Fired Up Taco Truck in Lakewood

[Kristen Bindel]

I don't care if they come from a building, a car, a truck, or a donkey....how could more tacos ever be a bad thing?

I really wish I had a "like" button for this. Lakewood needs more tacos to eat while turning right on red when I'm on my way to Get Go.

[Stan Austin]

I'm gonna go to the drive thru window of the new McD's, get three Big Macs, toss the bags out on Woodward, go to the new CVS and get some Pepto, then drop my truck off at Calani's for major repairs. I'll pick it up in a month or so.

[Ryan Salo]

There was quite a crowd at the mini mart parking lot tonight. The taco's and fries were great! A little small for my liking but still worth the $3. I am not going to drive all over the county to eat there, but will probably go again if they come back to Lakewood.

[Jim O'Bryan]

So, when this first was announced I brought up many thoughts.

1) No taxes, no accounting for Lakewood.

2) Unfair competition with other brick and mortar restaurants that had massive investments
to even be able to open and serve food in Lakewood. Parking, washrooms, sanitary
inspections, the ability to move around if slow.

3) Do we even need more tacos in Lakewood? Most of the bars, Taco Tontos, Cozumel, etc.

I was told, just a passing fancy not a long term deal, nothing to worry about...


Seems like a long term deal to me.

Where does it end? Hardware trucks? Hair salon trucks? Clothing trucks? Education Trucks?

FWIW


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[Glenn Palmer]

Hardware trucks? Bring them on, another chance for us to shine. The education trucks might just not make it, people WANT tacos. I do have a prediction.......used food trucks will be cheap in the next 2 years. I just hope the potentially affected businesses step it up and drive them out. I would love to see local businesses rent food trucks and do a mobile service within the city (just a dream).

[Will Brown]

I'd like to see a knife sharpener truck perhaps once a week. There used to be a booth at the farmer's market, but that is seasonal.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I'd like to see a knife sharpener truck perhaps once a week. There used to be a booth at the farmer's market, but that is seasonal.

Actually I think a sharpener truck with a route would make a killing.

My point is to outlaw the trucks, far from it.

This is about evening the playing field.

This is about making sure, Lakewood, the city and the community benefits from this new business
that has opened up for the moment, or the year. This is about fairness to all.

I am happy to see that when the hardware trucks come in it will give Glenn and Lakewood Hardware
a chance to shine. But I want to make sure, Lakewood Hardware's shine isn't diminished but lower
prices from the truck, and door service, because Glenn is paying taxes and they aren't.

It's all good, if the field is fair.

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[Glenn Palmer]

If we tax them I'm not sure that's fair if we ban them that's not fair. Just having them run their course and go away when the fad fades may be the obvious solution. I'm sure at some point taking your business on the road daily will grow old or will they take the leap ie: Jibaro?

[Matthew Lee]

Interesting discussion. Leaving aside the hardware/salon/paint store trucks (which, to the best of my knowledge, there isn't a wealth of knowledge on), let's focus on some thoughts on food trucks in general (which are well established in many cities across the country):

* Question 1 : Why is take out food NOT taxed in Ohio anyways? Seems to me the real question of "fairness" is why if I do take out from Cozumel I am not taxed but if I want to sit and enjoy a meal, and be waited on, I have to pay sales tax? IMHO, it should be one or the other for both. Point being, a food truck will never have to pay sales tax unless this is changed.

* Question 2 : One very good argument for food trucks is that it can allow the "little person" to create a following and they will grow into a "bricks and mortar restaurant". We just got back from D.C. and ate at District Tacos which started as a food truck but now has two physical locations. However, do we (in Lakewood) care if Fired-Up Taco does so well that they open a storefront in Parma? Or Westlake? This is more of a regional-good vs neighborhood-good thing but interesting, nonetheless.

* Question 3 : How can Lakewood make this a win-win? Not sure what the city council is doing other than pontificating on this, but other cities charge an annual fee to the truck and also regulate hygiene, do inspections etc. Instead of shunting the trucks, why not allow them with more regulations? Right now, it seems they can be on private property as much as they want, which just seems weird. But I could be wrong.

Having Fired-Up Taco at Mini-Mart doesn't strike me as an "explosion" of food carts but definitely think we should be more proactive than we have been on this issue.

[Will Brown]

I'm pretty sure you can't run a business on property that is not zoned commercial, so if the truck is on commercial property, it is apparent that the owner of that property is getting some benefit, whether from rent, or possibly increased customer base. So what is the reason to object to such an operation?

What taxes don't they pay? They would owe income tax on income generated in Lakewood. And I'm certain the city would derive income from licensing and inspecting fees. Property tax is paid by the owner who is letting them use his property.

