East Hartford officials may impose a buffer between food trucks and restaurants after hearing complaints of unfair competition from some brick-and-mortar establishments.
Mayor Connor Martin has asked the town council to create a buffer, suggesting a 200- or 300-foot distance, in order to avoid friction between restaurant owners paying leases or taxes for a physical place, and food trucks that can pull up to the curbside in front of them.
In a Jan. 16 meeting, the council referred a package of suggestions from Martin to its ordinance subcommittee for review and fine-tuning.
The suggested change comes a little more than a year after East Hartford officials adopted an ordinance intended to welcome food trucks into town. The 2022 ordinance streamlined the food truck application process and outlined the major arteries where they could operate.
“It did what it was supposed to do, bring food trucks to town and promote that we are food-truck friendly,” Martin said. “It almost worked a little too well.”
Martin said the initiative has had clear benefits in bringing food trucks to areas that were starved of dining options and in adding dining amenities to the area of Great River Park – where the town has picnic facilities, a boat launch and walking trails along the Connecticut River.
But he has also heard “loud and clear” complaints from businesses, including Charlie’s Bar & Grill and Ranch House, two restaurants tucked behind the automotive dealership-dominated commercial corridor of Connecticut Boulevard. Owners of those restaurants, he said, have no problem competing with food trucks, but just don’t want them parked on the edge of their establishments.
Deep Sha, manager of Ranch House, said sometimes three to five trucks will park along the road edge around his property during lunch hours. He’s asked them to move, but it doesn’t seem to have an impact.
The family-run Ranch House offers up burgers, sandwiches and other American staples from a busy grill in a small building. Most of its customers pick up food and go. Its eat-in capacity is limited to three plastic stools along a small lunch counter near the entryway and an outdoor picnic table. It thrums with activity around lunchtime.
“I’m not saying there should be no food trucks, but there should be a certain distance,” Sha said. “It feels disrespectful if someone parks right next to you and serves the same food.”
Scott Dolch, president and CEO of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said he has not heard of other instances of friction between restaurants and food trucks, although he could easily understand how it could happen.
Dolch said many restaurants either supplement their permanent location with food trucks or got their start as food trucks. His association is focused on helping ease permitting burdens, such as the requirement to undergo inspections and obtain permits in the jurisdictions of the state’s various health districts.
Dolch would much rather see an inspection and permitting process that is reciprocal across all of Connecticut’s health districts.
Dolch said delineated areas for food truck operations seem to avoid issues in most communities.
“What we’ve seen in other cities and towns is most of them work together with food trucks and restaurants because they know there are areas they can go and can’t go on the food truck side,” Dolch said.
