Strong oversight of food trucks in 'burbs

BY: Danielle Lynch

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – In order to establish a food truck in West Chester, there are several rules and regulations an individual must follow, according to the borough’s ordinances.

First, food truck owners need to fill out an application for a seller’s license with the borough. On the application, the owners must include their home address, name of their organization or company, hours of operation, vehicle information, driver’s license number, insurance card number and indicate whether they’ve been convicted of any crime other than a minor traffic violation.

“A license will not be issued to any person who has been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor or a crime of any kind involving moral turpitude, and such person shall not be allowed to engage in canvassing and soliciting in the borough,” states the borough’s peddling and soliciting ordinance.

The owners need to have a Pennsylvania tax identification number and must also include their food vendor’s license number, which is available through Chester County.

Once the application is complete, the owners must write a $100 check to the borough and provide two photos of themselves – taken within six months of the application date, according to borough’s procedure for seller’s licenses.

“Each person that is selling needs a license,” states a copy of the borough’s procedure. “So if there are four people on the hot dog truck each one needs a license.”

Food trucks are permitted in the Town Center Zoning District of the borough. If food truck owners want to set up on private property, they have to get permission from the property owner. Otherwise, food truck owners have the right to set up in public areas as long as it’s not in the right of way, according to borough documents.

“Private groups, such as the Recreation Department and the Chamber of Commerce have control of the vending during their events and can license them accordingly,” borough documents say. “For example, during the Halloween Parade, which is after 7 p.m., vending can take place in the area of the special event only with the approval of the Recreation Department.” 

If approved by borough officials, an application for a food truck is valid for one year. Food truck owners are not allowed to change the category of goods sold while the application is in effect, according to the borough’s ordinance.

The borough manager, Ernie McNeely, has the right to suspend a food truck license if an owner does not comply with standards of conduct and other responsibilities, according to the borough’s ordinance. Some of those responsibilities include carrying a seller’s license at all times; not entering private property without permission; and misrepresenting himself or herself to the public.

Food truck owners, however, have the right to appeal a license suspension. The owners must request an appeal hearing with Borough Council, who can then reinstate the license; affirm the revocation of the license; or affirm or modify the suspension for up to five years.

Some people are not required to get a seller’s license in the borough, including farmers selling their own produce. Exemptions also apply to people who are selling goods and merchandise donated by an owner with the end result being a charitable donation, according to the borough ordinance.

People who are licensed by the state to engage in solicitation, such as real estate brokers, insurance brokers, and securities brokers, are also exempt from borough licenses.

In addition, the ordinance and application does not apply to political campaign workers. And it does not apply to individuals under the age of 16 who may be taking orders for newspaper deliveries, candy or Girl Scout cookies.

Lastly, food truck owners are responsible for trash removal and cleanup within 15 feet of their stand, according to the borough ordinance. If needed, the owners must also wash the sidewalk area near the stand.

Danielle can be reached at dmlynch07@gmail.com

Food trucks in the 'burbs

BY: Danielle Lynch

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Rick VanNewkirk stumbled across the food truck business by accident.

“My brother-in-law wanted to invest in something and decided on food trucks,” said VanNewkirk, the owner of Curbies Catering Carts, Inc. “He financed (the truck), and I said I’ll try it.”

VanNewkirk, a Boothwyn, Delaware County resident, said the food truck has been in West Chester for the past three years. For 25 years he had worked for a heating and air conditioning business and bought the food truck from his brother-in-law last year.

VanNewkirk said his truck, located on South Church Street between University and Rosedale avenues, is open for business during the school year. During the summer months, he does construction and excavating work.

“I like the social aspect,” VanNewkirk said of his food truck work. “I get to know a lot of people and become friends with them. I’ve met people on campus from all around the world – it’s really interesting.”

VanNewkirk said he enjoys seeing people’s reactions when they purchase his food, such as the cheese fries. He said his specialty dish is breakfast because customers can purchase it at any time of the day. “I like to see [the customers’] smiling faces,” he said.

Curbies is open from 7:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 to 2 p.m. on Friday during the school year. His wife, Kathy, stops by to help out during the busy hours of the day, which is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

VanNewkirk said it’s not difficult to work in a tiny space. The most difficult thing, he said, is working during the winter months because he has to keep the food warm.

Josh Taylor, a West Chester University student, said he enjoys buying food from Curbies. He said the food truck reminds him of a diner because he gets “food with a personal touch.”

“I like it because I can get a good cup of regular coffee,” he said. “They give me good food.”

After getting his order, Taylor thanked VanNewkirk and told him he’d stop by again soon.

Across the street at Alexander’s Lunch Box, the owner, Arife Yilmaz, said she enjoys interacting with her customers. Yilmaz, an Upper Darby native who was born in Turkey, has owned the food truck for about two years.

