Though food has been served out of trucks almost as long as there have been trucks, the modern concept of the food truck was born only a few years ago in the vast auto-centric, warm-weather sprawl of Los Angeles. Suddenly, it was not only acceptable to serve good food out of the once-derided “roach coaches,” it was a good business decision. Startup costs are much lower than a full restaurant build-out, and you can go to where the customers are, instead of hoping they come to you.

Pittsburgh is a far cry from Los Angeles in most respects, but we’re finally starting to adapt the food truck to our own peculiar topography and our own walking, working and dining preferences.

It hasn’t been easy. As in many cities, there are a lot of legal and bureaucratic obstacles to operating a food truck in Pittsburgh.

According to Pittsburgh Mobile Food (www.pghmobilefood.com), which advocates for more food-truck-friendly laws and regulations, some of the impediments include restrictive operating hours, a requirement that food trucks move every 30 minutes, and a rule that they must stay 500 feet from any business with a similar product for sale, even something as innocuous as soft drinks. Obviously, in certain places (Downtown, East Carson Street, etc.), this severely limits where a food truck can park. Food trucks also can’t park at metered spaces.

As a measure of how prominent food trucks have become, city Councilman Bill Peduto has made changing food-truck regulations a (small) part of his mayoral platform.

“It is simply unfair to put overly restrictive rules on food-truck operators,” says Dan Gilman, Peduto’s chief of staff. “In fact, cities across the country have been sued for doing so. Food-truck operators should have the same opportunities to grow a business as brick-and-mortar restaurant operators do. And, food trucks can be a great benefit to our city. They create economic vitality in our neighborhoods, they help young entrepreneurs raise awareness about their products and make a living, and they make Pittsburgh attractive to young people and people who are in the food scene.”

Many brick-and-mortar restaurateurs aren’t convinced, however.

“We think it’s great to have food trucks, as long as they’re regulated,” says Jeff Cohen, owner of Smallman Street Deli, Weiss Provision Co., and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association. “(Regulations) should just stay the way they are.”

“If you owned a restaurant, you wouldn’t want me parking in front of it, taking three to four parking spaces at your busiest time of day to compete against you. (They) need to be 500 feet away from existing businesses.”

Some daring food truckers aren’t waiting around for more favorable rules. Pittsburgh’s food-truck count has nearly tripled since we last did a count in 2011.

PITTSBURGH TACO TRUCK

Details: www.pghtacotruck.com, @PghTacoTruck on Twitter, www.facebook.com/pghtacotruck

It’s a little before 5 p.m. in Braddock, and a line of hungry patrons has already formed on the sidewalk. Parked a few feet away is a bright red-and-yellow truck bearing one simple word on its side — “TACOS” — and in a few minutes, that’s exactly what these food-truck fans will be having for dinner.

In the few months since it hit the streets, the Pittsburgh Taco Truck has already established a loyal following and is gaining more patrons every day. That response is the driving force behind owner James Rich’s vision.

“I like the idea of creating a unique community experience and interacting with the community,” he says.

Because of restrictive mobile-vending laws within Pittsburgh city limits, the truck spends most of its time parked near friend Michael Witherel’s business, Coffee Buddha at 964 Perry Highway in Ross. Rich makes stops on Tuesday evenings outside Ink Division at 218 Braddock Ave. He posts his schedule and menu on his website daily.

Tacos, between one-third and one-half pound and entirely wheat- and gluten-free, cost $3 to $5. Some menu items change depending on available ingredients. Options can include Korean braised steak with kimchi, Indian butter chicken with sambal yogurt and spicy jerk chicken with avocado cream. A vegetarian selection has zucchini, mushrooms and queso blanco. A vegetarian or vegan option is available every day.

If a customer wants to change up the ingredients a bit, it isn’t a problem.

“People make suggestions and we listen to them,” Rich says. “We make changes according to them.”

Customer Maria T. Cruz of Braddock appreciates Rich’s efforts to bring convenient food to neighborhoods that are somewhat lacking in other options.

“There aren’t a lot of places to eat, so we want to support him when he comes out here,” Cruz says.

