By Rachel Raimondi | UBSpectrum.com

Every morning, Buffalonians can smell the fresh burgers around the corner when Ayoub “Mike” Abboud pulls up in his black and red painted truck. He settles in and prepares for the rush of business park employees on their lunch break.

He opens the window and his food truck, Knight Slider, is ready for business.

Food served from a truck may not sound tempting to some, but Morgan Bresky, a senior exercise science major, said Knight Slider is a great addition to Main Street cuisine.

“I love how the burgers are not plain,” Bresky said. “Instead, each of them is very unique with many different types of toppings and sauces.”

Abboud, a UB alum, grew up in the kitchen. While at UB, he didn’t have a lot of money so he wants to “give students a healthy and absolutely affordable option.”

With prices from $2.50 to $4, Abboud feels it would be a poor college student’s dream. His fresh, locally grown ingredients are healthy options for students, too. However, he said Campus Dining and Shops, University Police, Student Life and Student Affairs will not allow Knight Slider on campus.

“Campus Dining and Shops has exclusive rights to provide food service at UB,” said Director of Student Life TomTiberi. “The only exception to this is the UB Commons, which is privately operated.”

Abboud thinks he would be a good vendor at UB because of his uncommon recipes. His menu would not compete with established businesses on campus.

The recipes are entirely original, according to Abboud, a former UB political science major.

In keeping with the fun and friendly service, the food truck’s name has a comical background. Knight Slider is derived from Knight Rider, the ’80s TV show that featured David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a modern-day knight fighting crime with his artificially intelligent car, Kitt. Most of the food truck’s dishes have names that reference the show: “the Classic Slider,” “the Kitt” and “the Hoff.”

The names aren’t the only thing unique about Abboud’s dishes. Knight Slider doesn’t serve everyday street food. The“Eggsplostion Slider” is a beef patty topped with sharp cheddar cheese, shredded wild bacon and fried quail eggs that he buys locally. His “Hoff Slider” is a beef patty topped with sharp cheddar cheese, carmelized onions, fried French onions and homemade chipotle sauce.

As the second oldest of nine children, Abboud helped his mom cook for as long as he could remember. At age 13, he began working in a New York City restaurant and learned how to cook from older employees.

After he left UB and returned to New York City to take care of his family for personal reasons, Abboud planned on opening a restaurant but found food trucks were a new trend in Western New York. In less than a year, he partnered with Remi Qarmout – who was trained at Johnson & Wales Culinary School in Florida – and opened the ninth official food truck in Buffalo.

 Everything is fresh and made-to-order. The ingredients come from the North Tonawanda Farmer’s Market and Gino’s Bakery on Hertel Avenue.

“It’s healthier, and it’s a way to give support from one local business to another,” Abboud said.

According to Ben Tsujimoto, a Buffalo-based food blogger, the business also gives back to the community by donating its leftovers each day to St. John’s Grace Episcopal Church, where its commissary is also located. A priest at the church makes the pita bread for Knight Slider’s falafel dish, the “12 O’Clock Slider.”

Abboud wants to stay in the city proper during lunch hour and come to campus mainly for special events, like concerts and the speaker series.

For now, Knight Slider operates in Buffalo – most notably in the downtown and Main Street areas – which Abboudbelieves is perfect for the bar crowd. Thursday through Saturday night, he serves Main Street by South Campus.

“We usually have a line outside and students rave about it,” Abboud said. “They all mention we should be on campus and that the truck is a great idea. I believe the students are welcoming of it and actually kind of prefer it.”

Knight Slider’s Twitter and Facebook accounts are covered in patrons’ praises and questions of where they can find the food truck next.

“By far the best burgers in Buffalo,” a Twitter user named Greg (@Affliction716) tweeted. Greg said his wife could even agree with him on that one.

For Abboud, that’s the best part of the business.

http://www.ubspectrum.com/news/ub-will-not-allow-private-vendors-outside-the-commons-1.2948643#.UKBM2uSmg8M

By Jill Terreri | BuffaloNews.com

Customers visit The Whole Hog food truck downtown in the summer of 2011. (Charles Lewis/Buffalo News file photo)

A renewed debate about the future of food trucks in Buffalo will begin today, when a proposal that would allow the trucks into Canalside is discussed by the Common Council.

Behind the scenes, entrepreneurs in the growing food truck industry are lobbying to shape the city’s broader policy – from permit fees to where they can conduct business – before legislation sunsets on April 1.

Food truck owners pay $1,000 for permits to operate throughout the city, and they are restricted from serving customers in many areas downtown.

“We don’t have an opportunity to compete in the more prominent or high-traffic areas,” said Peter V. Cimino, principal with Lloyd Taco Truck.

Lloyd’s owners pay an additional $1,400 for the privilege of parking at Main and Mohawk streets, which is within the city’s special downtown vending district, and an additional $31.50 to the city for every special event they attend, not to mention the fees charged by event organizers.

“It hasn’t allowed a food truck culture to develop here,” Cimino said.

Lloyd opened in July 2010 and was Buffalo’s first food truck. Since then, the city has seen more trucks emerge, while others are up for sale. They serve burgers, beef on weck, and dessert, among other things, and can be found on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, in the Larkin District and in pockets of the Elmwood and Hertel strips where they’re not within 100 feet of an open restaurant. They use social networking sites to let their fans know where to find them.

Cimino said if the amendment to a city ordinance allowing the trucks into Canalside is some kind of trade for keeping the annual fee at $1,000, he said he’s not interested.

