Food trucks likely to be allowed on public property in downtown Rochester

It's taken months to figure out, but Rochester is on the brink of allowing food trucks onto public property downtown.

Their arrival will end months of behind-the-scenes wrangling that began last summer when city officials kicked a food truck off a church parking lot a week after it opened — city ordinances banned it from public property.

A draft ordinance expected to be addressed at the City Council's May 2 meeting would allow food trucks onto public property downtown within approved zones. Outside of downtown, the trucks would have to respect a 150-foot buffer zone around established restaurants.

The City Council twice this month reviewed the draft ordinance before electing to kick the issue into its next meeting.

Council Member Michael Wojcik said this summer's plan will likely be a pilot, one the city can revisit in the fall. Most of his constituents want to see the food trucks roll into town, he said.

The ordinance isn't perfect, said Wojcik, who added that he's a friend of two people who operate mobile food businesses in Rochester.

The Council has suggested a 1 a.m. closing time for food trucks, after the police chief said he would have to pay more officers overtime if the trucks stayed open later.

The city will likely charge a franchise fee that, combined with the necessary license, costs as much as $1,500 annually, almost twice the cost of the $818 that Minneapolis charges.

Rochester's struggles are typical of other cities where food trucks are becoming popular.

Jess Jenkins, executive director of the Minnesota Food Truck Association (MFTA), said she plans a statewide push this summer to spread the word about food trucks beyond the Twin Cities. The industry has grown through consumer demand, she said.

Even then, it's not always enough to overcome municipal resistance.

Office workers in Bloomington frequently e-mail her organization asking for food trucks to park near their offices at lunchtime, but the city's restrictions make it difficult, said Jenkins.

"If a food truck doesn't feel like they're going to make any money, they're not going to go," she said. The Twin Cities is home to about 85 food trucks, Jenkins said.

Regulation of the trucks is all over the board, according to John Levy, an attorney and president of the MFTA. "Everybody's resistant to change," said Levy. "It can be different for different cities."

In many cases, a city council will say it has a concern about the food trucks, but the underlying fear is about creating competition with local restaurants. Levy said he works with cities to help them address concerns without unduly restricting food trucks' operations.

The industry is still relatively new and hasn't moved much beyond large population centers, often because there are not enough people in smaller towns to make it worthwhile.

The MFTA spoke to the Osseo Planning Commission last fall when its members asked about best practices for food trucks. The Jordan Planning Commission took up the question this month after a citizen asked to start a BBQ truck.

Rochester's food truck ordinance first got attention last summer when the local restaurant BB's Pizzaria opened a food truck on a church parking lot. A competitor complained, and officials deemed the truck illegal after declaring it was on public property.

Annie Henderson of Rochester's Forager Brewery organized an event in response, drawing about 400 people to the Kutzky Market parking lot to sample from eight food trucks.

"There should be as little regulations as possible," said Henderson. "We would love to have the food trucks in Rochester," she said, adding that 35,000 people work downtown.

Matt McKinney • @_mattmckinney • 612-673-7329