...and Obamno and the Dumbocraps wonder why no one is creating jobs - $400/month to JC for what??????? What is JC gov't doing for those food vendors? What about a criminal background check for those working in a bricks & mortar establishment - or better yet a criminal background check for those "working" in City Hall?

Enough REGULATION already!!!!

New regulations for Jersey City food trucks and carts given initial OK by City Council

Updated: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 8:26 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City Councilman Bill Gaughan expressed concern tonight over new regulations for food trucks and carts. The proposal was given an initial OK by the entire council.

A new law that revises Jersey City regulations on portable food vendors received initial approval from the City Council tonight, though not without some objection from brick-and-mortar restaurant owners.

The new regulations, which were set for approval in May but scuttled after food-truck operators and other itinerant vendors said it would put them out of business, would require the vendors to undergo criminal-background checks, keep from being stationery for more than two hours unless they pay a $400 monthly fee and remain 200 feet from any permanent eatery.

The ordinance received initial approval from the entire nine-member council, but there were objections to one of the provisions. Councilman Bill Gaughan said the $400 fee is too low.

?That seems to be quite a bargain, in my estimation, to give someone an opportunity to do business from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day,? Gaughan said tonight. ?There?s something wrong there.?

Owners of brick-and-mortar restaurants also object, according to Tony Kaszuba, a consultant who told the council he represents a number of Downtown eateries. The owners of those establishments pay the city well over $400 monthly to operate, Kaszuba said.

?$400 for a spot that they could easily do $2,000 a day in business is really cheap,? he said, adding that too many food trucks parked in one area steal business from permanent restaurants.

The new regulations need another round of approval from the council before it can be adopted.

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And thankfully I never ate fron a food truck...except non perishable packaged items.

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Ugh, barf! Don't remind me about that! Thankfully I never ate from that truck.

Just a shout and thumbs up for Lucinda's Creperie. They do some of the best crepes outside of France (and Madame Claudes).

These are not the roach-coaches of the past. These are real small business owners that take a pride in the quality of their product. They are competing with the McDonalds, and other fast-food, big corporate chains. They deserve our thanks and support.

I think a lot of people got the wrong idea about food trucks after that Indian truck was caught storing their food in busted refrigerators with mouse droppings and cockroaches and junk like that, about a year and a half ago.

Given the amount of enthusiasm for your food truck, would you/are you considering opening a restaurant in the downtown Jersey City area?

To some of the points raised here by articles and comments - our truck, and many trucks, have the same exact professional equipment as restaurants. We have two Bev-Air Commercial Grade Refrigerators that are the same as what goes into a brick and mortar. We check the temp constantly and they are workhorses.

The other cooking equipment in the truck is also the same commercial grade stuff that we would put into a store when we open one.

We also have a three basin sink for suds, rinse and sanitizer. Every dish that is washed also gets sanitized. We also have a handwash sink. And we go through 2 boxes of gloves per day. We change gloves like crazy. We know a lot of trucks that practice the same kind of sanitary techniques. I can say that I go to stores that don't use gloves enough or at all. There is no rule that says a truck is less sanitary than a store or vice versa. These new trucks are the equivalent of a small restaurant kitchen on wheels.

dont know how well it works yet, but I hope food trucks are here to stay!

http://foodtrucks.zagat.com/

Vendy Awards

Best of NJ Finalists:

The Cinnamon Snail
Two Pitas in a Pod
The Taco Truck

http://streetvendor.org/vendys/finalists-nj

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The Vendy Awards branched out in 2011 and added a new category for the Best of New Jersey, with some great new food trucks having opened across the Hudson River in Hoboken and Jersey City. The Taco Truck took home the award for its mouth-watering plates of tacos al pastor (adobo pork and pineapple), pescado (breaded catfish tacos) and elotes (corn on the cob with mayo, cojita cheese and chili powder).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011 ... new-york-best-street-food

Food trucks go ?gourmet?
It?s not your father?s hotdog stand

by E. Assata Wright
Reporter staff writer
May 15, 2011

Anyone looking for a quick hotdog at lunchtime would be hard-pressed to find one near the Grove Street PATH Station. Not that the area doesn?t have its fair share of food trucks that cater to the office and after-work crowds in the afternoons and evenings. It does. At least four food trucks can be found within a three block radius from the train station.