I think allowing the trucks is consistent with the trend for outdoor dining, shown by the many patios that have sprung up. I think it would add to our parks if the city rented space there to some food trucks.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Having Fired-Up Taco at Mini-Mart doesn't strike me as an "explosion" of food carts but definitely think we should be more proactive than we have been on this issue.

YES!

I mean if the city can regulate the way we have yard sales...

I'm pretty sure you can't run a business on property that is not zoned commercial, so if the truck is on commercial property, it is apparent that the owner of that property is getting some benefit, whether from rent, or possibly increased customer base. So what is the reason to object to such an operation?

What taxes don't they pay? They would owe income tax on income generated in Lakewood. And I'm certain the city would derive income from licensing and inspecting fees. Property tax is paid by the owner who is letting them use his property.

I think allowing the trucks is consistent with the trend for outdoor dining, shown by the many patios that have sprung up. I think it would add to our parks if the city rented space there to some food trucks.

Will

My attitude goes back to when I brought Hot Dog Carts to Cleveland, they had not been here before
and at first they let us run wild, and then the restaurant owners brought forth some valid concerns
that we addressed ourselves and with the city of Cleveland, that made the brick and mortar people
happy and still allowed us to basically print money back in the day.

This is what I am getting at, the same thing Matt Lee just said.

Food trucks in parks make all the sense in the world. Infringes directly on no one.

Taco trucks 100' from Cozumel seems a little in your face for me, and unfair to the guys that
just spent a small fortune rehabbing IHOP. The message you are sending is, do not invest in
our storefronts, just park your truck and rock and roll. We will not inspect your trucks or your
books. Again this might work in Solon, but I have been told Lakewood needs to tighten its belt
and look for additional forms of income.

FWIW

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[Jim O'Bryan]

OK, we cannot touch food trucks parked on private property, right? Or so we are told. Which seems
odd as every restaurant and store is in effect on private property. But let's play along with City
Hall for the sake of this conversation.

I asked who checks the sanitation? Who collects the taxes? How do we tell the brick and motor
Mexican Restaurant across from the taco truck to suck it up. OK, I guess that is fair and a great
signal to other businesses to BUY and invest in Lakewood. But OK, I get it, the food off a truck
is always better than brick and motor, it's cool. (I do eat at Fired Up Tacos, whenever I find them
outside of Lakewood, and find the food OK).

But I had mentioned it is a slippery slope, you build a "cool" city*. And every "gypsy" in the area
wants to come and work it and glean some $$$$$$$$$.

Meet, the clothing truck...



This resale shop pulls into the car wash driveway and sets up every Sunday. Nice truck, nice
people, and when they pull out the racks and build their showroom on the street, so to speak
it would appear they have nice clothes. BUT, how are taxes collected? How are they checked to
make sure they follow the same laws we ask our brick and mortar stores to go through, or is this
another way to start a business in Lakewood without jumping through red tape?

Also why would this person get to basically have a garage sale every weekend, when the residents
are only allowed one garage sale a year? How is this fair, even handed or even a bonus for the
city and those wishing to open stores in Lakewood.

Just thoughts as I go by the new clothes store on Detroit Ave.

* So many people think the city just got to be a cool place. This happens with new arrivals
that moved here recently and do not realize our best in the area city in the area goes back
to the 70s when we were awarded Safest city in America.

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[todd vainisi]

Wow, I think I have to agree with Jim about this. I assumed that Taco truck was owned by Cozumel, cause I've seen it directly across the street from them so many times. I love food trucks, but maybe we can set up something were they can all park together and compete with each other instead of our local restaurants (not an original idea at all).

[ryan costa]

I have had bad luck buying food out of trucks.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Wow, I think I have to agree with Jim about this. I assumed that Taco truck was owned by Cozumel, cause I've seen it directly across the street from them so many times. I love food trucks, but maybe we can set up something were they can all park together and compete with each other instead of our local restaurants (not an original idea at all).

Todd

Fired Up Tacos is a Lakewood owned business, but allowed to park there, as the owner has said it
is OK with him. Having been in the mobile food business before it was hip*, I have always wondered
where the tax money goes, how it remains fair and equitable for all. Brick and mortar establishments
should be respected as they generally have invested more, and have less mobility.

Fired Up Tacos truck produces a good product, but so does Cozumel.

Ryan

I always think of food truck food like I do of "freeze dried back packing food" it tastes great on
a cold rainy night after walking 60 miles. Back at home it just isn't as enjoyable. But it is so cool.

Food alert, Food Channel food expert Florian Bellanger from Cupcake Wars mentioned on NBC
cupcakes are no longer cool. So if you choose you choice of food by cool instead of taste you might
want to remember that. Thomas you reading this?

* Todd as many seem to think things are not based in facts on the Deck, here is a video of
me working one of my 3 mobile hot dog carts back in 1976. 3 of the first 6 brought into
Cleveland for the first time since the 40s.


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