“It doesn’t do much for us,” he said of opening Canalside, noting parking restrictions and the existing city rules that dictate the trucks must be 100 feet away from an open restaurant and 500 feet away from a special event.

North Council Member Joseph Golombek sponsored the resolution that would allow the trucks into Canalside, and took the lead in the Council’s original food truck debate.

Golombek is meeting with a lawyer for the trucks later this week on the broader city ordinance governing food truck permits, but said Monday that his initial thought is to renew the legislation as it is.

“I don’t want to open up a can of worms,” he said.

The Canalside provision is on the agenda for the Legislation Committee, which meets at 2 p.m. today in Council Chambers. If it passes, it could be enacted by the full Council on Feb. 19.

Legislation Committee Chairman Darius G. Pridgen said he expects the Council to act on the comprehensive food truck legislation well ahead of the April 1 deadline.

“I think we definitely need to hear from the food truck operators, the brick-and-mortars and the customer base the trucks serve,” Pridgen said.

“It may be too early to decide if there are changes that are needed.”

Two representatives for brick-and-mortar restaurants that were involved in the city’s original debate over where food trucks can operate said Monday that the trucks have abided by the law enacted by the Council in January 2012, and they won’t seek changes to the ordinance.

“It seems to me they lived up to it,” said Mark D. Campanella, vice president of marketing and franchise development with Just Pizza.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130211/CITYANDREGION/130219825/1002

By WGRZ Web Staff | WGRZ

BUFFALO, NY– This month, we’re featuring some of Buffalo’s new and creative food trucks on Daybreak.

On Monday, we checked out “The Knight Slider” truck.

The truck is based on the David Hasselhoff TV show of the 80′s, and if you watched the show, you’ll recognize some of the menu items on the truck.

If you like sliders, which are mini burgers, you’ll like the truck.   You’ll meet Mike Abboud and Matt Adrian, the guys who love the show and create the food.

To find out where they will be each day, check out their Facebook

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/200799/37/The-Knight-Slider-Food-Truck

By  Ben Tsujimoto | Buffalo

It’s been a full 13 months since a detailed set of rules was agreed upon by Buffalo’s Common Council to formally regulate the city’s fleet of food trucks.

Since late January 2012, the Knight Slider, Amy’s Truck, Black Market Food Truck, Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs, the Sweet Hearth, the Cheesy Chick (in the process of being sold) and Pizza Amore (focused on sit-down restaurant in Grand Island) have entered the fray, lending depth and variety while confirming that the mobile food truck scene was more than just a temporary fad in Buffalo.

April 1 is the date when the initial terms agreed upon by the City of Buffalo and the WNY Food Truck Association expire, and the two groups plan to meet again to revise the regulations and consider adjustments. The discussions will tentatively begin in a public forum on March 12, and as The Buffalo News’ Jill Terreri noted, a lower licensing fee and possible access to Canalside are in the works.

The $1,000 permit fee required for Buffalo’s trucks to operate within the city limits was hotly debated when the ordinance was first passed in early 2012, but the WNY Food Truck Association agreed to the terms, knowing that a review period would approach quickly and the ability to vend legally was the top priority.

In comparison to other Rust Belt cities, Buffalo’s fee is grossly high—Cleveland charges a $100 license per individual parking spot in the city, while Pittsburgh food trucks have concerns over an annual, non-pro-rated $700 fee.

The prospect of vending at Buffalo Place concerts Canalside is certainly alluring to food trucks—after all, 15,000 people turned out for Salt-N-Pepa at Thursday at the Harbor last year—but zoning rules come into play, making permission a little more murky. Here’s a link to a zoning map of Buffalo Place, including 100% and 50% zones.

Currently, there’s a separate food truck license for Buffalo Place and the City of Buffalo, and as North Council Member Joseph Golombek said in Terreri’s article, a comprehensive investigation into revising the regulations may adjust the costs and approved vending locations.

Expect an announcement in the coming days from the WNY Food Truck Association and the longest-tenured food trucks like Lloyd Taco Truck, Roaming Buffalo and RnR BBQ.

http://www.buffalo.com/news/blog/buffalo-food-trucks-to-expect-lower-fees-possible-access-to-canalside

By Jeff Preval | WGRZ.com

BUFFALO, NY – Food trucks have become a huge draw in Western New York, since splashing onto the scene a couple years ago. But high permitting fees in Buffalo have been driving some trucks out of the business.

Now, food truck operators are fighting back.

Renee Allen of R&R BBQ says the current fee structure makes it tough to keep her truck running.

“What we’re looking for is just something reasonable so that we can operate our business and have a little bit lower fees so we can actually bring the food to the public like we want to do,” she said.

Next Tuesday, Western New York Food Truck Association, the region’s food truck representative, will go to City Hall and meet with members of Common Council to fight for lower fees.

WNYFTA, which includes nine food trucks, has started lobbying council members ahead of an April 1 deadline, when a city code that was approved in 2011 expires and the current fee structure needs to be updated. Many vendors desperately want the permit renewal fee lowered.

Right now, it costs $1,000 for a food truck owner to get city approval to operate in Buffalo. It costs another $1,000 to renew the license each year. And according to vendors, the price is too high and needs to be lowered.

On the other side of the debate, are many brick and mortar restaurants that say the food truck fees are too low. The trucks and restaurants compete for business.

“The fees are excessively high compared to other cities across the nation our fee of $1,000 a year is the highest, we’d like to get that reduced substantially,” said Mitchell Stenger, an attorney for WNYFTA.

Food truck vendors say their costs grow even higher, when special events and Buffalo Place fees are added on top.

