I’ve written before about the anti-consumer battle against food trucks, and efforts to deny consumers convenient access to the popular, varied, and inexpensive fare that food trucks offer. See, Institute for Justice Defends the Rights of Street Vendors.
In El Paso, where that city had tried to zone food trucks away from potential patrons, there’s good news:
….the city of El Paso, Texas, repealed a law that prohibited vendors from operating within 1,000 feet (nearly four city blocks) of any restaurant, grocer, or convenience store. This effectively turned El Paso into a ‘no-vending’ zone, limiting vendors to narrow pockets of the city where customers were sparse. The law also prohibited vendors from stopping and awaiting customers, forcing them instead to endlessly circle the block until customers were waiting at the curb.
These regulations had nothing to do with food or traffic safety – such laws have been on the books for decades. Rather, these regulations existed for one purpose: to protect restaurants from honest competition.
Repeal is a victory for consumers and enterprising merchants. Congratulations go to the Institute for Justice for their efforts in Texas, and thanks to them for their larger, national vendor initiative.
See, Food Truck Wars.