If you love curbside cuisine, then you’ll be glad to hear that the City’s food truck street vending pilot program is now underway. This means that if you’re near one of four designated spaces in downtown Raleigh, you’ll have access to these mobile vendors during designated hours. Yeah baby!
Food trucks have been operating in Raleigh for years, but only on private property or during food truck rodeos. The new pilot program allows food trucks to operate in the City's right-of-way. The locations were carefully selected because they offer few restaurant options within walking distance of large employers.
Effective August 1, food trucks can set up shop at the following locations:
• 100 E. Polk Street;
• 300 S. Harrington Street;
• 300 South Bloodworth Street; and
• South State Street at the NCDMV Headquarters and N.C. State Employees Credit Union.
To make scheduling easy for food truck owners, Martha Lobo, Site Review Specialist, worked with a consultant to customize an app called StreetFoodFinder. This tool allows food truck owners to reserve a space, and ensures that trucks are rotated, thereby ensuring a good mixture of cuisine for its customers.
Food trucks may operate seven days a week between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. And to add to our First Friday festivities, the trucks will have the option of serving customers from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first Friday of every month for the duration of the program.
We’ve got a lot more information about the pilot program and specific permitting requirements on our web site. We also have a calendar showing which trucks are scheduled at certain locations. And if you have any questions, feel free to contact Martha or leave a comment here.
Thanks for reading!
