Mido’s Halal Food Truck (Mido's) has nourished and enlivened our Hell's Kitchen community, serving neighborhood residents, students, hospital staff, commuters, and other patrons for the past 6-7 years. Mido's has provided affordable, culturally diverse, and fully-certified halal meals, especially through the pandemic, often when no other quick, healthy, or budget-friendly options are available late at night.

A group of nearby residents is petitioning for the truck to be relocated, claiming “quality of life” concerns and offering no alternative site. Yet, Mido's (1) holds a valid NYC permit to operate in its current location, (2) has always operated in full compliance with city and state local regulations, and (3) is willing to work collaboratively with concerned residents to address any issues.

If you support diverse small businesses like Mido's and would like to keep Mido's in its current location, please add your name below. Your signature shows the Council Member that the wider community supports keeping Mido’s right where it is.

Sign the petition today to keep Mido’s Halal Food Truck in its current location (northeast corner of 58th Street & 9th Avenue).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Petition to the Honorable Council Member Gale Brewer

We, the undersigned residents, workers, students, patients, and patrons of Mido's respectfully submit this petition in support of allowing Mido’s Halal Food Truck (Mido’s) to continue operating at its current curbside location at the northeast corner of 58th Street and 9th Avenue, where it has served the public continuously for the past 6-7 years.

Mido’s has become an indispensable part of our neighborhood fabric. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the truck remained open when many brick-and-mortar establishments had closed, ensuring that essential hospital personnel and frontline workers had access to affordable and nutritious meals. Its diverse and certified halal menu fills a culinary and cultural gap in the surrounding area and reflects the unique character of our community. Generations of local students, employees, and families rely on Mido’s at its current location for convenient, budget-conscious food; this is especially important given rising costs of living in NYC and the ongoing need for quick dining options in proximity to the hospital, schools, and transit hubs.

We are aware of a separate petition by nearby residents of the Coliseum apartments, requesting that Mido’s be relocated on the ground that its presence purportedly affects “quality of life." The Coliseum petition contains inaccurate claims, including that the truck is illegally parked at the location 24/7, when in fact, Mido's has a valid permit issued by NYC for its current site and its hours of operation are 10am-4am. The Coliseum petition neither suggests any alternative site nor offers any substantive evidence of violations or nuisances behind the "quality of life" claims. Most importantly, the concerned residents have not reached out to Mido's to have a constructive dialogue to address any issues and have not gone through any other public process.

By contrast, (1) Mido’s holds a valid NYC permit to operate at its current location on the northeast corner of 58th Street and 9th Avenue, (2) the owner and staff have maintained a positive relationship with local residents, customers, and nearby businesses and expressed a desire to work collaboratively with Coliseum residents on any issues, and (3) the business has been in full compliance with applicable laws and permit requirements.

For these reasons, we hereby urge the Council Member and all relevant city agencies to:

1. Deny any request to relocate Mido’s from its current location (northeast corner of 58th Street & 9th Avenue) which is authorized by a valid NYC permit; and
2. Facilitate an open dialogue among the Mido's owner, concerned Coliseum residents, community members, and relevant local agencies to address any bona fide issues in a collaborative and constructive manner, thereby preserving both neighborhood harmony and the longstanding public benefit that Mido’s provides and respecting local agency authority and the public process.

By signing below, we affirm that Mido’s enhances, rather than diminishes, our collective quality of life and that its continued presence at the existing site is in the best interests of the wider community.

Respectfully submitted,