Yilmaz said the food truck has been in West Chester for about 20 years; she took it over when the former owner moved to Texas. Similar to VanNewkirk, Yilmaz said she wasn’t bothered by the small working space, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The interior is “suitable for two people,” said Samantha Biguers, a West Chester University student and employee at Alexander’s Lunch Box. “It’s not that bad.”

Near Alexander’s Lunch Truck is a coffee truck known as Grateful Beans.  The truck has been in West Chester for about 14 years and is affiliated with Fennario Coffee & Tobacco shop, located in the 100 block of North Church Street in town.

"We’re definitely not like Starbucks,” said Brendan Greene, one of the employees at Grateful Beans. “Our coffee is sold at fair-trade which separates us from Starbucks.”

Greene, a West Chester resident, said the majority of the organic coffee at his truck is from Mexico. The truck also sells Colombian, Brazilian and Guatemalan blends. It’s open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The truck offers a lot of specialty espresso drinks and also sells muffins and other baked goods.  

Similar to the owners and employees at the other food trucks in town, Greene said he wasn’t bothered by the tiny workplace. The downside, he said, is working in cold weather.

“It’s easier to work in a small space,” he said. “It’s easy to keep clean. It’s so nice and small and we love our customers.”

Danielle can be reached at dmlynch07@gmail.com

The American dream ... on wheels

BY: Denise Clay

Even if you walk away from the pink truck that houses Denise’s Caribbean Soul Food, you can’t get away from the smell.

Take Denise Severe. She started selling platters of her trademark dishes – including fried fish, oxtails, jerk chicken and collard greens – from her Philadelphia home when she first arrived here from Haiti. The food was such a hit with those who came to her home for weekly dinners that she decided to take the show on the road.

“I bought my first food truck in 1996,” she said. “I have two now.”

She’s not alone. At a time when Americans are willing to try any type of food at least once, immigrants looking for a way to make their mark in their new home are taking a variety of foods – including sushi, lo mien, curried chicken and quesadillas – to the streets to satisfy that need.

Some, like Dien Vinh, owner of Tommy’s Food Truck on Temple University’s main campus, are even adding their spin to American food to try and get consumers to see it in a different way. Vinh, a native of Vietnam, decided to take a chance on feeding the university’s students through the help of a friend.

“A friend of mine sold me this truck,” he said. “It had been here for a long time and we do well here, especially at breakfast.”

People like Severe and Vinh are part of a growing trend, according to Future of Small Business, a report released by Intuit Inc. and the Institute of the Future. Immigrants make up the fastest growing segment of small business owners, according to the report, and immigrants will make up a sizable portion of the small business base by 2017.

According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, small business startup rates are higher among the 36 million immigrants in the United States than they are among the native-born. Immigrant women like Severe are 57 percent more likely to start a business than native-women, and immigrant men, like Vinh, are 71 percent more likely to do so, said Robert Fairlie, an economist who produces the Kauffman Index.

Part of that willingness to take a chance on creating a business on the part of the immigrant community comes from the barriers that meet them when searching for a job. Language, skill sets, and other things sometimes cause immigrants to forge their own path, according to the report.

But once these immigrants figure things out and start a business like a food truck, it not only helps the immigrants’ community, but it also helps the nation’s economy, said Steven King of the Institute for the Future.

“Because immigrants can easily navigate “soft trade barriers” – culture, language, unusual rules or ways of doing things overseas – they increase trade and foreign investment in the United States,” he said.


Denise can be reached at nuttyprofessor64@gmail.com

Staying healthy, even at a food truck

BY: Natalia Chiarelli

It’s noon in West Philadelphia, and students and medical employees are hungry. For more than a few, that hunger will be quelled by a quick purchase from a local food cart.

But with that speediness comes a tradeoff. Anyone who’s eaten from a food truck can attest that the food overwhelmingly leans toward the unhealthy and fattening variety.   

And despite the variety of healthy food trucks that seem to be pervading the scene in Philadelphia, it can still be challenging to make nutritious choices. 

“We’re conditioned through human history to prefer those sort of really palatable foods,” said Nicole Patience, a clinical dietician at Temple University’s Student Health Services. “The things that are more calorie-dense, in caveman days they were the things that were more highly prized.”

Balancing this genetically driven urge for high calorie food with the limited budget and time many professionals and students have can lead to the dreaded “freshman fifteen,” for example, or a diet lacking in nutrition. 

“Access to very cheap, high calorie food is so easy. It’s just so abundant,” Patience said. “It can be hard for us to moderate what we eat when it’s all around us all the time.”

It’s particularly hard for students, many of whom have become responsible for their diets for the first time in their lives.

“It’s so tempting, alluring to just ‘quick grab-and-go, and my belly is full,’” she said. “Just because the belly is full doesn’t mean that our nutrition needs are met.”

