese sandwich? They take it to a new level though, offering creations like Pig N Figs (goat cheese, speck, figs and balsamic reduction) and Beer and Bacon! That is why they managed to edge out Chirba Chirba by ONE VOTE to win the bragging rights as your favorite food truck!

FAN FAVORITE RUNNER UP: Chirba Chirba - They missed being the official fan favorite by only one vote, but we love some Chirba Chirba dumplings!!

Along the way we tried some great food! Here are a few of the items we are now hooked on:

Mama Duke’s falafel tots, Valentino’s cannolis, Deli-icious’ crab quesadilla, Humble Pig’s pork tacos and Kokyu BBQ’s duck fat tots.

And if you are craving something sweet, check out our Five Favorite Dessert Food Trucks.

http://www.wral.com/triangle-best-food-trucks/12281122/

RALEIGH, N.C. — A busy holiday weekend in the Triangle is ahead!

It all kicks off Friday with “Saturday Night Live” head writer and Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers at the DPAC. His stand-up will cover everything from pop culture to politics. Tickets start at $29.50.

On Saturday, the DPAC will host 12-time Grammy award winner Emmylou Harris and her longtime collaborator, singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell. They will be playing their unique brand of country rock. Tickets start at $45.

Also on Saturday, Fairview Greenhouses and Garden Center in Raleigh is hosting a food truck rodeo from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This is the first in a series of them this spring. Participants in the series include Chirba Chirba, Sympathy for the Deli, Porchetta, Sarge’s Chef on Wheels, Sweet Stacey Cakes, Only Burger, Humble Pig, Deli-Licious. Admission is free.

Tobacco Road Tours is hosting a Raleigh Pub Crawl and Haunted Adventure Tour this Saturday night. The tour will visit up to four downtown Raleigh bars. In between, you visit three haunted/ghost/paranormal locations. This 2.5 hour tour is $19 a person.

If foodie tours are more your thing, Taste Carolina has several tourshappening this weekend in the Triangle. On Saturday, there will be walking tours in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Saturday tours before 3 p.m. are $47.50 per person. After 3 p.m. the tours go up to $62.50 a person.

Singer Alicia Keys will play the Greensboro Coliseum on Saturday. Tickets are still available and start at $50.

For our picks for local music this weekend, check out our music expert Greg Hutchinson’s best bets.

Our friend Go Ask Mom has a great rundown of things happening for the children this Easter weekend.

http://www.wral.com/seth-meyers-food-truck-rodeo-walking-tours-lead-weekend-best-bets/12271927/

A red velvet doughnut from Monuts in Durham.

RALEIGH, N.C. — As you might have guessed, we at Out and About have a bit of a sweet tooth. Here are our picks for the best food trucks specializing in sweets in the Triangle.

We really enjoyed the research on this one!

Monuts Donuts - This one was a no brainer for us. Monuts always sell out! It took us several rodeos before we even got to try one! But once we did, we were hooked. And we aren’t the only ones. Owner Lindsay Moriarty soon went from a bicycle tricycle to a store in downtown Durham. These handmade cake and yeast doughnuts are the perfect blend of sweet. Some of their flavors include Maple Bacon, Earl Grey and Amaretto. YUM!

The fluffernutter crepe (marshmallow, chocolate, and peanut butter) from Parlez-Vous Crepe food truck.

Parlez-Vous Crepe- Owner Jody Argote learned the art of crepe making while living and working in Beaune, France. Using seasonal local produce, she creates savory and sweet crepes that are better than most restaurant crepes! We love the Meditteranian (featuring organic baby spinach, feta, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar). The dessert crepes are delicious as well. We love the ones containing fresh fruit and for a decadent treat try the Fluffernutter containing peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallow cream.

The Parlour

The Parlour - Some of the best ice cream around comes from this modified mini school bus. In addition to handmade ice cream, they also make sorbets and offer vegan flavors. They’ve been on a winter hiatus while they get ready to open their shopthis month in downtown Durham. At the shop, they will be serving frozen treats, coffee and housemade pastries.

Sweet Stacey Cakes offered a variety of cupcakes at the Durham Food Truck Rodeo. This was their Sexy Mexican cupcake, made with cayenne and cinnamon.

Sweet Stacey Cakes -  It is hard not to smile when you see Stacey’s sparkling, pink cupcake truck, so that’s why she named it “Smiles.” We love how she incorporates local ingredients into her cupcakes, like the Working Man’s Lunch, which uses the Fullsteam brew! Another cupcake to try – the Sexy Mexican, which contains a pinch of cayenne pepper in the filling. Just enough spice!