But increasingly these restaurants on wheels offer menu options that have more in common with the annual Taste of Jersey City event than a major league baseball stadium.
_____________

?The food here is cheap and it?s delicious.? ? Suzanne Nile
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Within steps of the PATH entrance, hungry residents and commuters can select from an array of fast dining options that includes Lucinda Creperie, The Krave (which serves up traditional Korean barbeque), and Taste of India. The area used to include a truck that featured Mexican cuisine, and another Indian food truck that sometimes parks over by the Pavonia-Newport PATH Station, a neighborhood that also includes a more traditional hotdog stand.

?Opening up a lot of eyes?

According to Krave co-owner Charles Heo, the food truck industry has been diversifying over the last several years, and the trend may have begun on the West Coast.

?A couple years ago there was a huge phenomenon in California, where there were a lot of barbeque taco trucks. So, my business partner and I thought it would be a cool idea to bring it over to the East Coast.?

Drawing on their Korean heritage, they decided to introduce the wider public to a type of food that may be less familiar to many than Chinese and Thai fare.

?We use our mothers? Korean barbeque recipes and it?s been pretty successful so far,? Heo said, adding that the Krave got rolling in the summer of 2009. ?We?re definitely opening up a lot of eyes. A lot of people don?t really know what Korean food is. So we?re introducing it through this food truck.?

The Krave?s taco sampler and the barbeque rice platter are, according to Heo, the two most popular items on the menu.

Like many of the other nearby food trucks, the Krave crew splits their time between the Grove Street PATH neighborhood and the Harborside Financial Center area for lunch and dinner hours.

The foodies like ?em

Based on the steady stream of customers who step up to order samosas or fruit-filled crepes, it appears that residents and commuters alike appreciate the inexpensive and diverse food options available to them.

?It?s good. I stop by once or twice a week when I have to work late,? said Krave customer Gloria Wu, who lives in Brooklyn but works in one of the office buildings in downtown Jersey City. ?I can get a really good dinner here for, like, six bucks. It?s healthier than fast food, but it?s quick. And it?s as cheap as going around the corner to Subway, which I also do sometimes?But I like the idea of supporting a small independent business like this, and it?s cool to have ?hotdog stands? that aren?t actually selling hotdogs.?

Wu said she also sometimes eats at Lucinda Creperie, parked a block away from the Krave.

?The food here is really good,? testified resident Dan Bishop, who described himself as a ?regular? at Taste of India. ?I go to a lot of really great Indian restaurants in New York. I?m not going to say the food here is that good. But for the money you pay, you definitely get your money?s worth. And it?s probably on par with, or better than, some places around that serve Indian food.?

?Yes, I like the food here,? said Pram Patel, a native of India who now lives in downtown Jersey City. ?It reminds me of where I come from,? she added, while picking up dinner last Wednesday for herself and her four-year old daughter.

Suzanne Nile, a friend and neighbor of the Patels, stood in line behind the mother and daughter waiting to place her own order.

?I love Indian food. I could probably eat it four times a week,? said the Nile. ?I actually cook several Indian dishes myself and I?m getting pretty good. But, you know, sometimes you don?t feel like cooking. I just live right up there, so it?s nothing to come downstairs, pick up a bite here for dinner. I?d like to eat out more, but I?m trying to save money. The food here is cheap and it?s delicious. It?s as good as what I?m able to cook right now, as far as Indian food is concerned.?

Like Wu, Nile said ?it?s neat? to have upscale food trucks in the neighborhood that offer something more than ice cream and potato chips.

Employee: the community, it?s a?changin?

?There?s nothing wrong with the hotdog stand,? said one Taste of India employee who didn?t want to give his name. ?If it weren?t for them, we wouldn?t be here. They started these types of businesses. But everything is changing. Jersey City is changing. People want more [options]. You can?t just have McDonald?s and Starbucks. There has to be more diversity.?

E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.

Read more: Hudson Reporter - Food trucks go ?gourmet? It?s not your father?s hotdog stand

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I kinda hope they reverese that mode by doing their business and then washing their hands.

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I've seen taco, korean bbq and crepe trucks line up near starbucks or at Grove plaza. I've seen men and women from these trucks go to Mc Donald's and Starbucks where I suspect they wash their hands and do their business.

