Fort Collins food truck scene evolves with new laws
As of May 30, Fort Collins residents might see more food trucks around town, especially at breweries.
In May, City Council passed an ordinance allowing two food trucks to sell on private property at the same time and up to eight food trucks to gather at an event.
When the city created laws governing food trucks two years ago, businesses, such as breweries, were allowed to have one truck on their property at a time. At special events, no more than four trucks were able to gather, along with four pushcarts.
"It's going to be a big help," said Andrew Andrews, who owns The Goodness truck with his wife, Abby. "If you've ever been to (a brewery) on the weekend, it's pretty crazy ... (Having two trucks) will help us speed through our lines, and it will give people more options."
Andrews said he isn't worried about competition between vendors increasing with the new laws.
"The way the law is set up, it's mainly for some of these bigger businesses, somewhere we can actually have the traffic for two trucks."
The demand for trucks has been growing over the past two years in Fort Collins, while the number of trucks has fluctuated. According to the city, there are now around 30 food trucks and carts operating in Fort Collins, just a few more than last summer. There also have been a handful of trucks that have opened and closed. Most recently, Fort Collins' first food truck, the Cupcake Cruiser, stopped selling.
Owner Kati Anderson said that after four years operating in Fort Collins, she decided to sell the truck and focus more on her cupcake catering business. The Fort Collins native said she will operate the business out of her current hometown, Denver.
"Our demand for (catering) went up, and it's just a much better business model," she said, explaining the difficulties of running her food truck — lower markups on cupcakes, the inability to bake them on the spot and a daily commute from Denver.
But, Anderson said, the Fort Collins scene is still ripe for many types of mobile vendors.
"A lot of the food trucks right now are very geared toward the breweries, and that wasn't really our market. I think there is still room for more dessert trucks ... for others that could appeal more to families and kids."
Anderson paved the way for Fort Collins mobile food units — a list that now includes burgers and hotdogs, but also Hawaiian, Mexican and Middle Eastern food; vegetarian options; poutine; and specialty coffee. In May, the bicycle-pulled Sipping Point started parking at the corner of College Avenue and Myrtle Street, selling iced coffees by the bottle and specialty brews by the cup.
Where businesses are now getting creative, four years ago they weren't even regulated.
"When I started, there were no laws at all," Anderson said. "I did go through the city to get a permit, but that was something like a fast-food restaurant permit .. We were actually working with the city on getting those laws implemented."
"Compared to when I started, it is just so much easier for food trucks to operate. There are so many options, and I think the city is taking everyone's needs into consideration."
Everyone's needs come into play as the city now deliberates on additional help for food trucks — laws that would allow up to 12 trucks to gather on private property, laws that would make it easier to gather in parks, and laws that would allow gatherings on a regular basis, akin to farmers markets. Food trucks are subject to food inspections through Larimer County.
"They're after a regular place to have a bunch of trucks, so that people get used to that," said Jessica Ping-Small, the city's revenue and project manager. "And we're certainly supportive of that."
She said she will have answers to those issues hopefully by the end of the year. Until then, the city will be considering the impact of a large number of food trucks on surrounding neighborhoods.
As Anderson leaves the food truck scene she once spearheaded, she said she's happy to see the momentum it's gaining.
She had some advice for current and future food truck operators, whom Ping-Small now gets calls from weekly.
"The city has been really great," Anderson said. "They don't operate food trucks, though. It's just a matter of speaking up and telling them what you need."
Licensed food trucks
• Burger Box
• Buzz Thru
Espresso Bar
• Carniceria Las Delicias
• Common-Link
• Uncle Jim's Dogs
• Curry Favor/
Atacolypse Now
• Dam Good Tacos
• Schmickels
• Divine Ice Cream
• Espresso People
• Ice Cream Wagon
• Jax Old Town Pearl
• Kona Ice
• La Piadina
• Mofroz
• Nomad Street Cuisine
• Pineapple Express
• Sipping Point
• Stout Market
• Stuft Burger Box
• Tacos 8A
• Taqueria Los Pepes
• The Goodness
• The Patty Wagon
• The Taco Stop
• The Waffle Lab
• Tumbleweed Super Tasty Treats
• Umami
Source: City of Fort Collins