— Rachel Weaver

THE STEER AND WHEEL

Details: 412-230-7323, www.thesteerandwheel.com

The Steer and Wheel first hit the road six weeks ago, offering gourmet burgers, french fries and beverages. Owner Jamie McCleland, whose background includes culinary school in his native South Carolina and work in the food industry there and in Pittsburgh, became fascinated by Pittsburgh Taco Truck and decided a food truck would be a great niche for him.

McCleland buys a variety of cuts of naturally grown beef, raised locally with no hormones or antibiotics, which he grinds fresh in the truck on the mornings when he arrives at a site where he’ll be open for business.

The menu includes a variety of what he calls composed burgers, combining different toppings and buns around themes, such as Italian and Cajun styles. The Kelly Burger is named for his wife and is topped with field greens, tomatoes, white cheddar and grain mustard on an English muffin. Three of the composed burgers on the menu are available at any given outing. He also cooks turkey burgers and veggie burgers. All are available in small, $3.50 to $4, and large, $8 to $9.

French fries are made from hand-cut russet potatoes, double fried and served plain, $2, or in specialty combinations, $3.

— Mark Kanny

 OH MY GRILL

Details: www.ohmygrill.com, @ohmygrill on Twitter

This new food truck peddles many people’s favorite comfort food on wheels: grilled cheese, with side of macaroni and cheese to boot.

Oh My Grill, a roving truck that got its start in July last year at a Lawrenceville event, sells many styles of grilled cheese on white or wheat bread or Texas toast. The truck usually offers three to five special sandwiches ($4 to $8) at a time, often with an accompanying sauce: for instance, a grilled cheese with smoked gouda, white cheddar and caramelized onion. Many of the specials come with a cup of soup.

“We try to change up our special,” says Larry Gunas, owner of Oh My Grill. He lives in Evans City, Butler County, but the business is fully mobile.

Oh My Grill goes wherever the truck is invited, Gunas says. He often goes to company lunches, festivals, farmers markets, weddings, parties and the like.

“The possibilities are endless,” he says. “It’s very well-received by the public.”

— Kellie B. Gormly

FRANKTUARY

Details: www.franktuary.com, @franktuary on Twitter

They didn’t have a lot of company for a while, but for Franktuary, the risk was worth it.

After about seven years of selling their creatively topped gourmet hot dogs out of the hard-to-find basement of Trinity Cathedral, Downtown, partners Tim Tobitsch and Megan Lindsey thought a food truck would be a fun way to build their business. While it has been less than fun at times — such as discovering the regulations and restrictions — the Franktuary food truck has become so ubiquitous at local events that it seems like there can’t be just one.

The Franktuary brand also has risen considerably. They just opened their second physical location in a large, high-profile spot on Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

The Franktuary food truck offers regular hot dogs, veggie dogs and “Under Dogs,” made from New Zealand grass-fed beef, and a monthly featured gourmet dog. One constant is poutine, the French-Canadian junk food/delicacy beloved by hockey fans and denizens of dairy country — french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and thick gravy.

“We thought, ‘How can we distinguish ourselves in Pittsburgh?’ (It) is so saturated with french fries, on salads, sandwiches, everything,” Tobitsch says. “We thought it was something Pittsburgh would like. I liked it.”

— Michael Machosky

DOZEN BAKE SHOP

(Pictured on cover)

Details: 412-683-2327, www.dozenbakeshop.com, @dozenbakeshop on Twitter

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a moist cupcake, a tasty scoop of ice cream, a creamy peanut-butter chewy bar or a crunchy Rice Krispies treat out of the Dozen Bake Shop food truck. Look for it in and around Pittsburgh. It usually makes a weekly stop at Carnegie Mellon University Technology Drive along the river on Second Avenue.

“We are known for comfort food,” says Dena Rupp, director of operations and event coordinator for the food truck. “We enjoy bringing fresh-baked goods and ice cream out to people. It is fun to be with all the other food trucks. We all support each other.”

Dozen decided to go on the road after owner Doreen Valentine saw how popular food trucks were when she visited Los Angeles. She purchased a truck designed specifically to sell food. It has a display window so customers can see the goods just like in a regular bakery.

