Permit system complicates food cart growth

When Jonas Kerner saw a long line of people outside Rita’s India on Wheels, he didn’t think… When Jonas Kerner saw a long line of people outside Rita’s India on Wheels, he didn’t think about the wait. All he thought about was the food.

“I just went to the one with the biggest line. It’s a kind of mob psychology,” the Pitt freshman said. “There was a long line, so I assumed it would be good.”

Although Oakland is rife with restaurants, there’s something about the food trucks that sets them apart from other campus eateries. Every day, scores of people gather on Bigelow Boulevard to grab a meal from one of the four food trucks parked on the street. The trucks, which offer a mix of Indian and Thai food, provide quick, authentic meals in the heart of campus.

But the consumer appeal of the trucks has not sparked a growing trend in Pittsburgh — partly because of Pittsburgh’s strict and complicated permit system. And after mandatory location changes caused some owners to suffer drastic losses in business, finding a way to obey laws while boosting sales has become more difficult.

The carts didn’t always line Bigelow Boulevard. They first parked outside the Hillman Library near Schenley Plaza. But a city order in 2005 caused the trucks to pack up and head over by Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall.

Mary Fleming, the city’s assistant chief of code enforcement, said the trucks had to move because of conflicts with the food kiosks at Schenley Plaza. Regulations set by City Council forbid food trucks from being within 500 feet of a non-vendor business that sells similar menu items.

Fleming said the regulations make it more fair for restaurants since their rent is typically much higher than the cost of a truck’s permit, which is usually around $1,000 per year.

But the move deeply cut into profits for the truck owners.

Rita Amin, owner of Rita’s India on Wheels, said business has decreased by 50 percent since the move.

“I don’t get a lot of business compared to Hillman Library. Hillman Library is a hot spot. Here, it’s a longer walk. We are not doing good, but we’re OK,” she said.

Before Amin started the business in 1998, she was unemployed. But when she walked by the trucks outside Hillman, she became inspired to start her own food-truck business — it was an opportunity for her to make money while engaging with students. Now the students just have to walk a little farther to get traditional Indian fare like chicken korma and shrimp do piaza.

Although the move was only a few blocks, Vinay Patidar also lost a lot of business. The owner of the Kashmiri food truck, which also serves traditional Indian food, said business has gone down 66 percent since he started in 1998.

“We are in a corner, and we don’t have any complaints, but it’s better if we’re near a library or somewhere else. I have students that love me at CMU, and they ask me to go there, but the city won’t let me,” he said.

Fleming candidly admitted that the restrictions set by City Council hamper the mobility of the food trucks. “Our ordinance is pretty tight,” she said, adding that the strict regulations could be a reason why food trucks aren’t a growing trend.

Marissa Doyle, a spokeswoman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, said in an email that in addition to being banned from the areas surrounding competing restaurants, the vendors are also not permitted to blow a horn or use any device except a bell. The vehicles cannot have signs that measure more than 2 feet by 2 feet and must only sell goods that can be contained in or under the vehicle. The city also prohibits smoke or strong odors coming from food preparation in the food trucks.

Jeanne VanHouten, who operates a food truck Downtown, said that acquiring food permits can be a hassle.

“It’s time consuming. It’s not very hard, but there’s not many spots in the city you can set up anything like this,” she said. VanHouten opened Denis Lunch Cart, which serves food such as hot dogs, across the street from the Omni Hotel on William Penn Place five years ago. “You don’t want to get into a spot with no business.”

Finding the perfect spot isn’t the only difficulty of owning a food cart. Both Patidar and Amin said that growing permit costs are another struggle, especially since they continue to increase each year. Now, one annual permit can cost up to $1,500.

Despite these obstacles, the trucks remain campus hot spots, with devoted customers continually returning for the global cuisine.

“I love [Rita’s]. I’m all about it. I plan and get cash for it,” said Pitt senior Michael Young about the cash-only vendor.