Editorial: Dining options

Expanded food truck operations could provide an interesting dining option in Lawrence.

Fears about the competition to existing brick-and-mortar restaurants shouldn’t be a major factor in the Lawrence City Commission’s consideration of whether to approve new regulations that would allow expanded food truck operations in the city.

Currently, food trucks can operate no more than three hours a day in Lawrence. The new regulations would drop that time limitation and allow food trucks to set up in privately owned parking lots on many of the city’s commercially zoned properties. The food truck operators would have to receive permission from the property owners and file a site plan with City Hall, which would review parking requirements and safety issues associated with the plan.

Those certainly are legitimate issues for city government to review and regulate. Food trucks need to operate in a safe manner that doesn’t create a traffic nuisance.

On the other hand, fear of competition for existing Lawrence restaurants isn’t a valid reason to keep the lid on food truck operations. Food trucks have become a popular option in many American cities, but they serve a different purpose than restaurants that offer a sit-down dining experience.

Some commissioners have noted that food trucks don’t face the same property tax burdens as brick-and-mortar restaurants. That’s true but, by that rationale, it would be unfair to allow a small drive-through restaurant to operate in a tiny structure and be in competition with a larger restaurant that has a much larger footprint and a much larger property tax bill.

Food trucks also face different challenges, including inclement weather that likely makes their operation at least somewhat seasonal.

A discussion of the new food truck regulations had been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday’s commission meeting but has been delayed. It’s good for commissioners to consider all the ramifications of allowing expanded food truck service in Lawrence but it certainly seems there is room in the local market for another food option that has proven popular in many other communities.