Love food trucks and street vendors? So do we. But unfortunately, some brick-and-mortar restaurants and establishments view the legislative process as a way to stifle street vendors in order to protect themselves from competition, by pushing for bans on food trucks and vendors within a certain distance from their businesses or prohibitions on food trucks’ or vendors’ operation in certain areas. These laws are anti-competitive and unconstitutional. You have the right to earn an honest living, free from protectionist and burdensome regulations.

If you are a street vendor or food truck operator fighting anti-competitive and burdensome laws, please e-mail [email protected].

A vibrant street vending scene benefits everyone. Vending puts people to work, creates opportunities for self-sufficiency, and enriches the communities in which vendors operate. It provides entry-level opportunities, allowing entrepreneurs to test ideas and accumulate capital needed to climb the economic ladder and realize their next opportunity: a brick-and-mortar restaurant or store. Vendors also contribute to the city’s coffers by paying sales tax and payroll taxes, and they can activate underused spaces, bring new life to communities, and make them safer, more enjoyable places to live.

Street vending benefits everyone. It’s time to free the food trucks and free the street vendors.

To read more about IJ’s National Street Vending Initiative, click here. Email us for a free “Legalize Street Food” or “Legalize Street Vending” sticker.