There’s good and bad in the food truck regulations being discussed by Warren officials.

It’s good to reduce licensing requirements by accepting a state license rather than requiring a separate city license for food trucks. That was one of the main complaints raised by one food truck operator who preferred to operate in New York state because, somehow, it’s actually easier for the business to operate in New York than in the city of Warren. That’s unheard of.

What needs work is ways to provide some sort of protection for brick-and-mortar restaurant owners who pay taxes and provide more jobs to the local economy. It’s understandable that the way Warren is laid out makes it difficult to create exclusionary zones where food trucks can’t go. So, rather than providing protection for restaurants based on their location, perhaps protection could come based on business type. If a pizza shop owner is concerned about a pizza food truck setting up shop right outside of the pizza shop, why can’t the protection for restaurants be based on the type of food truck and restaurant involved? Enforcement should be relatively easy with a simple phone call if a food truck violates the simple provision not to locate near a similar brick-and-mortar shop.

The creation of non-compete zones should, in theory, provide some protection for business owners who are trying to protect their livelihood.

Warren officials are on the right track. It’s encouraging to see quick action when a business raises a legitimate complaint. Food trucks are a good addition to downtown, but not at the expense of restaurants that can’t just pick up and move their location whenever they feel like it. The challenge here is finding a way for food trucks and restaurants to coexist. Warren is halfway there, in our view. The doors are open for food trucks. Now it’s time to craft some sort of protection for concerned restaurant owners.