Seems like ages ago, when Councilors Greer Swiston, Ted Hess-Mahan and I docketed an item to bring Food Trucks to Newton. Understanding that many of the brick and mortar establishments might feel threatened (and they did!), we suggested doing a trial in the Wells Avenue Office Park.Unfortunately, it didn’t get off the ground while we were still on the Council, but happy to report that it will start tomorrow, July 23rd from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. located between 2 and 60 Wells Avenue. There will be a rotation of 6 food trucks Monday through Friday offering a variety of American, Indian, Korean, Chinese and Mediterranean complimenting Goldberg’s Delis and cafeteria already located at 85 Wells Avenue. Updates can be found at www.newtonma.gov/economicdevelopment/foodtrucks Enjoy!!
Thank you to Mayor Fuller for actually getting this off the ground and making it happen!
Thanks for posting this, Amy. Actually, you and I and the rest of the Zoning and Planning Committee, ably assisted by the Planning Department, did a lot of the grunt work that made this possible during our last term in office. So it is quite gratifying to finally see this come to fruition.
This model is similar to Uber and Airbnb, whereby existing investors (the licensed taxi industry and the hotel industry) were forced to abide by a clear set of established laws and regulations and made their investments accordingly, and suddenly the laws were changed (explicitly in this case, but in the case of Uber and Airbnb, implicitly through non-enforcement).
It seems to me that it’s not fair to change the laws in favor of new investors with significantly lower costs, when those changes come at the expense of the established storefront investors who invested and operated based on an existing regulatory framework.
It would be one thing if Newton were experiencing tremendous organic economic growth (particularly population growth) and available real estate was not able to keep up with demand for meals. But that’s not the case, and at the end of the day the food trucks will likely win out over a number of brick-and-mortar establishments who followed the rules for many years with respect to zoning, parking, seating, etc.
This may have tremendous benefits in terms of consumer choice and pricing in the near-term, but it’s not so great for economic stability and growth, once some of the storefront restaurants are driven out of business.
But admittedly I haven’t given a lot of thought to the model and I’d be pleased if my thinking on this is way off base – hopefully the Council commissioned an independent economic study to study the long-term historical impact of food trucks on established businesses in other communities?
Michael: The chamber cautiously supported food trucks at Wells Ave. (and similarly trucks in the Needham Crossing section of the N-Squared Innovation District in Needham) because they are (as you wondered) areas experiencing change that are, by and large, under-severed by bricks and mortar restaurants.
Employers and their employers want amenities within walking distance of their work and we hope this imitative helps build foot traffic and create a sense of place that will encourage bricks and mortar restaurants to open in these areas too.
Neighborhoods where food trucks and restaurants exist often do quite well together. (Think of Chinatowns, nobody says “There’s too many Chinese restaurants here.”) People want a variety of dining options. The goal is to create a destinations where a variety of options exist.
Is Goldberg’s Deli supportive of this? If they are, I guess nobody could complain about having food trucks in Wells Ave., at least.
Is there an expectation that this could eventually come to an established business district like Newton Centre, and if so, how do the existing restaurateurs there feel about it?
Food trucks can serve an important niche in places where restaurants aren’t a quick walk or close enough to meet lunchtime demand. Food trucks at MIT and the Longwood Medical Area provide a welcome alternative to cafeteria food for students and staff who don’t have time to walk the extra distance to a restaurant where they’d have to do take-out anyway. And they don’t provide competition to sit-down restaurants for people who want to visit or discuss work over lunch.
No, Newton Centre or other village centers wouldn’t be a good location for them. But around Lasell College or an area with offices but little retail? I could see them being successful and filling a currently unmet need.
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http://www.cambridgeday.com/2018/07/23/girl-15-dead-from-head-injury-suffered-sunday-during-an-evening-incident-on-cambridge-street/
@Michael The owner of Goldberg’s has been cautiously accepting of this, as have the owners in the cafeteria at 85 Wells. The studies have shown that food trucks actually increase foot traffic for nearby restaurants because they create a destination. In this case, think of people staying in the park rather than driving somewhere else on any given day.
While we are promoting the trucks, the promotions tend focus not just on those but on the full list of amenities in the area, including Goldberg’s, the cafeterias and the nearby restaurants.
Welcome to 2007, Newton!
Hi Amy,
Do the food trucks pay a fee to the city to be there?
Thanks
I don’t know what kind of arrangement the food trucks have with the City .
@Meredith: You wrote: “Newton Centre or other village centers wouldn’t be a good location for them.”
I disagree. Although I understand the concern they would present an unfair competition to the existing restaurants (since able to offer lower prices due to no rent), I think there would be room for both. They offer a different experience than a sit down meal, and provide options at a different price point. I think by increasing foot traffic to the village centers and making the village centers more of a destination, they could provide a benefit to the brick and mortar restaurants. In Boston food trucks coexist in neighborhoods with restaurants without issues. Besides, we needs someplace for our maids, landscapers, butlers, and other assorted household staff to be able to grab a cheap meal in town.
@NewtonNewbie – There are already places in Newton Centre to grab a quick take-out meal (Panera, hamburgers, Chinese, pizza…), and there aren’t a lot of places where a truck could be for an hour or two without posing a nuisance to traffic (both car traffic and foot traffic).
If your copious household staff hasn’t been able to find cheap meals in town, they obviously haven’t been looking. Plenty to find on Needham St., Upper Falls, Newton Highlands (Anna’s Taqueria), Nonantum, Auburndale, etc.
@Meredith – You are right! They probably haven’t been looking. Probably out of laziness. Do you think I should dock their pay?