The company is based in Lawrenceville, with another storefront in Oakland. That location will be closing at the end of May and a new store is planned at Donaldson’s Crossroads in McMurray.

They are known for their cupcakes but have added lots of homemade ice cream, which can be served in homemade waffle cones (including a gluten-free option). Flavors include strawberry shortbread, vegan blackberry, goat cheese pistachio caramel and dark chocolate merlot. Mexican popsicles also will be on the menu. They are not as sweet as the regular kind and come in flavors such as toasted coconut and avocado. Dozen has sorbet in flavors such as lemon and strawberry.

Prices range from $1.25 for a cookie to $5 for ice cream with multiple scoops and lots of toppings.

The road business is growing from events to weddings. They’ve been hired to be a part of bridal receptions during appetizer and cocktail hour or after dinner for dessert.

— JoAnne Klimovich Harrop

BELLA CHRISTIE AND LIL’ Z’S SWEET BOUTIQUE

via facebook

Details: 412-772-1283, www.asweetboutique.com

The treats truck of Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique is on its way to some sweet duty.

Jennie Vidt’Elliott, the coordinator of the truck at the Aspinwall sweet shop and bakery, says the vehicle began operation only a few weeks ago. For this year, a run of regular stops won’t happen, but planners are trying to line up stops at events.

The first series will be Tuesday evening stops through May at the Bethel Park Farmers Market at the community center at 5151 Park Ave.

Vidt’Elliott says the 20-foot truck they use was found in North Carolina, already made into a food truck. Outside of “wrapping” it in company colors and logos, she says, little had to be done.

The Bella Christie truck will be selling only sweets, she says, but if a client rents it for a party or get-together, other items such as quiches could be included.

Hiring the truck for an event starts at $250, she says, which does not include fees for food.

— Bob Karlovits

PIEROGI TRUCK

Details: www.polishpierogi.com, @PGHPierogitruck on Twitter

It’s hardly a surprise that carbaholics might be easily tempted to kick self-control to the curb with the promise of an authentic, handmade pierogie arriving curbside.

Claiming the title of the “first and only” one of its kind, temptation from the Pierogi Truck comes in the form of sweet cheese, sauerkraut, potato and onion, beef and even plum, with additional room on the menu (if not your stomach) for more Polish favorites, including haluski and stuffed cabbage.

And if that weren’t enough to put you over the edge, when you’ve got a craving and can’t get to them, they’ll come to you. All it takes is an email. You can find them most Wednesdays outside the House of 1,000 Beers in New Kensington. The truck will be at the Whitehall Farmer’s Market on Mondays starting in June.

— Kate Benz

BRGR

Details: 724-742-2333, www.brgrpgh.com

Drew Garbarino is hoping to put the food-truck business in gear for the BRGR restaurants.

The operation is only about six months old, the manager of the truck says, but “if there’s a festival out there, an event, we’ll be there.”

Besides special festivites, weddings, parties and picnics, Garbarino says the truck also will be seen at various lunch spots, including Forbes Avenue and Grant Street, Downtown.

The truck offers the burgers the restaurants in East Liberty and Cranberry are named after. There is the Fire in the Hole with jalapenos and guacamole and daily specials such as the Steakburger, which is a burger that looks like a Philly cheesesteak (both $8).

Besides chips, fries and slaw ($3), the truck offers shakes ($4) such as the Cap’n Crunch, which is topped with the cereal.

The truck operates out of the Cranberry Mall because it is easier to park and do some of the preparation work there, he says. But, he adds, most of the work can be done on the road in the 27-foot truck that was created as a delivery vehicle by the company that builds them for FexEx and UPS. It has a 15-foot by 18-foot kitchen area filled with grills, fryers, pizza-prep equipment and coolers.

Rates for catered events begin at $500 minimum for a two-hour period and begin with $150 rental for sites within a 30-mile radius of Cranberry.

— Bob Karlovits

 FUKUDA

via facebook

Details: 412-377-0916, www.fukudapgh.com, @FukudaPgh on Twitter

Fans and followers of Fukuda’s roving sushi truck may have feared it had reached a dead end when owner Hoon Kim and executive chef Matt Kemp opened a restaurant at 4770 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield, last fall.