North District council member Joseph Golombek says the permit fees cover city costs.

“You do have to have the City of Buffalo inspect them, you have to have an inspector there, you have to have a fire inspector go there, I think there’s also a police officer has to inspect it, so we do need to be reimbursed for the cost,” said Golombek.

He adds that brick and mortar restaurants that compete with the food trucks say the permit fees should be higher. Golombek thinks a compromise may be found that would lower the renewal permit fees. It’s unclear what that number will be. Actual permit fees would stay the same.

Across the country, many other cities have more reasonable permit fees, like, $100 in Washington, D.C., $340 in Philadelphia and about $200 in New York City.

Chris Taylor, a co-owner of The Roaming Buffalo thinks there are some benefits to the current permit fee, “it does keeps the rift raft out, you don’t want a guy selling hot dogs in the back of his minivan, so if you’re serious about doing a food truck, $1,000 you’re going to pay the City of Buffalo and then when you want to renew the fee drop it down to $325.”

It all comes down to a deal that’s affordable enough for the food trucks and not too low for many brick and mortar restaurants.

The new permit fee code could be approved immediately, if enough council members approve it and if Mayor Byron Brown signs it.

If there are problems with the new fee breakdown, then an extension of the current statute may be voted on to give more time for debate.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/204596/1/Food-Trucks-Fight-for-Lower-Permit-Costs

By Jill Terreri | Buffalo News

Ordering a taco or a hamburger from a truck parked at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus or on Hertel Avenue might seem like a simple transaction.

But before that truck can sell anything, there are rules to follow and fees to be paid.

Owners of nine food trucks are seeking relief from the city’s $1,000 annual permit fee, but the fee will likely stay the same for first-time truck owners, said North Council Member Joseph Golombek, who has taken up the issue in the Common Council.

The Council is considering reducing the permit fee to approximately $750 for trucks that have already paid the $1,000 fee once under terms of an extension to the ordinance governing food trucks, which ends April 1. But truck owners are asking that the initial fee be lowered to $300 to $400 and that renewal fees not exceed $250. In exchange, they are not asking for changes to their operating rules.

“Buffalo should not be accruing profits to city coffers by assessing onerous fees upon the backs of small independent start-up businesses,” wrote Mitchell M. Stenger, a lawyer representing the Western New York Food Truck Association, in a letter to Golombek.

Truck owners are seeking changes for several reasons, one being that suburban communities are establishing their own fees and rules and will likely look at what Buffalo has done, Stenger said.

Debate about the trucks was heated leading up to passage of the original ordinance by the Council in January 2012. Golombek is hesitant to make many changes because of the competing interests surrounding the issue, including those of established restaurants, he said.

“Both sides will not be thrilled with this, but neither side will be unhappy with this either,” he said.

The debate could reach Council chambers Tuesday, depending on how far negotiations progress. Stenger’s letter to Golombek is part of the agenda for the Legislation Committee, which meets at 2 p.m. It’s possible the Council could approve new terms before the ordinance ends on April 1, Golombek said.

The trucks are also asking that if a mobile food vending business owns more than one truck, that the business is not charged more than $500 per year.

It is the city’s intention, however, to assess each truck a permit fee, meaning a business that wants a permit for two new trucks would have to pay $2,000, Golombek said.

The coalition is not asking for changes to the rule that prohibits them from being within 100 feet of an open kitchen, though Stenger noted that some cities have no such restrictions.

The Council is also considering a change to allow trucks into Canalside, though they would not be permitted there during special events, and the 100-foot rule would still apply.

Canalside is now under the oversight of Buffalo Place, which has different vending rules, and charges the trucks typically more than $1,000 in additional fees to operate at assigned locations.

Truck owners are also seeking to negotiate with Buffalo Place for better terms, as current fees and rules prohibit many trucks from operating downtown, Stenger said.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130309/CITYANDREGION/130309153/101

By Alan Bedenko | ArtVoice.com

Today at 2pm, Buffalo’s Food Trucks will be at the Common Council as the city’s legislature debates how the food truck law might be changed. The law sunsets in April and in the past 12 months, not a single complaint has been lodged from any source against any truck.

The trucks, however, find themselves up against some intransigent lawmakers and some brick and mortar restaurants that believe they have the right to regulate and control what the trucks do and how they do it. Also on the agenda is expanding access to downtown Buffalo Place locations and freeing Canalside up to the trucks.

If you enjoy buying food from Buffalo’s food trucks, please come and show your support.

Because in the end, this isn’t about whether or not the law is fair for the trucks or fair for the restaurants – this is about you. This is about you telling the city, the trucks, and the brick & mortars – I like having a choice; I like the product that the trucks offer and I want more access to more trucks – not more restrictive access to fewer trucks. We’ve already lost the Cheesy Chick grilled cheese food truck due in part to the high cost of doing business across multiple municipalities in WNY.

Buffalo charges trucks $1,000 per year, while it costs a restaurant between $175 – 325 per year to hold a take out license. The city claims that it needs to charge trucks $1,000 per year because of the administrative costs involved, yet refuses to release a breakdown of those costs.

Ultimately, it might be time for a regionwide statute that is applicable to all municipalities in Erie County with a single fee paid. You want to encourage and help entrepreneurship in western New York? Then this should be the test case.

