Chicago Food Trucks: Alderman Tunney, Restaurant Owner, Throwing Up Road Blocks

In most cities in the country, from New York to Seattle to humble Carrboro, North Carolina, the food truck craze is in full swing. But here in Chicago, the City Council has yet to pass legislation allowing food preparation onboard trucks. The only food trucks we have, like the Gaztro-Wagon or the Meatyballs Mobile, get their food prepared from a home-base restaurant and drive it around for sale.

Alderman Scott Waguespack, who has long been a leader on food trucks, re-introduced an ordinance last week that would allow food trucks to cook on the go. But another alderman, the owner of a chain of brick-and-mortar restaurants, says he wants to make sure the trucks don't jeopardize establishments like his.

Tom Tunney, the 44th Ward Alderman and owner of the Ann Sather chain of restaurants, is also the chair of the Economic Development Committee, which will consider the food-truck ordinance. And according to the Chicago Sun-Times, he wants Waguespack and others to tap the brakes on the law.

“One of the major issues is spacing from brick-and-mortar restaurants," he said. "We’ve got work to do. We need to hear from all sides. We need to make sure we protect … restaurants and foster a trend that, I think, is gonna be here for a while.”

The bill already contains provisions to avoid competition with existing eateries. As the ordinance is written, trucks must park at least 200 feet away from competing restaurants, and at least 100 feet away from any restaurant at all without the permission of the owner.

But restaurant-industry lobbyists want much stricter provisions. The Sun-Times quoted Illinois Restaurant Association President Sheila O’Grady suggesting that food trucks should be confined only to the city's "food deserts."

"Isn't competition supposed to be a healthy thing?" Chicagoist asks. "We understand many of the objections of restaurants, since the cost of operating a food truck is very low. But it seems to us that food trucks are competing with food courts and chain fast food joints that serve up $5 lunches, not Ann Sather's."

Meanwhile, as the city council grapples over the ordinance, Chicago's restaurateurs aren't slowing down. Just this spring, several exciting new food trucks began rolling around town. For the moment, we can only imagine the culinary explosion in innovative street food if these trucks were allowed to operate as they were meant to.

Comments

[kareemachan]

03:45 PM on 06/20/2011

His restaurants must be pretty bad if he's that threatened by these.

[Koeiseun]

11:00 PM on 06/21/2011

Having eating at Ann Sathers...I can say you have a point.....

[frito72]

01:29 PM on 06/20/2011

As someone who's gotten violently ill (VIOLENTLY!!!) from food trucks in other cities I'm not in a hurry to see one pull up in front of my office...

[jimtuckers]

03:03 PM on 06/19/2011

In a jurisdiction that wasn't so blatantly corrupt, this guy would be ousted for obvious conflicts of interest. He needs to recuse himself from all participation in this bill, especially as he's already clearly voiced his own financial self-interest.

If he can't separate his own restaurant chain from his public "job" as an alderman, then the public shouldn't either. If his block passes, we will speak with our dollars.

[chgotchr]

11:13 PM on 06/18/2011

yet another example of Chicago deciding to be a provincial corrupt little burg instead of, you know, an actual first class city. We got a mayor from Wilmette who is looking towards a future in national politics and alderman who are looking after their finances. The mayor probably doesn't care about food trucks because he won't be able to talk about it in his Rahm for America ads when he runs for president, and the alderman care about keeping food off the road and thus the ridiculous whims of the alderman win over common sense.

[bmcombs]

07:59 PM on 06/18/2011

As a resident in Tunney's ward I just forwarded him an email stating that food trucks should be supported and his personal financial position should not be a factor. If he is unable to separate his business from his work as an alderman then he needs to recuse himself from this legislation.

[brooksjohnson9]

05:51 PM on 06/18/2011

Just another way for the have's to make sure no one else does!

[Marie Perkins]

10:27 AM on 06/18/2011

tunney is an egoist! All he cares about is himself and the profits that he makes from his inferior restaurant. Having eaten at his "brick and mortar", the prices are through the roof and the food is fattening and greasy. Plus, for those of you who live in the Chicago area, he was also behind lifting the ban on foie gras, which the City Council passed, because of the c rue lt y involved with force feeding geese. But this clown tunney and his other co-hort daley, thought that it was "sily" and he overturned it. Whatever happened to free market? In tunney's world, the market belongs to him and only him.

[ritgar]

07:27 PM on 06/17/2011

Restaurants need to rethink for the current economic situations. In my downtown office you can barely get your lunch in to the fridges,since no one is eating out anymore.None of the restaurants & food courts near my office are anywhere near as busy as they used to be. If this helps bring business back they should go for it. that idiot alderman needs to get his own darn truck.

[Xattix]

05:51 PM on 06/17/2011

Well, New York has tons of food trucks, and obviously their brick and mortar restaurants have suffered. Yup, that's why you go to New York. Broadway and the fine food truck dining.

[zombywulf]

03:26 PM on 06/17/2011

The problem here is the Alderman didn't get a payoff.

[lakefront liberal]

03:12 PM on 06/17/2011

If NYC and other cities have no issues with this, I don't know why Chicago should. It adds to the streetlife, and makes cities feel more active and not so sanitized.

Tunney needs to represent all of the residents of Chicago, and not only himself and a few other restuaranteurs who want to keep a monopoly on food sales. As one commenter on the Chicagoist website said, there should be a van that only sells cinnamon buns parked next to Ann Sather. I'll add to that by saying that they should park as close to the front door as legally possible. That's why people go to Tunney's restaurants anyway.

[TaylerWoods]

03:20 PM on 06/17/2011

"...there should be a van that only sells cinnamon buns parked next to Ann Sather. I'll add to that by saying that they should park as close to the front door as legally possible..."

I wonder how many parking meters they would take up? I can hear cheering peas :D

[frant52]

02:50 PM on 06/17/2011

This sort of business is successful elsewhere, why not give it a shot here? What are the restaurant owners afraid of? Will a truck selling sandwiches across the street from your business cause any more competition than a brick and mortar restaurant opening across the street?

[Terrible Towel]

02:48 PM on 06/17/2011

Sorry....you don't want competition? Then move to another country.

[knightoftheroundtable]

02:40 PM on 06/17/2011

So far for human rights in Chicago. Only the special get permits to operate a business, disgusting.

[FedUpWithHate]

01:39 PM on 06/17/2011

Tom, make better tasting food that's not outrageously priced and it would be a threat.
Sounds like Tom Tunney self interest should make his participation exempt. I know, that's not the way things work.
what I do know is if I saw a truck outside an Anne Sathers location, I'd certainly grab some grub from the truck!