Nampa, Idaho faces pressure on food truck permits

The Nampa, Idaho, City Council was in the process of drafting a mobile food vendor license, but raised the issue after receiving feedback from the public. Instead, the city will seek input from food truck vendors to make revisions to the permit. Food trucks in the city are currently regulated by Peddlers and Solicitor, but this license would make regulations for food trucks clearer, according to a report from Idaho News 6.

To obtain a permit, trucks had to leave their location every night or remain in place while hiding their truck from the public, which did not sit well with many food truck owners.

“My word of mouth is the back of my trailer,” said RaeAnn Birney, co-owner of The Perking Spot food truck. “That’s what people see when they pass by and covering it up also means you have to move it or build something to hide it. This is our livelihood, so if you hide us, we will never be successful and everyone will go bankrupt anyway.”

Birney believes the city can address these issues and is pleased that the council has agreed to seek input from suppliers.