But for the time being, please show your support for your favorite food trucks. They need it, and the city’s lawmakers need to understand that this isn’t only about the trucks and the restaurants – it’s about you.

http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2013/03/12/tuesday-show-your-support-for-buffalos-food-trucks/

By Al Vaughters |  WIVB.com

Hearing on fate of Buffalo food trucks

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Time is running out on Buffalo’s great food truck experiment and city officials are trying to figure out if they should extend the regulations that were passed a year-and-a-half ago or change them.

City officials set vendor fees at a thousand dollars a truck per year. The trucks also have to stay at least 100 feet away from the closest traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.

At a Common Council committee hearing Tuesday, Buffalo’s fees were compared with other cities. Rochester operators only pay $750 a year and in the nation’s capital, it is only $100. New York City only charges food truck vendors $200 for a two-year permit, but there are additional costs, and the trucks are restricted to certain parking areas.

More than a dozen food truck operators were at the hearing to argue for lower fees, saying the high cost of doing business has shut down a few trucks already. But brick-and-mortar businesses counter their costs are higher than food truck operators, and it’s unfair competition.

“Food trucks are here to stay, despite what some of you might think. So stop treating us like a thorn in your side because that will only cause you further frustration,” said Peter Cimino, owner of Lloyd Taco Truck.

Restaurant owner Tucker Curtin countered, “As the president of the business association up by Main Street, I had a number of complaints from the brick-and-mortars up and down the neighborhood that they were losing a hundred bucks, losing a couple hundred bucks. Tucker what can you do about? I don’t know what to do about it.”

City officials have until April 1 to renew the food truck rules, change them or extend the deadline. Some brick-and-mortar restaurant owners are calling for even more regulations of their four-wheeled competition.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/buffalo/hearing-on-fate-of-buffalo-food-trucks?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wivb_local+(WIVB.com+-+Local+News)

By  Jill Terreri | Buffalo News

As Christian Willmott serves customers such as Holly Buczek, left, and Colleen Maciag from his Black Market Food Truck at a parking lot in Amherst, debate intensifies on whether rules and fees in the town, the city and maybe elsewhere could threaten such businesses.

Care to sample chocolate bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce served up by The Sweet Hearth’s funky green-and-white food truck in your neighborhood?

Want to try Lloyd’s “tricked out nachos” while out on the town?

Do you want to sink your teeth into a gourmet slider served hot off the Knight Slider’s sleek black kitchen on wheels?

That may all depend on what happens in Buffalo and Amherst over the next few weeks as they grapple with what to do about food trucks – from how much they should be charged to operate to where and when they can do so.

Despite their popularity nationwide, food trucks are still relatively new to the Buffalo area, and in many communities, peddling laws written to govern door-to-door salesmen, some dating from the early 1900s, are the closest things on the books to a regulation for these mobile kitchens.

But elected officials and food truck operators say that’s just not going to work for this 21st century phenomenon.

Truck owners worry that if other towns and villages follow Buffalo and Amherst’s lead and set up their own sets of fees and rules, they’ll be severely limited on where they can operate.

“The cost to operate a food truck in Western New York is going to be astronomical,” said Peter V. Cimino, a principal with Lloyd Taco Truck, which opened for business in 2010.

Truck owners say their business is difficult as it is, pointing to two of their colleagues who have put their trucks up for sale.

Buffalo is weighing a renewal of a food truck ordinance enacted in January 2012 and expiring April 1. The new ordinance is much like the old one, but would reduce the $1,000 permit fee to $500 for trucks that paid the $1,000 fee last year. Like the existing ordinance, operators of new trucks would be charged $1,000 for their first permit.

In addition, a 100-foot restriction from any open kitchen is also maintained in the renewal. A hearing will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Buffalo Common Council chambers.

Amherst is the first suburb to follow in Buffalo’s footsteps by requiring food truck permits, and is considering new regulations. A proposed law up for public discussion April 8 at Town Hall would be more restrictive, in some ways, than Buffalo’s permit.

Lovers of food-on-wheels would have more difficulty finding food trucks on streets in Amherst, late in the evening or near intersections under the draft law recently released.

While there aren’t any restrictions on food trucks in private parking lots, where the trucks do the most business in town, food trucks would be forbidden from operating for more than an hour on streets.

“We don’t want these folks just setting up shop and staking out an area for an indeterminate amount of time,” said Building Commissioner Thomas C. Ketchum, who authored the proposed food truck permit law.

The trucks don’t want to be anywhere all day, said lawyer Mitchell M. Stenger, who represents a coalition of mobile food vendors. They typically set up for two hours at a location, but restricting them to an hour is too onerous, he said.

The Amherst proposal also doesn’t allow trucks to be parked within 60 feet of any intersection for traffic safety and visibility reasons, and, like Buffalo, they can’t be located within 100 feet of any open kitchen without permission. Unlike Buffalo, the trucks would also have to shut down by 9 p.m. in residential neighborhoods and 11 p.m. in nonresidential areas.

“We were concerned about how this played into any nuisance activities in the evening,” Ketchum said.

Amherst’s annual permit would require a $500 fee for the first truck and $250 for each additional truck operating in town.

The town was motivated to create a specific food truck permit after the embarrassment of last fall when town police and code-enforcement officers shut down food trucks, turned away hungry patrons and endangered a food truck fundraising event for the City Mission because of an outdated “peddling and soliciting” law.

The new laws are designed to be more practical, community leaders said, while still protecting brick-and-mortar restaurants.

“These rules really need to be looked at,” said Tucker Curtin, who owns the Steer restaurant and Lake Effect Diner in University Heights and is urging the Council to increase regulations on the trucks.

While some are concerned, other city restaurants welcome and partner with food truck businesses. North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr., who has taken the lead on the food truck issue in the Council, said he has “received very, very few serious complaints about the trucks.”