We all know that many restaurants have poor sanitary conditions unless you are naive.

In today's paper:




NYC: Sexy Miss Softee Passes Truck to New Ice Cream Crew

Thu May 12, 12:29 pm
Jill Colvin, DNAinfo Reporter

MIDTOWN ? Midtown's favorite ice cream lady, Chrissy "Miss Softee" Michaels, is passing her truck keys down to a new generation of hand-picked servers ? with special ways of satisfying summer cravings.

Michaels, who built her brand as the "nice ice cream lady" using charm, delicious specialties ? and sometimes a low-cut evening gown ? has earned rave reviews from sundae lovers, is becoming manager of the "Rolling Cones," a collective of Mister Softee ice cream truck drivers she's been forming since January.

Shes hopes to pass the ingredients of success down to her nine prot?g?s, which include four women ? a departure in the male-dominated industry.

"It's just a different world," said new hire Patrizza Jimenez, who plans to spice things up by trading aprons for sexy costumes including bikini tops and frothy tutus.

Some days she'll be "Cop Girl." On others, she'll try "Fire Chick," "Candy Stripe Girl" or "Alice in Wonderland."
"It's going to be sexy-themed. It's going to be like a fantasy ice cream truck," said Jimenez, 41, who's also thinking of going by the nickname "P.J. Spice" in honor of the Spice Girls.

"It will be driven to the adults. But also to the children," she said.

Michaels, who was serving her last cones at Fifth Avenue and 45th Street Tuesday afternoon, found all of the new drivers via ads that asked applicants to skip their resumes and instead submit essays about why being an ice cream truck driver would be a dream job.

Jimenez, who has held a string of positions from bartender to spokeswoman to teacher, said she knew she'd be in heaven as soon as she saw the ad.

"Holy smacks! I always wanted to drive an ice cream truck! It's always been at the back of my mind," she said.
Fellow new driver Gaby Santos felt the same way.

"It was immediate. I saw the ad and that was it," said Santos, 25, who intends to dress up as an "old school Mister Softee," complete with blue slacks, a white button-down shirt, blue suspenders and a 'Mister Softee' tie.
The crew also includes others from all walks of life, including a law student who just passed the bar exam, a musician who will go by the nickname "pork chop," and a former bartender who plans to serve fresh fruit and dress up as a vintage 50s pinup girl.


In addition to hand-picking the team, Michaels also spent months training, them and even created an instruction book on how to be a good driver.

The book includes step-by-step details on how to prepare a truck, interact with customers, cope with often grumpy (and sometimes hostile) fellow food vendors and ? most importantly ? find a spot. She's even been testing them with secret shoppers to make sure they're up to speed.
But Michaels said that all the work has paid off.

"It's amazing to see. On their first day, they're so excited," she said. "I'm very proud of them."
Customers were also clearly impressed.

"You're going to sell out!" shouted one new fan as he passed by Jimenez's truck Tuesday afternoon. "I'm going to get my ice cream from YOU!"

The Rolling Cones team can be tracked via Twitter here.

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With festivals there would be another ordinance specific to festival ethics. Verbage in the ordinance would govern how things are conducted.

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I don't think any of us are naive. Do you think that all restaurant workers always wash their hands after "doing their business"?

I've never gotten sick from any of the food carts or trucks and I have eaten from plenty of them. I can't say the same for eating at some of the establishments.

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A zone for food trucks to not interfere with restaurants? I don't hear the local restauranteurs clamoring to have these trucks zoned. And anyhow that's the beauty of free market. If the restaurants are being interfered with by losing customers to a food truck, then maybe that restaurant really isn't that good to begin with and/or maybe they should adapt to the changing conditions to retain customers. And hey, some business will end up failing. That's just the y way it is. However, I don't see the food truck and cart industry bleeding the "brick and mortar" restaurants dry here in JC or in any other city for that matter.

There is no need for any new or additional inspections. I assume just like in most other cities, inspections are made periodically and randomly of various food service locations, be it a cart, a truck, or a "brick-and-mortar". The should already be looking into these things to begin with.

I don't mean to be the cynic here, but I think the city would find a way to turn using the health inspectors into another cash cow shaking down the food vendors, just how the JCPA shakes down the citizens by writing tickets and booting improperly, just like the buildings departments shakes down the citizens when doing work on their homes, just like the buildings department and health department shake down new eating establishments with fees and "codes".

