Thursday, March 15, 2012

Medford Debates Joining the Food Truck Craze

First it was Boston and Cambridge, and soon, Brookline. And now it appears that another community in the area may consider jumping into the food truck craze, though it is already facing some opposition.

The Medford Transcript reports that officials in Medford are looking into the licensing of food trucks, spurred on in part by the president of the Medford Farmers' Market board of directors, who helped bring trucks to a festival in the city last fall. Some councilors and business owners are voicing concerns, however, stating that existing restaurants could be hurt by the introduction of food trucks, depending on exactly where they are stationed.

A February 14 subcommittee meeting had people on both sides of the issue talking about the pros and cons of food trucks coming to Medford, but no definite decision has been made as of yet, so expect more meetings on the issue over the coming weeks. (The Transcript mentions that the mayor of the city would like to view details of the licensing mechanism before making any decision on the matter.)

[April 9 update: The Medford Transcript is reporting that the city's proposed food truck program is moving ahead, with the City Solicitor delivering a detailed report on food truck ordinances from other communities to the Licensing Subcommittee. In addition, the City Council has been asked to get a program in place possibly in time for the Medford Farmer's Market, which begins in June.]