Not to worry, Kim says. The newly revamped and upgraded truck and will soon be rolling on a regular schedule.

“We wanted to continue to be part of the culture,” Kim says. “We are talking a tight-knit community base.”

Wherever they park, people show up in droves, Kim says.

Most often they clamor for Okonomiyaki ($8 to $10), a traditional Japanese Napa cabbage and fish-batter pancake stuffed with as-you-like-it choices that can include sushi-grade fish, chicken, pork, pickled ginger, seaweed and bonita flakes.

Also popular are Chirashi Temaki hand rolls ($6) and a variety of familiar sushi choices ($5 to $8) made with fish flown in from as far away as Scotland and Japan.

— Alice T. Carter

http://triblive.com/aande/diningout/3782468-74/truck-says-cheese#axzz2SBi0Q4ZF

The  first ever “Fuel the Fans Food Truck Festival,” sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods Marathon and the South Side Chamber of Commerce is planned for Race Day, May 5.

Free food from Pittsburgh’s food trucks including Fukuda, BRGR, Oh My Grill and more will be provided to race fans and spectators from 8 a.m. to noon.

Fuel the Fans will take place in the parking lot of First National Bank, 1114 East Carson Street, South Side. Spectators are also welcome to stop into the South Side Welcome Center, 11th and East Carson streets, for activities and more fun.

Pittsburgh’s mobile food businesses are growing.

Fukuda in Bloomfield has its inaugural run at today’s food truck roundup in the LifeStone church lot on the South Side (157 S. 26th St.) from noon to 3 p.m. The truck will join Oh My Grill, Franktuary, BRGR, Pittsburgh Pierogi, PGH Taco Truck and Cake Eaters Sweet Shoppe for the event.

The Fukuda Truck (on Twitter @FukudaTruck) will feature Japanese street food such as okonomiyaki (a savory cabbage and seafood pancake) and takoyaki (a type of fritter), as well as handrolls and other items.

Last week, Jamie McLeland rolled out The Steer & Wheel (on Twitter @steerandwheel), a burger truck that offers a half-dozen combinations and double-fried Russets. He sells “little” and “big” burgers such as the Andre, with bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, smoked gouda and grain mustard. The Muy Bueno wears a taco rub and is served with tortilla chips, iceberg lettuce, tomato and chipotle mayo on brioche.

Patties made with organic, hormone-free beef from Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance and bread from Mediterra Bakehouse elevate his take on street food. Mr. McLeland grinds beef right on the truck.

This brings the total number of such food trucks to eight.

Still, the city of Pittsburgh lags behind others in offering a variety of food trucks and food truck gatherings, partly because of laws that make it difficult for the mobile food vendors to set up near restaurants and stay in one location long enough to cook and serve food. The first roundup in the city was held last July in Lawrenceville with four trucks operating from 6 to 10 p.m. on 43rd Street.

Mr. McLeland said he was inspired to start a food truck from a friend, a New York transplant living in Pittsburgh, who marveled over lines for $16 lobster rolls from trucks such as Red Hook Lobster Truck in Manhattan.

After meeting with Megan Lindsey, a partner of the Downtown and Lawrenceville locations of Franktuary and its food truck, Mr. McLeland researched the city’s legislation and decided to roll on anyway. For his debut last week, he parked The Steer & Wheel on a lot in Braddock, which does not have laws regulating food trucks. He hopes to locate inside Pittsburgh city limits at times.

“I took into account the changes proposed by [city councilman and mayoral candidate] Bill Peduto and I thought the timing could be perfect,” he said.

Current city law requires food trucks to relocate every 30 minutes, ostensibly to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants. The law also prevents sales after midnight, despite that it’s after the hours that most restaurants sell food.

Councilman Peduto is developing legislation that would address where trucks can and cannot operate as well as whether they can sell near restaurants at all or only during special events.

