Love street food? Fancy a food truck? If so, the industry needs your help. Riverside County is the only one in California with a ban on mobile food facilities.
The good news is that last week Riverside County supervisors voted to rework the food truck restrictions of Ordinance 580 to allow mobile vendors to operate more freely. The ordinance was originally adopted to combat illegal street food vendors and protect the public from unsanitary conditions. These public safety concerns have been addressed by combining common sense with today’s mobile commercial kitchen capabilities including the monitors to ensure proper food temperatures, hand sinks and ware washing facilities.
However, the industry still needs your support to lift the band. ShareKitchen has made it easy by creating a link to a Free the Food Trucks petition on its website, www.sharekitchen.org. The petition can also be found on change.org. The goal is to collect 10,000 signatures to help free the food trucks.
ShareKitchen actively supports these restaurants on wheels for several reasons. They have relatively low start-up costs for entrepreneurs and bring a culinary diversity and vibrancy to the community. ShareKitchen’s mission is to promote and develop jobs in the food industry by offering culinary professionals access to a fully equipped, licensed and insured commercial kitchen that is in full compliance with local health codes and regulations. Aspiring food truck owners can get their start at ShareKitchen to perfect their products, learn about health and safety regulations and develop a business plan before hitting the streets.
It’s easy to help, visit www.sharekitchen.org, click the Free the Food Trucks link, sign the petition and hopefully soon, residents and visitors to the Coachella Valley will have the opportunity to enjoy the unique offerings of food truck fare.
ShareKitchen is a non-profit organization built on the simple philosophy of sharing. For more information call 760-459-4259.
