In response to the article “Food Truck Showdown” [June 11-17, Alexandria Gazette Packet], I first must state that I am a long-time, devoted resident of Alexandria. My wife and I would not live anywhere else in the D.C. metro region, and we remain consistently engaged in the civic activities of our city, from volunteering for elections, to attending mayoral debates and City Council events, to supporting local charities.
I am also a proponent of food trucks, where I eat several times a week from the row of mobile food vendors that occupies the block in front of my D.C. office. In fact, I just ate lunch from Dirty South Deli, one of my favorite food trucks. I admire the inherent entrepreneurial spirit and amount of work that a food truck requires, as well as the intense competitive environment in this modern culinary niche.
With that stated, food trucks are not right for Alexandria. The city has a beautiful, vibrant historical center, whose narrow streets would be clogged by these wide-bodied mobile vendors. Food truck vendors are not vested in the Alexandria community, as this article points out most are based in D.C. I prefer to support those brick-and-mortar vendors who are lodged in and directly support the community, especially in paying real estate taxes to help fund our beloved city. Lastly, food trucks taking up increasingly scarce parking would limit accessibility and willingness to frequent the city’s brick-and-mortar vendors.
While food trucks are a popular trend, it does not mean they provide a universal benefit, especially for Old Town and the rest of Alexandria. I am sorry to hear that many mobile vendors do not even try to sell in Alexandria, and that the city is apparently against mobile retail. However, as a dedicated city resident: I’m good with that.
Andrew Hoffman
Alexandria