Food Truck Survey Results

A food truck labeled pink tank is shown with a menu and open order window

Food Truck with open order window

I will admit right up front my frustration with trying to run a survey from my email list.  Soon after sending out the August newsletter, the number of people who had filled out the survey (Food Trucks in the ROW) jumped from 4 to 32.  But 13 of those were from people who do not subscribe to my newsletter.  I had put in the survey this disclaimer, "It is intended to be filled out only by readers of Cameron for Golden blog or email.  This is not a city sponsored survey and is intended to get a "pulse", not necessarily defendable data to push an agenda."  Yet..over a third of the survey results came in from outside that pre-defined group.  There were many thoughtful comments, both pro and con as well.  It was clear from the timing that they had been pushed by a business in town to complete the survey, as all were Strongly, or Somewhat Strongly in favor of food trucks in the right of way.  The data below does NOT include those results, it only includes results from those who were in my pre-defined group.  BTW, best practice for surveys is to define in advance how you plan to analyze the data, I didn’t quite do so, but implied how I would do so.

Another interesting result was where people wanted to have food trucks.  This question, "If allowed in the ROW, do you think food trucks should be allowed along Washington Ave in front of other restaurants or retail locations?", and an associated one about locations elicited these results. The conclusion is clear, not on Washington avenue in front of other businesses. What I failed to ask is how the trucks are powered. A generator can take away from the experience with its exhaust smells, I wish I’d asked about the use of that power source.

I also asked about appropriate fees. Due to difficulty in pulling out just the 22 responses I used above, this represents all the responses.

Both permit fees and a rental fee seemed reasonable to most people.



As to reasons for and against, I was happy to get some very thoughtful responses both pro and con. I had asked if I could attribute them to individuals and mostly people said yes, I could. But instead I will just assert that these are direct unedited quotes and not provide attribution.

  • 1. They provide a nice opportunity for the consumer to pair food with other venues.

    2. They bring business to the downtown area.

    3. They can cut down on driving because food and drink are provided at the same location.

    4. They provide a greater variety of dining options to locals that might be tired of the brick and mortar restaurants that are overcrowded and have long wait times.

    I love food trucks. They provide an opportunity for aspiring chefs to develop novel menus and initiate new ideas. Some of the best meals I have purchased in Golden were from food trucks. Unfortunately, most of the food trucks in Golden are associated with bars and pubs. I would like to see food trucks expand beyond these alcohol establishments.

  • I dislike using the pubic ROW without the user paying some type of fee. I can't park a dumpster in front of my house without a City permit, so merchants should also not be able to use the ROW for free. Those breweries with space to park a food truck on their own property simply have an economic advantage.

    I am concerned about the potential of inappropriate parking of a food truck. Golden has a bad history of creating laws and regulations that are never enforced.

  • A lot of the goings on in town seem to be geared toward the tourist industry. Many restaurants I used to frequent have gotten too crowded or expensive. Food trucks might be a nice alternative to the same old food here at a possibly smaller venue that is not frequented by tourists. Food trucks are abundant in Portland, OR and I've seen how business people there will get a quick bite for lunch at a reasonable cost. I think it's worth a try. Because you can only eat so much Ali Baba or Woody's Pizza.

    While there are a few spaces where food trucks in the ROW may be contextually appropriate (GCB for example), allowing private businesses exclusive rights to profit off of city land isn’t equitable for other residents and businesses. Food trucks are by nature transient (and the city has documented instances of some not paying sales tax) so there isn’t the long term commitment to and familiarity with the city laws and codes that permanent businesses have.

So what are the next steps? I will share this information, such as it is, with you, my readers, and potentially staff and others on council. My takeaway is that if we don’t put them on Washington Ave, license and charge them appropriately, the use of food trucks in the ROW will not destroy the character of our town based on this non-scientific survey. Based on the way public comment has worked recently I actually give a lot of credence to this data where as mostly the loudest voices with an agenda show up to hearings on topics like this. So then are you getting valid input? I don’t know the answer to that question and will just put it out there.



Don Cameron