Sorry guys, food trucks will not be coming to Palm Desert.
The City Council voted to “relax” some of their insane regulations against food trucks on Thursday night – but, the new rules still offer entrepreneurs no opportunity to survive economically in the city by operating a food truck.
While other cities have opened their communities to food trucks (even Landers of all places), Palm Desert has created a “food truck subcommittee” (really, a subcommittee was needed on this?). The council’s updated ordinance will allow food trucks to set up in the Cook Street and Dinah Shore industrial areas, Civic Center Park, and the Cal State / UCR on Cook Street – but not near Westfield mall, Highway 111, or El Paseo. Trucks can operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Trucks, of course, will never survive over the long term (or even over just a couple of days) in these areas, as there is just very little foot traffic – which is vital to any food truck’s survival.
So, food trucks simply won’t come to the Desert.
San Bernardino learned this last year. Looking to revitalize its downtown area, the city began trying to attract food trucks. Even with 8,000 workers populating the area every weekday (an area with very few restaurants to compete with the trucks), officials had a very difficult time getting any trucks to come. Via Press Enterprise:
Most are based in Los Angeles and Orange counties and face fewer restrictions in those areas than in the Inland Empire, where vendors weren’t allowed until a few years ago.
[City spokeswoman Monica] Lagos went through a long list of vendors and was rejected by 63 different operators. Many were hesitant because they weren’t sure if they’d get enough sales to make the drive worthwhile, she said.
Food trucks did not want to go to San Bernardino – and this was with the city embracing and even calling them. You think Palm Desert’s city council will be on the phone inviting The Grilled Cheese Truck or Grill ‘Em All to come to town?
Luckily, San Bernardino was eventually able to attract a small group of trucks to their Third Thursdays Food Fest – and the event has grown over the past year (to about 2,500 people attending). It has now reached the point that city leaders believe that the food trucks may lead to more brick and mortar restaurants downtown:
Mayor Carey Davis compared it to an outdoor food mall for the lunch-time crowd. He hopes the event’s success will draw more restaurants to the area.
“I think they can see there really is opportunity,” Davis said.
And while San Bernardino worked hard to develop a working relationship with the food truck industry, it does not appear Palm Desert is even trying.
“So there is an opportunity to see if this works; if there is an interest in Palm Desert by the food truck industry and how people deal with it,” Councilman Sabby Jonathan told The Desert Sun.
If you say so, councilman.
The world has changed and Palm Desert refuses to change with it. In other communities, restaurants are not only for having food trucks in their cities – but they are even launching their own. Nearly 1 in 5 fast casual restaurants say they are very or somewhat likely to launch one in the next year or two, according to National Restaurant Association research.
But do not tell that to councilman Van Tanner. He told The Desert Sun that he opposed the businesses, “I am concerned about food trucks and their competition with local restaurants.”
These people just do not get it – and because of that, you will never see food trucks in Palm Desert.
