Councilman Scott Grossmeyer brought up the idea of a food truck ordinance at the June 3 Fenton City Council work session.

According to the minutes of that meeting, Grossmeyer advised there is a food truck operating within the city at this time. He shared several possible options regarding a food truck ordinance.

Grossmeyer said when the owners of (unnamed) restaurants were asked about food trucks being allowed outside of events, they were split 50/50.

After some discussion, it was agreed that Mayor Sue Osborn would seek direction from the city attorney.

In the meantime, the food truck operating in the city of Fenton is D&W’s Street Eatery & Events, a member of the Fenton Regional Chamber of Commerce. It is owned by Dana Ahrenberg, a 2008 graduate of Fenton High School. She started the business a year ago, in July 2018. Although she operates her business throughout mid-Michigan, Ahrenberg is a lifetime resident and homeowner in the city of Fenton. A single mother, the D in D&W’s is Dana and the W’s are for her daughters Wesley, 5, and Wiley, 8.

“I’ve been working in the restaurant industry since I was 14 and managing restaurants since I was 18 with a dream of owning my own someday,” she said. The food truck business has been a great start for bigger opportunities.

“Since I started my company it has rapidly grown, becoming known throughout lower Michigan,” Ahrenberg said. “We serve Latin-American BBQ specializing in smoked gourmet street tacos, and more including vegan-friendly and gluten-free options.”

D&W Street Eatery & Events operates mostly at locally known breweries, dealerships and small businesses during the week. “Then farmers markets, festivals and special events usually on the weekends,” she said.

“We love catering,” Ahrenberg said. “We do many open houses, weddings and private parties throughout the year, operating all four seasons. We operate an average of six to seven days a week in a different city every day, from Grand Rapids to Detroit.”

Ahrenberg strongly disagrees with those who say food trucks take away from brick and mortar restaurants.

“I believe food trucks draw more attention to businesses, including restaurants,” she said.

Food trucks usually operate for limited times, once or twice a week — usually only for a few hours — making themselves more of a treat than a place to get a consistent meal like at a restaurant, a primary place to dine, she said.

“Food trucks create a unique dynamic while providing something fun to do. Our personal focus with D&W’s is to support family businesses and give back to the community,” Ahrenberg said. “I believe food trucks are an asset.” 

Mark Hamel is the co-owner of The Laundry, El Topo, Fenton Relief & Resource (speakeasy) and CRUST, a baking company, all in downtown Fenton.

Regarding food trucks, Hamel said, “On busy holidays, I don’t think it affects restaurants since there are so many additional people in town. I don’t think food trucks would have hurt anyone on the Fourth of July because so many additional people were in town. But on regular non-holiday or non-event days I think you could make a case that it takes away from restaurant sales, some more than others.

“For example, it might affect El Topo more than The Laundry since El Topo is similar to a food truck and The Laundry attracts more people that want to sit down, which is the same for the other downtown restaurants,” Hamel said. “Additionally it would not affect the speakeasy and bars at all. Many restaurateurs are against them because of the overhead and sales issue. I guess most would not want more competition given the option. However, I think there is a place for them. People love them and they attract people to town and create a fun atmosphere, which is a good thing. 

“As the town grows and becomes more of a destination, food trucks will come knocking — they already have,” Hamel said. “It is something people are used to seeing in towns like Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Brighton. Maybe it is not a question of ‘whether’ they can come into town but ‘when’ they can come into town, such as when there is a significant population increase.”

Future trends

According to an IBISWorld report, the food truck industry alone is projected to hit $1.1 billion in 2022, but the report also shows a slowing down in the industry. Where growth was at 7.3 percent up to 2017, it is now expected to stay at about 3 percent through 2022 due to increased competition and enforced municipal regulations.

While many food truck owners are expanding their mobile operations, there are others with years of branding under their belts converting their mobile businesses into brick and mortars — and they are keeping their food trucks.

On the flip side, many restaurant owners are enhancing their brick-and-mortar operations by adding food trucks, using their vehicles to focus on private events.

Source: Acitydiscount.com