It is no secret that the food truck scene has hit Southern California hard. Long Beach is no exception, but with some of the regulations in the city, the food truck scene is being pushed away.
"I love food trucks, I have to go out to Hollywood or near LAX to get my fix!" shares Mayra H. "Why aren't there food trucks in Long Beach? I know that they would be popular here."
The truth is that some food trucks look forward to their visits to Long Beach, While speaking to a popular food truck named Don Chow, they said "We enjoy working with LB. The crowds are very welcoming & receptive to food trucks. We definitely look forward to our LB stops!" The Long Beach Food Truck Festival was full of people who enjoy the gourmet food coming from the side of a truck. So with all of the demand for having food trucks and the obvious popularity, the question remains; why are there no food trucks in Long Beach?
The City of Long Beach requires departmental reviews and inspections for certain businesses, meaning they could choose to make standards higher than those in LA for food trucks. The licence is not transferable which means that if you move your business location, you would have to apply for a new permit; we can all see the drawbacks in that. On top of that, if you wish to open up a business in certain parts of town, you might need to deal with a Business Association District which means more fees to pay. Food trucks are allowed at special events, but in order to get a permit for that, an employee has to go through "training" on the proper requirements the food truck might have to meet. These strict guidelines and many more make it clear to see why some food trucks do not feel welcome by the city.
@wafflesdeliege posted a tweet a few weeks ago that read, "If there is any city that hates non-special event food trucks more than Westminster, it's Long Beach." And when asking a group of food trucks that goes by this question, "I heard it is hard for food trucks to post up in Long Beach, whats the deal with that?" I got a tweet saying "Its the city's regulations that makes it hard for food trucks or catering companies to do business. Ban Long Beach!"
Local business owners don't seem to think it would make much of a difference if the city allowed food trucks or not. Jeannie, a manager at Bake n Broil, simply said, "I don't think it would make much of a difference," when asked how allowing food trucks would affect business.
What is your take on the food truck industry in Long Beach? Do you think the city is being fair or do you think there are a bit too many regulations in place? Have you ever visited a food truck?
562CityLife is in part funded by a Long Beach Community Foundation Connected Corridor grant supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Transformation Initiative.
You need to be a member of 562 City Life to add comments!
Join 562 City Life