That’s why the Temple Student Health Services offers tips, information and support to those concerned about their nutrition.

There are several useful ways to curb irrational, impulsive food choices at your favorite truck.

“A good way to stick to what you wanted is to pre-order so you’re not standing there smelling all that great food,” said Patience. “A lot of the trucks have healthy options, but when you smell the french fries wafting out, that impulse when we’re hungry.”

The healthy options may not be as limited as some hungry customers may think, either.

“There are some wonderful soups from the Asian or Vietnamese,” said Patience.  “The Korean Truck has the teppanyaki, even a piece of pizza with vegetable toppings.” 

For some, food trucks end up having a positive influence in people’s lives. Look no further than the many fresh fruit and smoothie trucks in front of the Temple Hospital on Broad Street.

“I probably would not eat nearly as much fruit if I didn’t have the habit of coming here,” said Noelle Palmira, 36. “I don’t have the time to cut and wash the fruit, and when I do buy it at home it ends up going bad.”

For Palmira, eating healthy is easier with a strawberry and banana smoothie from Liem Nguyen.

For the last 15 years, Nguyen has operated Liem's Fruit Salad Truck on N. Broad Street and W. Allegheny Avenue. Unlike other truck owners who rely on greasy foods for sales, Nguyen takes pride in his decision to keep his fare nutritious.

“I keep them healthy,” Nguyen said.

Natalia can be reached at natachiarelli@aol.com

Food truck permits - keeping it legal

BY: Denamarie Ercolani

Food trucks are hotter than ever in Philadelphia, but the city has rules to keep expansion in check. Owners of food trucks in the city are limited to certain areas and districts depending on which permit(s) they obtain.

Meanwhile other cities, such as New York, have experienced turmoil within their food truck movement. There are over 5,000 mobile food vendors in New York City. These vendors are free to roam the city unlike Philadelphia.

Though trucks are a small business, they require a significant investment. Costs include the truck, permit acquisition, supplies, security and insurance.

Food truck experience is longer a prerequisite for success in the food truck business. Restaurant owners, such as Jose Garces, are seeking an extra boost in revenue and sales without having to pay a high monthly rent. Although overhead is lower, the permits needed to legally operate a food truck are pricy to get and tedious to obtain.

In the city of Philadelphia, a food truck is required to have:

1)         Motor Vehicle Vendor License, $300,

2)         Non-Permanent Food License, $150

3)         Business Privilege License, $300.

To speed up the permit process, the food truck vendor can obtain a Business Tax Account number. If this number is presented, the vendor can secure a Motor Vehicle Vendor and Business Privilege Licenses on the same day according to the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I).

The Motor Vehicle Vendor Licenses expires at the end of December each year. The Non-Permanent Food License also expires annually during the month of April. The Business Privilege does not expire; however, the Department of Public Health must inspect and approve the truck prior to the vendor receiving certification.
 

(Clip deals with with permit issues in Ohio)

Inspectors determine whether a vendor has met standards stipulated in a 13-page document of code of the Mobile Food Vending Unit-Plan Submission Guide.

According to the Department of Public Health, the guidelines for mobile food vendors regulate the size of trucks, as well as the food preparation surfaces, sinks, freezers, and cookers.

Prior to construction and fabrication of the truck, all new mobile food vending units are required to have properly prepared plans drawn to scale submitted and approved by the Office of Food Protection. 

A Food Establishment Self-Inspection Checklist is provided in which owners have to self-inspect their trucks for rodent infestation, food contamination and maintain sanitary utensils and cooking equipment. They also have to monitor employee hygiene, such as the washing of hands, pulled back hair, etc. 

All food handling requires that an individual within a valid City of Philadelphia Food Establishment Personnel Food Safety Certificate be present during vending unit operation.

Maura Kennedy, director of strategic initiatives at the Department of Licenses and Inspections explained that they do not write the vending code, they just enforce these regulations set by City Council.

Within the city, there are certain areas where vendors are allowed to park their trucks while a permit and fee are needed in others.

“We have special vending districts within the city, but the only one that permits truck vending is University City. The fee for a motor vehicle truck in this area is $2,750 a year and it expires in December. Otherwise, if they are not vending in this area, they can set up on a street that is not on the Prohibited Streets List as long as they abide by the traffic regulations concerning parking,” said Kennedy.

Unlike New York City, Philadelphia has approximately 250 licensed food trucks according to the department of licenses and inspections records.

There is no limit to the number of operating food trucks in the city, but in University City, only 75 truck vendors are permitted.

Although Philadelphia requires vendors to obtain permits that only allow them to park and operate in certain areas, food truck entrepreneurs want to be able to roam the city. The city is weary on what tension and hostility the ability to roam could cause.

Denamarie can be reached at tud11959@temple.edu