Starting a food truck for an independent operator such as Mr. McLeland is more daunting than it was for chef Brian Pekarcik from Spoon and BRGR in East Liberty. Mr. Pekarcik said his brick-and-mortar restaurants ease the labor of running the BRGR food truck.

“We add production right into our prep and our cost,” he said. His BRGR truck has refrigeration for up to 350 burgers. If the truck is swamped by customers at a festival or an event, “it’s just a phone call away to bring another 100, 150 more burgers. For most food trucks, when they run out, they’re done for the day.”

Here in Pittsburgh, food trucks affiliated with a restaurant lend legitimacy to the effort.

A pioneer of Pittsburgh Mobile Food Coalition, Mr. Pekarcik said that his presence, along with Hoon Kim of Fukuda and the Franktuary partners, convey support for the growth of food trucks. A petition with signatures from dozens of local restaurants helps.

“I haven’t come across any pushback from brick-and-mortar restaurants,” he said. “Owners generally want to see food trucks thrive here.”

Unlike other food trucks in the area, Mr. Pekarcik said that 90 percent of his food truck business comes from inside the city limits, the result of partnerships that allow him to park in two Downtown lots for weekday lunch service as well as corporate rentals.

Aside from events and roundups, Mr. Kim said he will likely end up selling outside the city.

“Because of the legal structure, we need a host with a private lot,” he said, citing the Coffee Buddha on the border of West View as the host for PGH Taco Truck.

Should Mr. Kim find a host, he would consider parking “three, four or five times a week,” he said.

Mr. Kim recalled a day last week during which he helped James Rich, proprietor of PGH Taco Truck, as he operated in the Coffee Buddha lot.

“There were lines of people waiting for tacos,” he said. “The turnout demonstrates that people want more trucks here. To drive around the streets and to sell food in town? That’s the hardest thing to do in Pittsburgh right now.”

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/dining/dine-food-trucks-on-a-roll-fukuda-joins-todays-south-side-round-up-680680/

A new Pittsburgh food truck is to debut today.

The Steer & Wheel is a burger truck.

But Jamie McLeland is doing high-end burgers — using all-natural beef (ground right on the truck) from Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance, Mediterra Bakehouse rolls and bread, transfat-free oil for the fries, and local and recyclable/compostable/biodegradable stuff whenever possible.

From 4 to 7 p.m. tonight, Mr. McLeland will join the PGH Taco Truck outside Ink Division at 218 Braddock Ave. in Braddock.

For this shakedown cruise, he’ll only be serving one of his many offerings: the Bacon Squared burger, which includes balsamic bacon jam and bacon as well as chive cheddar, lettuce and tomato,on an onion roll. He’s doing the large size — $9 — but eventually will offer a small size for $4.

The menu on his website lists two dozen burgers. One of my favorites: the Gorelickin’ Good, named for food writer Richard Gorelick at the Baltimore Sun (Mr. McCleland used to live there). It’s jazzed up with pork belly, boursin, carmelized onion and cornichon and served on brioche.

To know where the Steer & Wheel will be next and when, you can follow it via Twitter and Facebook, or call 412-230-7323 or email info@thesteerandwheel.com.

http://www.pgplate.com/openings/285-new-food-truck-debuts

Hoon Kim, restaurateur behind Fukuda in Bloomfield, confirms he has purchased a food truck and is adding final design touches this week. Here’s the Twitter handle.

The truck will roll out for the first time this Sunday for a food truck roundup at Life Stone Church from 12 to 3 p.m.

“Now that spring and summer are upon us, we want to be a full-fledged part of the city’s food truck scene,” said Mr. Kim.

Fukuda’s truck will feature Japanese street food such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki as well as handrolls and other items. The kitchen is finalizing the menu this week.

The truck will join Oh, My Grill,Franktuary, BRGR Bar, Pittsburgh Pierogi,PGH Taco Truck and Cake Eaters Sweet Shoppe for the event.

Where will we find Fukuda’s truck after Sunday? “Because of the legal structure in this city, we need a host with a private lot,” he said, citing the Coffee Buddha as the host for PGH Taco Truck.