And finally, we reserved this final spot for the sweet food truck that received the most viewer votes. This one was a landslide with three-times as many votes as the runner-up.

FAN FAVORITE: Sweet Traditions by LeAne - LeAne brings “Belle,” her food truck trailer, to various events across the Triangle. She is based in Wake Forest. We fell in love with her cupcakes at the Wake Forest Mardi Gras celebration. From peanut butter cup to Salted Chocolate Caramel, there wasn’t a flavor we didn’t like. And you agree, because you voted for LeAne’s truck!

Honorable mention: Sweet and Savory, which offers fried candy bars, girl scout cookies and its own version of chicken and waffles (the chicken is a wing).

http://www.wral.com/best-sweet-food-trucks-in-the-triangle/12200173/

The American Meltdown food truck was on hand for this special cheese edition of the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market.
Photo by Kathy Hanrahan

RALEIGH, N.C. — Sarge’s Chef on Wheels, American Meltdown and Humble Pig are just a few of the food trucks doing double-duty this weekend at rodeos in Raleigh and Durham.

The Raleigh rodeo will be held Saturday at Rebus Works(301 Kinsey St.) and feature GOUGE Wrestling. Trucks on tap also include CJ’s Street Food, Gussy’s Greek Food, Chick-n-Que, Captain Poncho’s and LocoPops. The rodeo starts at 5 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m. This event is family-friendly.

Chirba Chirba had a long line of folks waiting for their fresh dumplings.
Photo by Kathy Hanrahan

The Durham rodeo will feature more than 50 trucks at Durham Central Park. Dusty Donuts and La Farm Bakery are some of the new additions to the DCP lineup. Art of Cool Jazz Jam and DJ PiddiPat will provide music. If you haven’t been to the Durham rodeos before, you are in for a treat. Lots of great trucks and good family outing on a Sunday afternoon. Just get there early before the lines get too long!

Crowds waited in line at the various trucks during the Food Truck Rodeo. (Photo by Tony Rice)

These rodeos come at a great time for Out and About because we are trying to rank our Five Favorite food trucks in the area. It is such a big task that we had to break it up into sweet trucks and then regular trucks. The Five Fave Sweet Trucks will be unveiled on Monday, but you still have time to tell us your favorite! The fifth pick on each list will be the one with the most votes! To vote, just tell us the name of your favorite food truck in the comments section.

http://www.wral.com/triangle-food-truck-rodeos-planned-this-weekend-/12187981/

RALEIGH, N.C. — There are so many great food trucks in the Triangle and they offer just about every type of cuisine imaginable.

We have tried some great food from these mobile kitchens, so we decided to rank our five favorites!

Every week, we rank our Five Favorite things in a specific category. Coming up in February, we are ranking food trucks! We ranked them in 2011 but we will consider everyone again this time around!

With so many trucks out there, it is almost impossible to hit all of them. But we are trying! We went to the Durham Food Truck Rodeo on Sunday and tried out several of them. And we will be seeking out many more in the coming weeks.

But we want your help. Which trucks are your favorite?

Give us your suggestions below in the comments section and specifically tell us your favorite.  The truck with the most votes will earn the final spot on our Five Faves list! We got so many great suggestions on Twitter a few weeks ago, make sure you share your faves in the comments section here as well!

http://www.wral.com/Vote-for-best-triangle-food-truck/12032191/

Only Burger food truck in Durham

RALEIGH, N.C. — More food trucks are on the way to downtown Raleigh, or at least that’s the hope following the City Council’s changes to current regulations.

The Raleigh City Council voted Thursday to increase the number of trucks allowed on a lot. The change also allows food trucks within the entirety of the Downtown Overlay District.

The City says the changes come after a six-month review of existing food truck regulations. The City says it has not received any complaints or seen any enforcement issues.

In September 2011, City Council approved regulations to allow food truck operators to set up on private property as long as they are at least 100 feet from the main entrance or outdoor dining area of any restaurant and at least 50 feet from any food vending cart.

The policy also allowed food trucks to serve the late-night crowd and the early risers.

Changes to the ordinance approved today allow a maximum of two food trucks on lots of one-half acre or less. Three food trucks are allowed on lots between one-half acre and one acre, and a maximum of four food trucks are allowed on lots greater than one acre but less than two acres.

The City says it does not anticipate the increase in the number of trucks allowed on a lot to have any impact on existing restaurants or businesses.

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/dec/06/city-council-approves-relaxed-regulations-food-tru-ar-2838980/