This city is good at stifling new businesses and new ventures that would be and are a great asset.

I'm also wondering how this would impact festivals like JC Fridays and the BBQ food truck event if vendors are required to stay 100 feet from each other.

If they do pass an ordinance, I wonder if the actual phrasing will be "brick and mortar". I think I can argue some places are cinder block and wood with vinyl siding and a brick exterior facade and sheetrock interior.

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They are fighting other battles, out of all the battles I guess they are fighting the food truck one. And you can't just let them be. They should have a zoned area for the trucks so as not to interfere with the regular restaurants. I think a health inspector should look into their hand washing practices, at least with a restaurant there are bathroom facilities near by hopefully they use them.

These big new trucks have sinks.



Eaters might want to check this Zagat link below - it shows live Truck Locations:

http://foodtrucks.zagat.com/

and people who want to get into this line of work might check out this link below:

http://www.cateringtruck.com/used.htm

Say what you want about the food trucks - fine - my husband is a plumber in JC and brought the subject matter up. When the guy in the food truck has to go to the bathroom where does he go? Does he leave the truck - NOT! Where does he wash his hands? He doesn't. Those trucks are disgusting with guys taking their Pee in a gatorade bottle because they can't stop if they have business and they sure as hell don't wash their hands afterwards. If you want to eat from the truck eat at "your own risk". Was it the hot dog/taco/pita/wrap/salad/hamburger that made you sick or was it the fact that the slob serving it doesn't wash his hands after doing his business that makes you sick? You tell me where he goes to do his business, does he shut his car down...doubtful...you cannot be that naieve !

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The trucks succeed as they offer what brick n mortar don't: high quality food at a cheap price and fast service.

NYC has plenty of vendors who may push carts but offer a greater diversity of food then you will find in most of JC.

Can anybody explain why JC officials feel that JC food trucks need to be 300 feet away from brick and mortar food establishments, but in NYC there are a zillion practically on top of one another? Do brick and mortar restaurants in Manhattan put up this much resistance?

Seriously. Food trucks are good for the residents of JC. Just let them be. Fight other battles.

Jersey City vendors who sell food from trucks and pushcarts persuade City Council to table proposed new rules they call too restrictive

Thursday, May 12, 2011
By TERRENCE T. McDONALD
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City City Council last night tabled a measure proposing sweeping changes to the city's ordinance regulating food trucks and pushcarts after numerous food vendors called the proposed rules too restrictive and possibly unconstitutional.

The proposed regulations would require the mobile vendors to stay at least 300 feet from brick-and-mortar eateries and 100 feet away from other portable vendors. Those stipulations rankled Deepika Peters, whose father runs the Taste of India food truck.

"There is a restaurant on every corner in Jersey City, and it's very impossible to stay 300 feet from a restaurant," Peters, 30, told the council last night.

Francesca Saldana, whose husband James sells hot dogs and other items out of a pushcart in Journal Square, objected to a portion of the proposed measure that would require vendors to submit to criminal background checks.

"These are very, very unbelievable infringements on the Fourth Amendment," Saldana told The Jersey Journal. "[Does] a pizza guy, the deli guy, the McDonald's crew person go through a criminal background check before they can get a job?"

The changes would also limit a portable food vendor to remaining in one spot for an hour, maximum. The current ordinance, which vendors say is haphazardly enforced, requires pushcarts to move every 20 minutes and food carts to move every 40 minutes.

Jason Scott, who operates The Taco Truck as well as a brick-and-mortar business of the same name in Hoboken, said it takes 30 minutes to set up his truck and the new regulations would leave only 30 minutes selling and cooking time before he would have to move on to another location.

Went out for lunch at exchange place and counted 8 food trucks. I think some days there are even more than that and they are all doing decent business. I love these trucks and the people running them are all pretty great too. There is some that charge far too much (Italian hot dog guy) considering they really dont pay rent but whatever, I just don't go there. I love having the selection and wish more of them would be around on the weekends. After I ate my meal I walked back to my desk and only had one thing going through my mind.... WE NEED TO SAVE THESE EFFING FOOD TRUCKS !!!

