WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED MESSAGE

In the fall of 2008, the Charlotte City Council approved an ordinance that in effect put the majority of mobile food vendors out of business. The ordinance states that a mobile food vendor may not be within 400 feet from a home; must close by 9pm; and may only be in a specific location for no more than 90 days.

Before the passage of the ordinance, there were approximately 50 vendors working in the Charlotte area. Two years later, there are now around 7 still open(not taking into account the new trucks that have popped up recently). This ordinance is based on what the Zoning Department has admitted are just "perceptions" of how food trucks attract crime and loitering in the community. Zoning admitted that they had no hard evidence to substantiate these "perceptions". The ordinance was written in such a way that in effect it mostly affected Loncheras (hispanic mobile food vendors) negatively.

Mobile food vendors are small businesses trying to survive in the current bad economy. In an economic atmosphere where many are out of work, mobile food vendors employ people locally. As hard-working tax payers who pay for permits to do business, they  help stimulate the local economy. Ask the Charlotte City Council to ammend the ordinance and allow these hard-working valuable members of our community to go back to work.

            WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED MESSAGE

                                  Watch the CNN report on Charlotte mobile food vendors at: 

                          http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/06/09/food.trucks.fight.cnn