Meeting on Monday* to disallow food trucks to lawfully park in all public areas.

Source: Facebook post in the ABQ Food Group, Albuquerque, NM.

https://www.facebook.com/abqfoodtrucks

Recent Posts By Others in group.

Adrian Carver
A few months ago, I was elected to the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association Board. I’ve been going to the meetings and an issue popped up about the food trucks outside of tractor that concerns me. I thought you might be interested in hearing what’s going on.

Some of the board members and members of the Nob Hill Main Street board have been seeking to change zoning laws regarding street food vendors. Some feel that the trucks are not conducive to commerce in Nob Hill-that they block brick and mortar businesses and are taking away from existing food vendors.

I contest many of these assertions, and I believe that you might have a vested interest in the continued presence of the food trucks. I’ve pasted below (in blue) the city ordinance they are seeking to change, which would disallow food vendors from parking in front of businesses, requiring them to park in front of parking lots.

I invite everyone to attend an important meeting regarding the sector plan this Monday at 6pm. It will most likely happen at Build New Mexico*
Like · · 16 hours ago near Albuquerque

ABQ Food Trucks

Thank you for the heads up Adrian. We will try to have several representatives there to plead our case. Are they trying to have zoning changed city wide? Or just in Nob Hill?
15 hours ago · Like

Status Update
By ABQ Food Trucks

Some talking points for the meeting on Monday to disallow food trucks to lawfully park in all public areas………….. The best businesses maintain their ability to charge higher prices because their products/services are better, not because of laws stifling others from entering the marketplace to compete.

We should and do pay taxes. We have the same safety inspections that restaurants have. The food trucks have the same expensive exhaust hood and fire safety system as a restaurant. They have the same 3 compartment sink. All of the equipment was purchased from the same local restaurant supply store that many local restaurants use.

Food trucks, however, are not able to provide the same experience as a traditional restaurant. We have no seating, therefore, cannot create the same ambiance and are much more weather dependent. We are not allowed to serve alcohol. I personally have never gone to a restaurant, coffee shop or store only because it had the lowest price. Would convenience stores be so omni-present if we only valued price? Price is what you pay, value is what you get.

To restaurant owners who say food trucks are taking their customers: If your customers leave only because a food truck offers lower prices, then they were never your customers in the first place.

Customers are not the property of any one business; they cannot be stolen — but they can be won.

You talk about those awful noisy generators…do you understand how much greener food trucks are compared to restaurants? How much electricity, water and gas does a restaurant use on any given day? I can assure you it is much more than any truck in this city.

If your food, service, or prices are so mediocre that you can’t tempt customers away with your wider selection of ingredients, air conditioning, shade, bathrooms, comfortable seating, or whatever, then you probably deserve to loose to the local food trucks.

Plenty of restaurants downtown are maintaining or increasing their customer base, because they simply provide a better product. But if your product isn’t good enough, then losing business is exactly what you’d expect with greater competition — whether it was mobile or not.

By banning food trucks from public parking locations you are not only infringing on the rights of the law abiding food truck owner, but you are depriving the average citizen of choices and therefore creating a monopoly that will only drive food prices higher. Something that the general populace can not afford at this time.

ABQ Food Trucks

To show your support for all the food trucks you can email the Nob Hill Main Street board nobhillabqmainstreet@gmail.com or call all the members on the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association board Marty Ennis, Treasurer, 265-3266
Susan Michie, 399-4410
Marshall Mourar, 717-1400
Greg Weirs, Secretary, 265-9995
Terms ending September 2014:

Anne Acuff, 265-0231
Adrian Carver, 615-0879
Sofia Eleftheriou,
440-4258
Ron Halbgewachs, 268-1584
Beverly Hill, 255-8867
Jim Pinkston, 268-4424
Lainie Quirk, 263-8292
Tymn Waters, Vice-President, 235-4299

Stacy Kissam Ugh. What constant meddlers.
15 hours ago via mobile · Like · 2

ABQ Food Trucks Yes, this will in effect put almost all food trucks out of business! Never again will you be able to walk out of your favorite brew pub and grab some great street food. If you’ve ever had a delectable treat while at work from a truck that makes a circuit, that will come to a halt. Trucks that bring affordable convenient food to downtown workers or those in the heights will be forced to stop their operation. Unless of course there is a parking lot that has a space in front of it for them to set up. And that of course is only if that parking lot does not have a business near it.
15 hours ago · Like
Melissa Renteria Why are people so opposed to any creative business ideas in this town?
14 hours ago via mobile · Like
Kristin Satterlee That’s awful. I will try to be there.
14 hours ago via mobile · Like
Maribell Simbana Have you researched and prepared notes on how other municipalities have addressed this? I’m frankly very surprised that MainStreet would be so unsupportive of food trucks & working collaboratively. The activity of food trucks actually attracts shoppers to businesses.
14 hours ago · Like

It is still one of my favorite veggie places. Jane and I ate there again last Tuesday. Gluten-free veggie pizza, naturally. Good green chiles and excellent eggplant.

I prefer this ; location over the UNM one. And it’s close to home.

Rey.