The Illinois Supreme Court ruled on May 21 that Chicago’s food truck are Constitutional and that brick-and-mortar building will be protected from food truck competition.
Cupcakes For Courage Food truck owner Laura Pekarik filed a lawsuit in 2012 claiming the restrictions from parking within 200 feet of any establishments serving food (that includes gas stations) and government-mandated GPS placed on their vehicle constitutes “warrantless search” and violated privacy. Law requires trucks to switch parking time to two hours.
Since the restrictions, Chicago’s food truck industry has shrunk by 40 percent.
The court decided brick-and-mortar restaurants bring long-term stability to the neighborhoods.
But what about the food truck owners?
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a recent analysis of food truck rules in America’s largest cities, concluded that “The experience of operating a food truck in Chicago is perhaps one of the most difficult in the country.”
This is why.
Food trucks are small businesses. They bring in the same revenue as one (money the state desperately needs). Government can’t pick winners and losers; the market does.
Consumers should be able to choose a food truck if they prefer; more vehicles means more options.