Mr. Kim said he joined James Rich for a day and was amazed at the turnout at the North Hills location. “There were huge lines of people waiting for hours for tacos,” he said. “The turnout demonstrates that people want more trucks here. But driving around the streets and selling food in town? That’s the hardest thing to do in Pittsburgh.”

Should Mr. Kim find a host, he would consider parking “three, four or five times a week,” he said. In the meantime, he’ll stick to events and roundups for in-city sales.

http://www.pgplate.com/forks-blog/290-fukuda-food-truck-to-debut-sunday

 The election is finally over. Whether you’re celebrating, enraged or just relieved not to have to suffer through yet another campaign ad, let’s forget about the divisiveness of politics and focus on something that we can all appreciate for its diversity and differences: food!

For the past several years, chefs across the country have been putting their food on wheels and hitting the streets in gourmet food trucks. This delicious trend has made it here to the Steel City, and if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit one of these mobile kitchens, find one immediately.

Unfortunately, that will prove difficult. Compared to similarly sized cities, Pittsburgh has very few food trucks. This isn’t because of the city’s climate, or its hilly terrain — but its laws.

In Pittsburgh, trucks may not park at metered spaces, cannot stay in one place for more than 30 minutes and are forbidden from operating within 500 feet of a restaurant that sells similar food. These and other restrictions make it nearly impossible to run a successful food truck, and less competition means higher prices and fewer lunchtime choices for workers throughout the city.

These laws aren’t just keeping food trucks away from you. They are also unconstitutional. Laws like Pittsburgh’s are frequently passed at the behest of a few brick-and-mortar restaurants that want the government to “protect” them from the competition posed by mobile counterparts. But having the city pick winners and losers is not a legitimate use of government power, and courts that consider similar laws routinely strike them down.

Fortunately, Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto has introduced legislation to fix the city’s food-truck laws. Also fortunate is the fact that many Pittsburgh restaurants are rallying around food trucks, embracing these new mobile kitchens as welcome additions to the city’s thriving culinary scene and a new way to reach their customers.

Pittsburgh should embrace food trucks. They put people to work, enrich communities and serve as “eyes on the street” that help make public rights-of-way safer and friendlier. Some brick-and-mortar restaurants may argue that trucks threaten their businesses but cities that have good food-truck laws also have vibrant restaurant scenes. Food trucks aren’t “unfair competition,” because any advantage that a food truck’s mobility might provide is more than offset by its many disadvantages, including no seating, no climate control, no extra storage space and no booze.

Governments have a role to play in regulating trucks, but it should be limited to ensuring public health and safety. Food trucks should be allowed to operate wherever their presence won’t cause excessive congestion. They should be required to be sanitary and safe, just as restaurants are. And they should be responsible for the litter they generate. These are legitimate regulations that the government has the right to impose; everything else should be wiped clean from the Pittsburgh city code.

So why should you care about where and when food trucks can operate in Pittsburgh?

The first and probably most obvious reason to the hungry reader: More choices!

The second and more fundamental reason: These seemingly small, local issues are what define us as a nation of opportunity, a place where entrepreneurs of all stripes can try to climb their way up the economic ladder. We can’t allow the government to cut the ladder out from any entrepreneur, big or small, stationary or mobile. Nobody should be subject to arbitrary, anti-competitive and unconstitutional abuses of government power.

Small enterprises represent big dreams. Eat a hot dog at Franktuary or a pierogi from the Pierogi Truck. While you’re enjoying your food (and you will), talk to the owners about their struggles to succeed — especially with so many roadblocks in the way — and their aspirations to grow.

Now, back to that election. It’s easy to feel as though your impact is lost in the race for the president. But you can have a very real impact at the local level — by becoming a champion for your entrepreneurial neighbors, starting with food trucks. Make a phone call to City Council. Sign a petition (you can find one at www.pghmobilefood.com). These small actions can produce demonstrable, satisfying change.

Support Pittsburgh’s food trucks and help them make their way up the economic ladder — and hopefully, to a curb near you.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/up-with-food-trucks-pittsburgh-should-free-its-eatery-entrepreneurs-661863/

Courtesy of the Institute for Justice,* a libertarian public interest law firm that advocates against overly burdensome regulation of food trucks, here are some food truck owners offering their take on the state of the law.

