What is needed to start a food truck in Boston

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People usually see food trucks an easy way to start a business. It doesn’t need high startup costs and complicated plans to organize a food truck, but studies show that running a food truck is not easy in some cities, especially in Boston.


While restaurant owners need deliberate plans, food truck vendors don’t need to worry about hiring employees, raising capital, or renting a place. A food truck is small. It doesn’t take up space. It’s fast. People wait for a few minutes, pay and go. It’s simple. A cart and a chef can start the business. However, running a food truck is not easy, as local governments in different cities enforce strict rules to regulate the food truck business.

A case study on Data-Smart City Solutions about food truck regulations in US cities shows that restaurant owners are concerned about ensuring fair competition between food trucks and restaurants. Debates include the use of space, taxes, public health and safety, recycling and compost, and permit processes and cost.

Although New York’s Halal Guys stands became so famous that the company opened brick-and-mortar restaurants, it’s hard for food truck vendors to develop their business in Boston. Food Truck Nation, a report published last year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, lists Boston as the most challenging city to run a food truck in out of the 20 cities it studied.

According to the report, the city requires 32 procedures to start new trucks. Food truck owners pay around $17,000 in start-up costs to the city government, nearly 29 times the fee paid in Indianapolis. The annual fee to run a food truck in Boston costs almost $38,000, compared to around $5,000 in Portland. Trucks cannot compete with any establishments within 100 feet. Owners must report their location every five minutes through a GPS unit, which costs $388 with a monthly data charge of $35. Additional permits are required to vend on public property. The competition is so high that legislators use a lottery system to decide food truck parking spots.

While Boston has less than 100 food trucks, New York has more than 10,000 food vendors, although only a few thousand of them have valid permits, according to Eater. If you walk two blocks away from Wall Street, you can find more than three trucks on the same street between late morning and afternoon, with long lines or crowds of customers waiting for their pickups. Food varies from Thai stir-fries, Indian cuisines, burgers and more. However, if you want to order a quick meal near Park Street, Bon Me might be your only food truck option.

A food truck is more than a vehicle of food. It carries cultures and communications. The variety of food types enriches a city’s food culture. Office workers get out of their offices, walk a few blocks, and spend some time outdoor waiting for their orders. People talk to chefs and enjoy the process of preparing the food. These interactions build relationships and connect people with different cultural heritages. Running a food truck is not easy in cities like Boston. From a truck vendor’s perspective, the food truck system has clear rules, but vendors need more opportunities to run their business.

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