Food Trucks Coming To Puyallup; What Food Options Do You Want?

PUYALLUP, WA — Food trucks are coming to Puyallup this summer, expanding the variety of eating options in the downtown area. The so-called food truck pilot program will run for six months, ending in mid-October, according to city planning officials.

A map shared by the city (shown below) shows the pilot program will allow food trucks to post up along a variety of downtown streets and in a few parking lots, as well as within the Central Business District and Central Business District Core areas.

Giving food cart operators a veritable open range on which they can settle, city planners are hoping to explore all possible locations where food cart pods might work, rather than focus on one specific area at a time.

"They could be sprinkled throughout downtown, and that's OK," Senior Planner Katie Baker told Patch. "We have no plans to close any specific streets or areas."

Puyallup will, however, prohibit the food trucks' use of tables, chairs, or audio amplification in conjunction with their operations, city officials said; and all food truck vendors will need to register and certify their individual businesses with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

It's the way the city permits food carts that spurred the pilot program, Baker said.

"It's currently a time consuming process," Baker said. "We want to make it easier and see how it works."

As of this posting, no food truck businesses have applied, Baker said, but it was the vendors themselves who urged city planners to begin exploring the program.

"We know there's interest from both food cart operators and the community," she said. "We want feedback — positive and negative — from everyone."

Baker said the city is prepared to mitigate any potential impacts to Main Street, referring specifically to any concerns that might arise from among the city's Main Street Association members, shared Chamber of Commerce, or affected business owners.

While the city is of the opinion that variety is better for everybody, Baker said that may not be so for a brick-and-mortar restaurant owner whose customers could be drawn to a food cart parked along the same block, or even right across the street from their establishment.

"During the pilot program, the city will assess all impacts to local businesses and work with both vendors and owners to find a common ground," Baker said. "We don't want to negatively impact the business community."

Following the conclusion of the program in October, city planners will evaluate whether to continue allowing food trucks in Puyallup.

Tell us what you think! Are you a food truck fan? What kinds of food truck food options would you like to see in Puyallup?

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Editor's note: This post was updated to include new information and comments provided by Puyallup Senior Planner Katie Baker.