By John K. Ross | Reason.com

In October, Pittsburgh city council member Bill Peduto introduced legislation that would remove restrictions on mobile vending that stifle food trucks. Designed to protect brick-and-mortar businesses from competition, Pittsburgh’s current regime is one of the most restrictive in the nation.

Food trucks are currently prohibited from parking in one spot for more than 30 minutes, in metered spaces (making most of the downtown area off limits), and within 500 feet of a restaurant. Moreover, zoning officials can veto parking on private property, even if the owner welcomes food trucks.

Via the Pittsburgh City Paper:

At any given point in time, I’m sure no matter what we’re doing, someone can tell us we’re not allowed to be doing it,” says Tim Tobitsch, co-owner of the Franktuary Truck, a pioneer in the local food-truck industry that has sold gourmet hot dogs for about two years.

Tobitsch and the owners of six other food trucks have joined together to form the Pittsburgh Mobile Food Coalition, which is pushing for the legislative change. And, unlike in other cities, some brick-and-mortar establishments are on board.

The owners of Bar Marco, a cocktail bar in the Strip District, invite food trucks to their parking lot for “Food Truck Fridays,” for instance. Acclaimed restaurateur Brian Pekarcik, who operates a food truck as well as traditional restaurants, has presented city council members with a petition from owners of sit-down restaurants who think that reform would energize Pittsburgh’s food scene, benefiting not only consumers and mobile vendors, but also restaurants themselves.

The bill would eliminate the proximity rule, allow food trucks to park in metered spots, and permit them to stay in one spot for up to four hours. Further, it would extend business hours on weekends past closing time for bars. The city council is expected to act on the measure before the end of the year.

Reason has applauded food truck decriminalization in Cleveland andPortland and boo-hissed officious regulation in Chicago, New York City, New Orleans, and Baltimore.

*Disclosure: I am a former employee of the Institute for Justice.

http://reason.com/blog/2012/11/09/freeing-the-food-trucks-in-pittsburgh-pe

The BRGR food truck served its first customers along Liberty Avenue during Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days. Robin Rombach Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh city councilman and expected mayoral candidate Bill Peduto says his office has been looking at laws governing the trucks — laws that operators say protect bricks-and-mortar restaurants and make it impossible for trucks to sell their wares while parked on the streets — and will have draft legislation for the public to consider in time for a food truck rally set for 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Big Brothers Big Sisters parking lot at 5989 Penn Circle South in East Liberty.

That event is being promoted by a new umbrella group, PghMobileFood, and website, pghmobilefood.com, that helps the hungry track the trucks while pushing for changes in laws. As the site notes, it’s all about “Freeing food trucks to feed the people.”

To that end, the group is sponsoring two “food truck education events” at Bar Marco in the Strip District, which has been nurturing local food trucks by holding a Food Truck Friday roundup in its parking lot each Friday since Aug. 17.

Now, Franktuary restaurant, Downtown, which also operates a hotdog truck (and is opening a new restaurant in Lawrenceville), has teamed up with Saxifrage School and the Institute for Justice to present these two events titled “How to Change a Law.”

Last night the group was to present “Food Trucks 101: Competition Law and the Constitution.” Several vendors were to be inducted into PghMobileFood, complete with a “noble mobile creed” of best practices. Presenters were to include lawyer Robert Frommer from the Institute for Justice, which has been working on food truck laws in other cities.

The next “How to Change a Law” session at Bar Marco is at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 10, titled, “Food Truck 201: Drafting New Legislation.” The presenter is to be Matt Barron, Mr. Peduto’s policy director.

Mr. Peduto says his office has been involved with food truck issues going back to when the vendors had to be moved from Oakland’s Schenley Plaza back in 2005, and has been a main contact point for the new breed of operators and aspiring ones.

He says his legislation would fix many problems, from permitting, which he says needs to be streamlined, to extending hours (trucks currently cannot operate after midnight, even though there is a market for them then and most restaurants are closed). The current law also says a truck has to move every 30 minutes. “It just makes it completely impossible.”

