Who knew that food truck owners in the Big Apple had it so bad? A recent article written by Adam Davidson for the New York Times sheds some light on the struggles involved in operating a food truck in what is generally known (by those of us who eat from them at least) as a pretty good food truck city. The big issue for food trucks, it seems, are the numerous (and sometimes conflicting) regulations required by various local departments and the inconsistency in which they are applied. From the article:

According to City Councilman Dan Garodnick, it’s nearly impossible (even if you fill out the right paperwork) to operate a truck without breaking some law. Trucks can’t sell food if they’re parked in a metered space . . . or if they’re within 200 feet of a school . . . or within 500 feet of a public market . . . and so on.

One truck operator, Thomas DeGeest of Wafels & Dinges, says enforcement is eratic and varies by neighbourhood. From the article:

Trucks in Chelsea are rarely bothered….In Midtown South…the N.Y.P.D. has a dedicated team of vendor-busting cops. “One month, we get no tickets,” DeGeest told me. “The next month, we get tickets every day.” DeGeest had two trucks and five carts when he decided he couldn’t keep investing in a business that was so vulnerable to overzealous cops or city bureaucracy.

The article has 85 comments and counting. Give it a read here. It might actually make you feel better about the state of food truck regulations in Toronto.