Other suburban communities don’t yet require formal permits but are taking intermediate steps.

The Village of Williamsville is considering whether it should impose its own permit requirements on food trucks since the proposed Amherst law would not apply within village limits. Mayor Brian J. Kulpa said he’s conscious of “overregulating” food trucks but worries about the impact on brick-and-mortar businesses. He’s asking the Williamsville Business Association for its input.

“There is some anxiety from our restaurant owners about it,” he said.

West Seneca has set up a system for allowing the trucks onto town property, and has allowed one truck to set up at Town Hall and the highway garage for 90 minutes at a time. So far, there are no permit fees, but the trucks have to write to the town to request where they would like to serve and provide proof of insurance.

“It’s kind of like a look-and-see thing,” said Supervisor Sheila M. Meegan “It’s something the town is not saying no to.”

So far, Meegan has heard from just one restaurant owner about the trucks, which welcomed the competition, she said.

Officials of both communities said they couldn’t imagine charging steep fees like Buffalo and Amherst are considering.

“We wouldn’t ask for that much,” Meegan said of Buffalo’s $1,000 fee. “That wouldn’t help the vendor.”

Ayoub “Mike” Abboud, owner of the Knight Slider food truck that was shut down by Amherst police last fall, said all the restrictions were excessive and way beyond local government mandates to protect public health and safety. “It just doesn’t seem right,” he said.

Kelly Brewer, owner The Sweet Hearth dessert truck, said she used to do more business in Amherst than anywhere else but was forced to scale back after the fall. She has turned down several requests from Amherst businesses to come to town, calling the fees in Buffalo and Amherst “ridiculous.”

“The permit fees,” she said, “are the biggest obstacle for me to earn a living and grow my business.”

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130322/CITYANDREGION/130329730/1010

By Contributor | WGRZ.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. — It wasn’t long ago when food trucks began to show up around Western New York.  But if the City of Buffalo’s high feescontinue, several of them say they could go out of business.

Several owners are upset over the high permit fees they have to pay to be able to operate in Buffalo.  Owners met with the city’s legislation committee Tuesday to voice their opinion that paying $1,000 for city approval, and then another $1,000 to get the same license renewed each year is exhorbitant.

“It feels like they are taking advantage of us.  And, as a result of these fees, some one my colleagues have been put out of business.  They have sold their businesses, or are calling it quits.  It’s cumbersome enough to start a business in New York State, we don’t need the city making it harder for us,” said Peter Cimino with Lloyd Taco Truck.

No decision has been made.  But some of the city legislators we spoke with said they would be open to lowering the fee.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/205568/1/Food-Truck-Owners-Lobby-Lawmakers-to-Lower-Fees

By Mike Desmond |  WBFO 88.7

Credit theroamingbuffalo.org
Regulations are now set for food trucks like The Roaming Buffalo.

Buffalo’s array of food trucks received another year Tuesday as Common Council members approved new licenses and lower fees.

When council members went from a meeting of the Legislation Committee to a special meeting of the Council, they stayed silent and voted unanimously and quickly for the licenses. Under the new system, renewing operators will pay $500 dollars a year and new trucks will pay $800 effective Monday.

Roaming Buffalo owner Chris Taylor says that will bring out new truck operators who have been waiting to see what the fees would be. Taylor says the initial operating fee was a jolt when the city legalized the trucks.

“I didn’t expect the $1,000 fee when I first started, so it hurt us for a while. We had to hold off on buying certain things for the truck that would help my business. Hiring employees was definitely put off with the higher fees,” Taylor said.

There was much discussion during the committee meeting, with lawyers and restaurateurs dueling over how well the food trucks were doing and how much they are affecting brick and mortar restaurants.

The move didn’t pass without protest. Restaurateur Tucker Curtin told the Legislation Committee there are safety risks with the trucks.

“These folks are carrying around two 100-pound tanks of propane. This can become very dangerous. There’s been a number of explosions across the country. We’ve had explosions here with propane tanks in residential areas, as well as the four blocks that were taken out 10 or 20 years ago,” Curtin said.

Councilmember Joe Golombek says both sides had worked out their differences.

“The gist of it is is that it keeps a good ordinance that has worked reasonably well over the past 15 months. It keeps it moving forward and it lowers the fee by 50 percent so that as of April 1, instead of paying $1,000 the food trucks for renewals would have to pay $500,” Golombek said.

Food truck operators say this gives some certainty and also cuts their fees. Several new trucks are apparently ready to join those already on the road, now that costs and rules are clear.

http://news.wbfo.org/post/license-fees-lowered-buffalo-food-trucks

By  BlueDevil | Buffalo Rising

No rational person can disagree: food trucks are the best thing to happen to the Buffalo food scene in the last decade.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2013/03/common-council-looks-to-revise-food-truck-rules.html

By Alan Bedenko | Art Voice

You’d think that a restaurateur would welcome some competition. You’d think that a diner, when confronted with a popular hamburger food truck, would make a better hamburger to compete. Or tout the fact that it serves booze. You’d think that a person with a monopoly on food on Buffalo’s Outer Harbor would have some self-awareness about it.

According to Jill Terreri in the Buffalo News, Buffalo restaurateur Tucker Curtin wants Buffalo’s food trucks to operate under much more stringent regulations than any other food business in town, than they operate under currently, and than most trucks in most cities operate. Tucker Curtin owns the Steer, Lake Effect Diner, and Dug’s Dive – all three reasonably forgettable purveyors of mediocre crap, sometimes done up in a trendy way.

