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| Tasty Tuesdays' food trucks operated with impunity for months. |
By Fred Lambert
flambert@valenciavoice.com
When hungry patrons converged on Orlando’s Milk District on the night of June 19, they were met with an empty street where local area food trucks had previously been lined every Tuesday for months.
The event, dubbed “Tasty Tuesdays,” had been shut down by Orlando Code Enforcement and the Orlando Police after an unknown business owner in the area complained about the trucks obstructing parking.
The event had been a popular local gathering where customers could pick their choice of food truck meals -- from chicken and waffles to sushi to Yum-Yum cupcakes -- and then chow down at one of many area bars where beer and other beverages were available. This symbiotic setup came to a halt after last Tuesday’s complaint.
But it wasn’t enough to kill Tasty Tuesdays. Some area business leaders, like bar manager Brian Kane of The Milk Bar, took matters into their own hands by getting landowner permission to keep the bazaar alive for the next Tuesday in a different spot, circumventing the public parking space issue.
“So we can have them in our parking lot behind Milk Bar and Etoile, even if we can’t get them in the streets,” said Kane. “Whatever the code says, that’s what we’re doing.”
Kane figures that at least five trucks and a cart can fit into the rear-area parking lot. “That way, at the very least we can do our part to keep Tasty Tuesdays going, regardless of what happens with the front area,” he said.
The shut-down which caused the compromise was sudden.
After the complaint last Tuesday, it was found that the trucks were operating without the proper license to occupy public parking spaces. They were fined and ordered to disperse, with truck owners frantically reimbursing customers who had already placed orders that could not be finished.
The event left bitter rather than savory tastes in the mouths of would-be customers, who expressed chagrin at the sudden shut-down.
“I think it’s a nitpicky, underhanded tactic used by an angry business owner who is too ignorant to realize he or she is hurting their own business,” said Michael Gonzalez, who had attended Tasty Tuesdays four or five times.
A petition was crafted online by Tommy Barger of Spacebar, one of The Milk District’s locations, to revamp the event out on the streets. As of Saturday it had 1,298 signatures out of a needed 1,500. It can be signed at https://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-orlando-let-tasty-tuesdays-food-truck-event-back-on-the-street-2
According to Tasty Tuesdays’ Facebook page, a meeting will be held on July 2 to discuss the events of June 19. As well, The Daily City reports that Commissioner Patty Sheehan has said, “I do not think this is a bad omen for food trucks in general, just a hiccup with a group trying to promote an event that needs to be a little more familiar with our rules.”
The food trucks, which have multiple gatherings on differing days across Orlando, are mostly locally owned and operated -- one of the event’s highlight claims. Additionally, they brought in a slew of new business for local area bars in The Milk District, raising question as to who filed the complaint.
“Tuesday’s definitely been a boon to all the businesses that I know of,” said Kane. “Everyone that I’ve talked to has seen a drastic increase in sales. I know we definitely saw an increase, and that’s why we were happy to be a part of it and advertise it.”
flambert@valenciavoice.com
When hungry patrons converged on Orlando’s Milk District on the night of June 19, they were met with an empty street where local area food trucks had previously been lined every Tuesday for months.
The event, dubbed “Tasty Tuesdays,” had been shut down by Orlando Code Enforcement and the Orlando Police after an unknown business owner in the area complained about the trucks obstructing parking.
The event had been a popular local gathering where customers could pick their choice of food truck meals -- from chicken and waffles to sushi to Yum-Yum cupcakes -- and then chow down at one of many area bars where beer and other beverages were available. This symbiotic setup came to a halt after last Tuesday’s complaint.
But it wasn’t enough to kill Tasty Tuesdays. Some area business leaders, like bar manager Brian Kane of The Milk Bar, took matters into their own hands by getting landowner permission to keep the bazaar alive for the next Tuesday in a different spot, circumventing the public parking space issue.
“So we can have them in our parking lot behind Milk Bar and Etoile, even if we can’t get them in the streets,” said Kane. “Whatever the code says, that’s what we’re doing.”
Kane figures that at least five trucks and a cart can fit into the rear-area parking lot. “That way, at the very least we can do our part to keep Tasty Tuesdays going, regardless of what happens with the front area,” he said.
The shut-down which caused the compromise was sudden.
After the complaint last Tuesday, it was found that the trucks were operating without the proper license to occupy public parking spaces. They were fined and ordered to disperse, with truck owners frantically reimbursing customers who had already placed orders that could not be finished.
The event left bitter rather than savory tastes in the mouths of would-be customers, who expressed chagrin at the sudden shut-down.
“I think it’s a nitpicky, underhanded tactic used by an angry business owner who is too ignorant to realize he or she is hurting their own business,” said Michael Gonzalez, who had attended Tasty Tuesdays four or five times.
A petition was crafted online by Tommy Barger of Spacebar, one of The Milk District’s locations, to revamp the event out on the streets. As of Saturday it had 1,298 signatures out of a needed 1,500. It can be signed at https://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-orlando-let-tasty-tuesdays-food-truck-event-back-on-the-street-2
According to Tasty Tuesdays’ Facebook page, a meeting will be held on July 2 to discuss the events of June 19. As well, The Daily City reports that Commissioner Patty Sheehan has said, “I do not think this is a bad omen for food trucks in general, just a hiccup with a group trying to promote an event that needs to be a little more familiar with our rules.”
The food trucks, which have multiple gatherings on differing days across Orlando, are mostly locally owned and operated -- one of the event’s highlight claims. Additionally, they brought in a slew of new business for local area bars in The Milk District, raising question as to who filed the complaint.
“Tuesday’s definitely been a boon to all the businesses that I know of,” said Kane. “Everyone that I’ve talked to has seen a drastic increase in sales. I know we definitely saw an increase, and that’s why we were happy to be a part of it and advertise it.”