Charged in 2009 sting, former Jersey City health officer now accused of pocketing money paid food vendors for licenses, officials say

Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010, 12:59 PM
Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

Former Jersey City Health Officer Joseph Castagna already has federal corruption charges pending against him and today he surrendered to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office on new state charges, officials said.

Castagna, 54, of Wales Avenue in Jersey City, surrendered at noon on the theft charge based on allegations he was pocketing license fees he collected from food venders, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Karyn Darish.

Castagna was arrested as part of a massive federal probe in July 2009 based on allegation he and former Hudson County Superintendent of Elections investigator Dennis Jaslow, 46, accepted a $5,000 bribe from FBI informant Soloman Dwek.

Federal authorities charged the pair with passing the money along to failed Jersey City council candidate and Jersey City Fire Department Arson Investigator Michael Manzo. Jaslow and Manzo have already pleaded guilty to the federal charges and

Castagna is pending trial on the charges.

Manzo admitted he accepted the $5,000 from Dwek in exchange for his official helping advancing a development project on Garfield Avenue which Dwek was touting but did not really exist.

Castagna is expected to make his first court appearance on the new charges this afternoon in Central Judicial Processing Court in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City.

Outlaw the Food Trucks

These food trucks are like roaming gypsies taking the business away from establishments.

JC residents alway whinge about there not being enough cafe, diners, pubs and bars that provide food - well guess what? The lunch time business crowds is what they rely on to pay leases, staff and yes taxes.

These premise establishments, can not rely on locals to keep them in business - we are cheap, caught in the financial struggle and always demand high expectations when we do finally go out.

Business owners struggle to keep great staff from venturing into NY for a job.

Cityhall should do everything they can to protect local premises who always employ staff, pay taxes and provide an ambience to our street scene and environment.

I say dump the food trucks from our streets - Now ask yourself how many of these gypsies float into NY ?

Latest Twist in Jersey City Food Truck Saga: Vendors Band Together, Bring in NYC Group for Support

lengthy update story published today by JCI:

As City Hall continues to consider potential changes to Jersey City?s food truck ordinance, about a dozen vendors have formed a coalition to push for substantive reform.

The vendors say they are acting out of frustration with both the glacial pace of city government and a sense of stepped-up enforcement from the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD).

Check out the full story here.

I emailed Councilman Fulop to ask him to support the food trucks and employ health/safety standards rather than banish the trucks. I encourage anyone interested to do the same. His email is FulopS@jcnj.org

Jersey City food trucks keep serving the hungry

Signatures are being collected on a Save the Food Truck website petition that will be presented to Jersey City council Published: Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 7:01 PM Updated: Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 7:05 PM The Jersey Journal There's an effort to collect signatures for a petition to Save the Food Trucks. The signatures are to be presented at the Aug. 16 Jersey City council session. The mobile food vendors are afraid the City Council, and specifically Councilman Steven Fulop, is trying to approve legislation that will ban or cut down the number of food truck operators in the city. The petition drive is on the New York Street Food website that has information about truck food service in cities around the country, including Jersey City. There is even a Save the JC Food Trucks page on Facebook. Another link is to the Street Vendors Project of the Urban Justice Center in New York City where they have an interesting video about a confrontation between a Manhattan vendor and police. Both sites are works in progress. Fulop, representing the Downtown where many of the trucks congregate, is on a committee with members of the Police Department, Law Department and Health Department crafting a new city ordinance. The councilman said there are as many as 400 licenses issued, though city law allows for 175 ? 150 licenses for itinerant eating and drinking establishments that prepare food on site and 25 licenses for itinerant catering establishments that prepare food off site. Former Jersey City Health Officer Joseph Castagna was charged last summer in the FBI?s major corruption sting, is under police investigation for issuing extra licenses and possibly pocketing the fees. He is now retired. Vendors also complained an ordinance requires trucks that prepare food off site must move every 20 minutes and the others must move every 40 minutes under the city ordinance, which also sets restrictions on how close trucks can be to restaurants.

Quote: I question the health practices of those trucks. Fulop is doing you a favor, thank him the next time you see him. Maybe the established food businesses are more on the ethnic line to your taste and the trucks are of the mainstream in your choice of food fare.

You should email him and ask him yourself, he always answers his emails in a timely manner, if he doesn't address the issue here, either way I would like to hear his side of the story to the rumor you have heard I <3 Fulop!