Curtin, whose restaurants I will never again patronize, retained counsel to agitate for rules that include:

- no food truck may operate within 100 feet of any private property of any sort without express permission of the owner or tenants;

- no food truck may park within 25 feet of a hydrant, intersection, or driveway to a lot with more than 10 spots;

- all food trucks must have a restaurant license.

- all food truck workers must have a peddler’s license. Everyone from the kid who heats up your tortilla to the person who writes the ticket;

- that trucks operate under special restrictions on Elmwood and Hertel, not just Buffalo Place;

The trucks in Buffalo pay a $1,000 fee for an annual permit for the privilege of serving food from a mobile unit that has none of the advantages of brick and mortar restaurants. This is about three times what trucks pay in most other cities, and the restrictions effectively forbid them from operating where the people are. Buffalo Place and downtown Buffalo is effectively cut off to them unless they pay another thousand-plus-dollar permit fee –  for the privilege of an inconvenient spot far from where people are.  On Elmwood and Hertel, it’s not easy finding a legal spot when people are out and about.

Curtin’s motives are unknown, but what he is attempting to accomplish amounts to nothing more than protectionism and anticompetitive behavior in a town not noted for its business friendliness or open-mindedness. The fact that the current ordinance was passed was amazing. The fact that it’s too restrictive and too expensive is something that needs to be remedied – not worsened. Tucker Curtin’s restaurants aren’t able to compete effectively with sliders from the Knight Slider truck, so he is going to war.

I don’t quite want to hear about how Curtin has the right to say or lobby for what he wants. I don’t quite want to hear that he may have a point. He does have the right to agitate for what he wants, and I have a right to despise what he wants and to criticize it. Likewise, I don’t think he has a point at all. If your restaurant serves food that is so forgettably mediocre that a slider truck cleans your clock, maybe you should step up your game instead of lobbying your pals on the Common Council to punish your competition. It is, quite frankly, a prime example of what’s wrong with Buffalo.

http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2013/03/26/tucker-curtin-versus-the-food-trucks/

By Contributor | WIVB.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A letter from Schwan’s, a popular food truck service, was recently sent to its customers regarding the recall of Rich’s food products.

Rich Products Corporation, one of Schwan’s suppliers announced a recall pertaining to several of their food products last week. More than 20 people throughout the country became sick from consuming food from Rich’s corporation.

Although Schwan’s has received no illness complaints, they are still asking its customers to return Schwan’s® LiveSmart™ Baked Mozzarella Bites and Schwan’s® LiveSmart™ Mini Meatball Sandwiches to their Schwan’s sales representative.

The company is also expanding their voluntary recall and including all Mozarella Bites sold by Market Day.

For more information on this widespread recall, visit the Centers for Disease and Prevention Control website

Rich Products notified Schwan’s of the recall due to a possible E. Coli contamination.

Schwan’s say’s their Home Service will credit their customers account with the cost of the product.

For anyone with questions, call at 1-866-972-4926. To learn more about the Rich  Products Corporation recall, visit www.farmrich.com.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/rich-recall-affects-schwans-products

By Lou Raguse  | WIVB.com 

Trucks battle at “Canalside Food Fight”

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – An all out food war was underway at the Canalside Saturday, among several local trucks.

“Canalside Food Fight” kicked off a season-long cooking competition between several food trucks. The organizers of Buffalo Soup-Fest started the series.

Event organizer, Matt Carlucci said, “We just want to show off the future of Buffalo, all in one spot.”

The future, includes the rising number of mobile food vendors, and the continuing development of the Canalside.

Chefs in seven trucks competed against each other using a Pan-American Exposition as inspiration for their dishes.

What were some of the contestants serving up with the inspirational ingredient?

Competitor Brenden Haggerty from the Whole Hog food truck said, “We did a little bit of research and we found an old menu they served to President McKinnley during the Pan American Expo.”

Kelly Brewer from the Sweet Hearth food truck said, “I am going to make an old-fashioned ice cream float.”

Michael Dimmer, from the Black Market food truck said he was making, “Cracker-jack fritter. It’s inspired by Cracker Jack, popcorn and peanuts everywhere at the Pan-American Exposition.”

News 4′s Ed Drantch was one of the celebrity judges who said picking a winner wasn’t too complicated. He said, “If it tastes good, it’s going to get points.”

When the points were counted for, the Black Market food truck took third place while the Sweet Hearth took second.

The winner was the Whole Hog food truck with the dish that was once served to President McKinnley in Buffalo during the Pan-American Expo.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/trucks-battle-at-canalside-food-fight

By Cory Perla  |  Arts Voice

Who: Frank and Paul Tripi of Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs

Where:  Mondays: (alternating) Larkin Center

Tuesdays: Dinner on Hertel [North Park & Saranac]

Thursdays: (alternating) First Niagara Center / Dinner on Elmwood

Fridays: Roswell Park & Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Saturdays: Outside Cecelias & Acropolis

Artvoice: How long did it take to make this food truck happen? Why did you decide to do a gourmet hot dog truck?

Frank: We’ve been working on this for about five years. Most people want to own a bar or restaurant at some point in their lives. I’ve been working in restaurants since I was 16 from here to New York City and back. From fine dining to neighborhood dive bars. I’ve always been into it, and I’ve always been into hot dogs and sausages. When I’m drunk and want something quick it’s what I gravitate toward. I thought this would work in Buffalo. Besides ketchup and mustard places like Ted’s and Louie’s, there is nobody out there who is really putting a gourmet twist on hot dogs. We were thinking a brick and mortar place at first but the point of entry was much higher than doing the truck, and this has worked out.

