City decides on distance food trucks should be from restaurants
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The ongoing food fight between restaurants and food trucks may have come to a cease-fire; at least for now. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The ongoing food fight between restaurants and food trucks may have come to a cease-fire; at least for now.
The City of Las Vegas passed a bill that will keep food trucks and restaurants some distance away from each other.
It took months to get to this decision. There was opposition from both sides and even some council members who feared government was trying to regulate competition.
Pablo Silva runs El Gaucho Luca's Cafe on 3rd and Bridger. He's owned the restaurant for about a year, but this new business owner says a food truck is poaching his customers.
"This is our restaurant, and right here is the parking lot where they park between the cars, over there in the back, sometimes in the front, and they do it right by the street," says Silva.
Silva joins several other restaurants who have come to push back against the popular food trucks showing up all over the valley.
Upset, several owners went to the City of Las Vegas for help. Leaders agreed to act as a mediator, and after several months of back and forth, a bill regulating food trucks was passed by the city council. Food trucks are now required to be 150 feet from the front door of a restaurant during their business hours; unless the owners agree to the trucks on property.
"At this point we're happy with only 150 feet. That's kind of doable, but if you look at a proximity map like they showed at the last agenda you'll see that all the main streets of Fremont and some of the side streets are now off limits," says Tom Dennis, owner of The Redneck Kitchen food truck.
Food truck owners are concerned this will affect the way they do business in surrounding cities and the county.
"I just don't want to see this start a snowball effect and everyone else pick up the same idea," says Dennis.
"Of course we all have enjoyed food from food trucks, it's just we don't want them in the same are as we are," says Silva.
That bill is now in effect...And only pertains to trucks during restaurant business hours. They are allowed near restaurants if the property owner allows it...And or during special events.
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