The new law also would address where trucks can and cannot operate — whether they can operate near restaurants at all, or only during special events.

“We put together the basis of a best model legislation,” Mr. Peduto said, incorporating findings from the food truck hotspots of Portland, Ore.; El Paso, Texas; and Minneapolis; as well as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.

He said release of that draft legislation “will start a public process” for not just business owners but also the community at large to consider.

“Our goal is very simple,” he said. “We want to make it easy, make it available … Our role is to be able to facilitate this industry so it can follow the rules, so the industry can grow.”

So the PghMobile Food events at Bar Marco are more for those in the industry, but Ms. Lindsey said she hopes they attract anyone who’s interested in being part of reforming the laws. “We definitely want it to be a process where lots of people are giving their input and feedback.”

Meanwhile, the ranks of Pittsburgh’s food trucks and carts, many of which are listed on the pghmobilefood.com site, are growing. Ms. Lindsay said she and Mr. Tobisch hear from people weekly, though some “fizzle” when they look at the laws. But new trucks continue to start up: Local hamburger chain BRGR, with restaurants in East Liberty and Cranberry, launched a brand-new food truck last weekend.

BRGR got the truck this past Thursday and it debuted Friday at Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days. Then on Monday, it debuted Downtown at Forbes Avenue and Grant Street during lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.). On weekends, the truck is to operate on Penn Avenue in the Strip District across from Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. It’s also available for catering, serving the same burgers, fries and shakes as the restaurant.

“As brand recognition, it’s a great advertising piece,” says Brian Pekarcik, chef/owner of BRGR and Spoon. “And we expect that it will drive customers to our restaurants.”

The BRGR truck also may join Food Truck Fridays at Bar Marco, where co-owner Bobby Fry says he hopes that gathering continues into the fall. “But, in reality, the ultimate goal is to have the city embrace the culture and quality employment that food truck freedoms will add to Pittsburgh.”

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/new-website-talks-law-keep-pittsburghs-food-truck-scene-moving-forward-656055/#ixzz28L9Wgsv7

It’s a beautiful day in all the neighborhoods today. I was out and about this morning on some interviews and had to stay outside awhile longer.

I stopped by the parking lot behind the Hot Metal Faith Community on the South Side, 2700 Jane Street, to visit the Franktuary food truck.

James Gray, the owner of Dozen Bake Shop who had bought Tina Bolin’s Bodacious Bites truck, was there, too.

They parked together to receive walk-ups between 11.30 and 2.30. Franktuary is there every Tuesday and Thursday at that time, and James said he would be there periodically.

The food truck movement, which has grown so fast in other cities that the original guys are seething over the band wagon effect, is still in training pants here. We have, what?, four? besides the ones that are such fixtures in Oakland that they might as well not have wheels.

Let me know if you know of food trucks out there that move about and keep their following moving with them because I will be writing more about this for the Food section soon.

A little crowd had grown by noon.

Emily Harding brought her kids, toddler Jack and a baby in a sling. She’s an old roommate of Franktuary’s co-owner Megan Lindsey. “We saw on Facebook that they were going to be here so we had to come for lunch,” Emily said. Jack wore a T-shirt that read “I do all my own stunts.”

There’s a picnic area under a tent, but a couple of guys just plunked down on the parking lot and ate their dogs.

James (pictured in the window of the Dozen truck) has just started taking the truck out. He is planning to serve at events, “with periodic roving to see how it goes,” he said.

Tim Tobitsch and Megan Lindsey, co-owners of Franktuary Downtown, have found a home behind the church and also do special events. They were in the Strip a couple Saturdays ago and may have a deal soon to be in the Strip one day a week.

You can track the Franktuary truck at twitter.com/franktuary. Several people walked up today specifically to try the poutine, a Canadian way of serving fries with cheese curds and brown gravy. These curds come from Arsenal Cheese, an artesan enterprise in Larryville.

I wish I had not scarfed down a sandwich earlier or I would have tried the poutine. It looked good. So….. I’ll be back!

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/city-walkabout/27644-a-good-day-for-a-food-truck-stop

http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/06/pittsburgh-pa-a-good-day-for-a-food-truck-stop/