Artvoice: How did you come up with the menu?

Frank: A lot of trial and error. A couple of the menu items were just what we thought would work and we went for it. We had a couple focus groups before we opened. We tried to get the most brutally honest people we could. We weren’t sure about the Holy Moly at first [guacamole, sriracha, cilantro] but now it’s our second best seller. We weren’t sure about the Violet Beauregrade either [Blueberry BBQ sauce, onion crunch, cheddar]. It took us four different BBQ sauces to get it right but now we have it down. We like to just mess around and eat. We were in a lot better shape before we started this. As we go on, the menu is going to evolve and get more adventurous.

Artvoice: Where do your ingredients come from?

Paul: Right now our hot dogs are Sahlen’s. We get our vegetables from farmers markets as much as we can. We make our own veggie dogs [any dog can be ordered as a veggie dog]. We get one sausage from Omega Deli, which is a small local guy. No one knows about him, he only makes sausages once a week, and we’re the only one he does a big batch for. We’ve used Spar’s for their Flying Bison Beer Brats when we were at Beerology.

Artvoice: Thats cool, so you experiment based on where you’re parked too?

Paul: Yeah, depending on the event and what we need we can work in specific ingredients. We have a few contacts in New York that specialize in really funky sausages and we’re going to work those in there too. Like lamb sausages and more gamey meats. We just thought to start, you gotta do Sahlen’s because it’s Buffalo.

Artvoice: Where do your sauces come from? You mentioned the Blueberry BBQ sauce, but you also have a Tijuana Hot Cream Cheese.

Frank: We make it all. The relish, pickles, coleslaw, baked beans too. Paul makes the Tijuana Cream Cheese and the Blueberry BBQ. We hand cut the fries every morning. We pick up our bread from a baker every day, it’s a little bigger but thats because it’s actually made by a person. Besides like casing hotdogs and grinding sausages, we make everything else. And the places we get the meat from are the ones people love.

Artvoice: Do you like it when other trucks are around? Is the competition good?

Frank: Sometimes, but we like being solo. It’s cool when we do the big rodeos and it’s everybody, but to have someone park in front of us for a dinner shift it’s sucks. We’ve worked certain spots all winter.

Artvoice: Is there a lot of competition to lay claim to certain spots?

Frank: Yeah, the other day we were here [at the corner of Elmwood and Lafayette] and one of the trucks was a stones throw away, so the people walking down could see him before us. If someone was parking in this exact spot on a Thursday I might have to get out of the truck. I think we’re the two largest truck guys, so nobody will be poaching our spots.

Find Frank now on Twitter: @FindFrankNow

http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2013/05/17/meet-paul-and-frank-and-their-dogs/

By Elizabeth Carey  |  Business  Journal

Food trucks like the Roaming Buffalo are cashing in with catering events this summer as hungry customers bring the trucks home.

Buffalo’s passion for food trucks got started on lunch breaks for the most part. Now hungry customers are bringing the trend home.

Ask any food truck operator in Western New York and most will say they rely on private catering to keep the truck running. “We make money serving lunches day to day,” said Chris Taylor of the Roaming Buffalo. ” But catering brings in the big bucks.”

Taylor started the Roaming Buffalo almost two years ago. He runs the operation with his wife, Valerie. This weekend, for Memorial Day, the Roaming Buffalo has several private parties booked, most of them thanks to a growing popularity with little advertising. “Social media and word of mouth,” he said. “I tweet and I’m on Facebook all day long.”

Trying to promote the business is the easy part. Dealing with daily challenges is much harder. Taylor says those range from “the truck not starting and snow to the generator going down just as the health inspector shows up.”

What happens when the food truck is scheduled for a lunch session and it rains so potential customers choose to stay inside their offices? With private catering, food trucks get a set rate and don’t have to chance a lack of customers.

“We go to a lot of big events and do catering out of the truck. We also do weddings, stag parties and more,” Taylor said. “We can make everything from steak and lobster to hotdogs and hamburgers right out of the truck.”

For Pizza Amore “The Wood Fire Way” that’s the only way to do it. The two-year-old mobile business features a real brick oven, with temperatures topping 750 degrees. ”It’s a little bit different,” said owner Dave Perri, who also runs the operation with his wife Diana. “It’s hard to throw a big oven in a food truck. We don’t drive it like a typical food truck, it’s mostly private catering.”

Pizza Amore also has a brick and mortar restaurant and takes part in many festivals like the Erie County Fair, the Jazz Festival and the Niagara Falls Music Festival. The truck will also be at Darien Lake this summer selling everything from Buffalo chicken pizza to white pizza and more, all of which cook in just three minutes.

So expect to see food trucks lined up for lunch, at homes and at events this summer.How long will the trend continue? Stay Tuned. Taylor says competition among trucks is heating up and long time operators rely on their reputation for tasty truck food.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/stay_tuned/2013/05/food-trucks-arent-just-for-lunch.html

By Elizabeth Carey  |  Biz Journals

Nicole Burke is ready to roll out a new food truck in WNY, specializing in Panini sandwiches, after a year of research to start the business.

There’s a new food truck hitting the streets of Western New York that is “hot off the press,” literally. Hot Off the Press Food Truck and Catering, which specializes in Panini sandwiches, is ready to roll.

Nicole Burke is the owner of the newest food truck to join the local fleet. “I’m excited, but it’s very nerve wracking,” she said. “People think you buy a truck and serve food, but there’s so much more that goes into it.” That includes licenses, insurance, logo designs and more.

