Milwaukee food truck rules, mayor approves changes

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed off in support of new food truck legislation Wednesday, June 14.

The new rules, passed by the Common Council last month, now officially take effect. While some apply citywide, others are based on location.

"We’re not out there to cause problems, we’re just trying to serve food and make a dollar," said Nina Timber, manager of Double B's BBQ.

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The measure requires all vendors to operate at least 50 feet away from any restaurant. It also includes zone-based restrictions. In Zone 1 downtown, trucks must close by 1 a.m. – a restriction Timber believes is unfair.

"I don’t think there should be a limit on food trucks being able to serve at certain times," she said. "If bars are open at certain times, I think restaurant owners and food truck owners should be able to pick the hours that they are working as well."

The legislation also caps the number of vendors that can operate in Zone 2, which is Burnham Park.

"I know it does affect a lot of businesses," Timber said.

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City leaders said the impact it may have on vendors is much better than the alternative. Ald. Jonathan Brostoff said the legislation will correct behaviors like littering from vendors who were not operating correctly.

"We didn’t want to just keep implementing bans all over, we wanted to have other tools that would allow the good operators to operate," said Brostoff.

Food trucks lined up in downtown Milwaukee

Johnson sees the new rules as a compromise.

"It builds a stronger, it builds a safer, it builds a healthier food truck environment in Milwaukee," he said.

A spokesperson for one food truck owner claimed they are considering taking legal action after the approval.