Burke, who has hired one employee to work with her, will get her start on the streets of Cheektowaga. She plans to set up at Airport Commerce Plaza on Cayuga Road on Friday, June 7. She should be on Buffalo streets the following week, after obtaining permits to work in both areas.

At just 25 years of age, she is one of the youngest food truck operators locally. She says she started researching the idea last summer and got the business started with some savings and a loan. She turned to Food Cart USA to create a custom truck.

“I called it Hot Off the Press because it’s a play on words,” she said. “I thought about doing the design like newspapers, but I wanted something bright and colorful.” Burke says she designed the logo, which she hopes will become popular on area streets and at summer events like the Niagara Falls Music and Arts Festival.

Will this new Panini truck sandwich the competition? Stay Tuned. Burke says all of the other food truck operators have been very nice and helpful. “You would think we would all compete, but it’s like a big family,” she said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/stay_tuned/2013/06/new-food-truck-to-debut-this-week.html

By Elizabeth Carey  |  Buffalo Business Journal

via facebook

One of Buffalo’s original food trucks is driving off with an expansion. Founded two and a half years ago, R&R BBQ was the second food truck in Buffalo, after Lloyd’s Taco Truck.

In December, R&R expanded with a brick and mortar restaurant at 5952 Seneca Street in Elma. Owner Renee Allen says it helps to have an actual restaurant, along with the truck. “We had a lot of requests from people who wanted more than just a truck at lunch time,” she said. “We do events and catering and we thought it would be nice to have a home base, to have a restaurant we can do all of our prep at.”

Renee Allen, owner of R&R BBQ Food Truck & Catering, poses with her mother, Wendy. Allen opened a brick and mortar restaurant in December, after more than two years operating a food truck

Allen is in her 20s and already has a lot of experience under her belt. “It’s a cost effective way to start a business,” she said. “So a lot of younger people get into the food truck business.”

Just this spring, Nicole Burke, also in her 20s, launched Buffalo’s first food truck featuring Panini sandwiches, called Hot Off the Press.

“It’s a stepping stone,” Allen said of the food truck business, which helped her launch her own restaurant.

Her mother, Wendy, has also been a big help. Along with side dishes, she makes cookies, pies and corn bread. “She was bored before working at an office,” Allen jokes. “Now she gets to work with me.”

R&R features pulled pork, beef brisket and chicken. The items are served in sandwiches, wraps and on platters and are complete with Allen’s secret sauce recipes.

Will the mother daughter duo continue to wow hungry customers with their secret recipes? Stay Tuned. They say one of the biggest challenges is working around the clock. “It is tough,” Allen said. “We go all day, but it’s worth it!”

You can find R&R online at http://www.rnrbbq.com/. The food truck/restaurant is also on Facebook and Twitter to promote is menu and locations.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/stay_tuned/2013/06/food-trucks-attract-young-entrepreneurs.html

By Heather Ly  |  WGRZ.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Thousands of people came to the 30th annual Taste of Buffalo with an empty stomach, but they sure didn’t leave that way.

More than 50 restaurants, wineries, and food trucks are taking part in the country’s largest two-day food festival.

The event is celebrating its milestone birthday with free treats on Saturday and Sunday.

This year the Taste of Buffalo is going hi tech when it comes to judging your favorite dish. Visitors can vote for their fave by texting a number listed on each vendor’s menu board.

There are multiple cooking demonstrations, as well as live music on two different stages.

A panel of honorary judges — including 2 On Your Side’s Ron Plants, Melissa Homes, Jen Stanonis and Kevin O’Connell — have selected the 2013 Taste of Buffalo winners (listed below).

The Fan Favorite Food, however, has yet to be determined. Festival-goers can continue to text a vote for their favorite Taste item through the end of the event. Item numbers and texting information are available at the event and in the festival guide.

The 2013 Taste winners are:

Chairman’s Choice (chosen by 2013 Chairman Joe Lane): Chester’s Cajun Grill – Seafood Jambalaya

Children’s Choice (chosen by Josh & Emily Lane, nephew and niece of this year’s chairman): The Riverstone Grill – Bleu Heron Burger

New York Award (selected by New York State Senator Mark Grisanti): Manhattan’s – Pistachio Encrusted Chicken on a Stick

Pat Sardina Memorial Award for Best Comfort Food: Chrusciki Bakery – Cookie Bottom Cheesecake

Lou Billitier Memorial “Rookie of the Year” Award: Indian Falls Log Cabin

Best Overall Item: Landies Candies – Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Best Meat Item: Cecelia’s Ristorante – Banana Pepper Stuffed Chicken

Best Seafood Item: Carmines Restaurant – Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms w/ a Lobster Sauce

Best Dessert: Anderson’s Frozen Custard – Homemade Ice Cream

Best Red Wine: Marjim Manor – Spring Lake Steuben

Best White Wine: Hazlitt Vineyards – Sauvignon Blanc

Independent Health Foundation’s Healthy Options:

First Place: Francesca’s – Lemon Strawberry Sorbet

Second Place: Chrusicki Bakery – Angel Food Cake with Lite Mousse

Third Place: Bravo – Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Salad

Best Decorated Boot:  Eddie Ryan’s

The Taste of Buffalo runs through 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. along Delaware Avenue from Chippewa Street to Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo. Don’t forget the 30th birthday party finale happens at 3:30 p.m. in Niagara Square!

For more information, visit www.tasteofbuffalo.com.