Missoula food truck invasion
By Elizabeth Anderson and
Hannah-Laura Rudolph
Laws aren't keeping food trucks from parking in front of other businesses.
Owner of The Walking Moustache Mike Goulah said one food truck in particular is taking business away from him.
“My particular business is affected by the person that I actually bought the business from,” he said. “They turned around and put their food truck right across the street from me.”
The Walking Moustache is a restaurant on West Main Street in downtown Missoula. The Noodle Wagon parks across the restaurant on the weekends.
Goulah said the food truck takes a lot of business from The Walking Moustache when they are open late at night. He said he can’t call anyone because they set up after hours.
He said city and licensing officials don’t seem to care about where food trucks are parking.
The truck has parked near his restaurant every weekend for the better part of a year, he said.
“Ethically, I think they’re wrong,” he said. “It’s all about respect; I wouldn’t do it to them.”
Goulah said he has no problem with food trucks when they are respectful and don’t park in front of his door.
Goulah bought his business from The Noodle Wagon owner Kahya Moua, who parks across the street from The Walking Moustache. Moua said they wanted to stay in the same area so their former customers can find them.
“We just park out here because this is the area that we’ve always been in, even before he was, even though he bought our restaurant,” she said.
Moua said the food business is competitive, but The Noodle Wagon and The Walking Moustache serve different cuisine.
“People want noodles, then they get noodles. If people want to eat burgers or what he has then they go to him, so I feel like it shouldn’t be an issue,” Moua said.
ABOVE: Kahya Moua speaks about her food truck, The Noodle Wagon, late last Saturday night. Approximately 15 people were outside the truck ordering and eating noodles as the snow fell down.
ABOVE: Jimmy Henderson enjoys a container full of teriyaki chicken noodles, which cost roughly $7. Spring rolls, pork eggrolls, stir fried noodles, and steamed rice are commonly listed on the menu.
LEFT: Heating and water costs aren’t an issue for The Noodle Wagon, pictured here on the the corner of West Main and Ryman Street.
TOP: The Walking Mustache sits empty on Saturday, Nov. 29. Goulah's had issues with The Noodle Wagon parking in front of his business since it opened little over a year ago.
BOTTOM: The Noodle Wagon had fifteen customers in fifteen minutes while The Walking Mustache was mostly empty around 11 p.m. on Saturday night.
Goulah spoke with Development Services Permit and License Coordinator for Missoula Kristi Craw personally when he first had an issue with the Noodle Wagon parking in front of his business.
“He did call to complain,” Craw said. “He also came in to our office.”
Craw said he ran his complaint through specific requirements including zoning, planning and engineering.
In the end she was only able to tell Goulah that the owner of the food truck, Kahya Moua, had followed city ordinances in obtaining her permit.
“She has all the sign offs she has a private parking lot where she can vend,” Craw said.
“Unfortunately, when you’re following rules even when you’re right next to another business, there's nothing you can do about it.”
Development services for the City of Missoula has vendor application and mobile sales requirements depending on the type of transient vendor.
An itinerant license, or mobile vendor license must be obtained from the city and specific requirements adhered to, according to Craw.
Ordinance for business licensing has a fee depending on the license, ranging from roughly $70 weekly, and around $115 yearly.
Various departments have to sign off on the application for food trucks to operate. Among these include a health inspector, the fire department, parking commissions, the police department, engineering development services, zoning where and when they can park, and parks and recreation.
All contact information is provided on the application.
(C) Lauren Lewis
(C) Hannah-Laura Rudolph
(C) Hannah-Laura Rudolph
(C) Lauren Lewis
Missoula food trucks permits are only required in the Missoula city limits. Datagraph credit: Tana Wilson.
“These trucks are so new to our area as we have more and more that come into town,” Craw said.
“There will probably be more ordinances and more rules and obviously parking downtown space is limited so where do we go with that?”
Parking regulations differ for inside and outside city limits, according to Craw. There is no licensing at all outside of city limits and no business licensing in the county.
“If they were just going to be vending in the county they would still need to get licensed by the health department if they are serving food, but no city license,” Craw said.
Craw said it was important to check with business that plan on sitting in front of, regardless.
“I do get calls, questions regarding where they can be,” Craw said.
Data graph credit via Tana Wilson
Masala food cart owner Theo Smith said he tries to remain as respectful to restaurants as possible. He typically parks near Draught Works Brewery or at Caras Park events.
"It’s definitely something to be sensitive about,” he said. “Legally I’m able to set up around restaurants, but to me that’s just bad etiquette. That’s stepping on other people’s toes and livelihoods.”
Smith said he hasn’t had any trouble with any businesses or restaurants because of this.
Datagraph credit: Tana Wilson via Create a Graph
“I’m also filling an ethnic food niche that isn’t in competition with brick and mortar restaurants because we’re serving different food,” he said.
Smith started out in the restaurant business. He started and co-owned Iza and later opened another restaurant near Charlo. When he worked in restaurants, he sometimes worked 90 to 100 hours per week, he said.
“I was burnt out on restaurants so I decided to do the food cart, which is seasonal and affords me time off in the winter,” he said.
Smith said maintaining food carts is less costly than traditional restaurants. He said restaurants are all-day operations, while food carts aren’t usually open for more than a few hours.
Bao Chow food cart co-owner Brad Daniel said he started with a food cart because of the lower overhead cost.
“We wanted to begin our business and name here in town as quickly as possible and the solution to that was to start a food cart,” he said.
Bao Chow serves bao buns, a steamed Asian bun often sold on the street.
Daniel said food carts don’t pay property taxes because they are mobile, but they do pay fees and licensing for operating through the city and state.
Restaurant owners think food carts are a threat because they have lower overhead cost, he said.
“We’re a threat from a price point,” Daniel said. “If established restaurants are threatened by small-scale food vendors then they’re doing something wrong.”
He said restaurants have to keep their labor costs down to compete with the price point.
“We threaten them because our concept is better,” he said. “We’re definitely smaller, but they have the infrastructure and finances to compete with us.”
According to the City of Missoula permitting and citizen portal, there are 95 active itinerant mobile vendors within city limits. Datagraph credit: Restaurant Association for 2011 data.
Itinerant and Mobile Sales in the City of Missoula
This map shows where itinerant vending permits are permitted in the city of Missoula. Future and current vendors can use this map to determine where itinerant vending is allowed. Vendors can also find what requirements apply to a location. For more information contact the City of Missoula: Development Services (406- 552-6121) or the Missoula County Health Department (406-258-4755). Map credit: City of Missoula: Development Services
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LEFT: The Walking Moustache is open 24 hours and offers 2 a.m. specials, but the business still suffers when The Noodle Wagon truck is nearby.
ABOVE: Kahya Moua parks The Noodle Wagon in the heart of downtown Missoula because there are steady customers.
(C) Elizabeth Anderson
(C) Elizabeth Anderson
Development Services for the City of Missoula website offers a portal for business licenses and permits.
Cars drive in front of The Walking Moustache on Thursday. The restaurant had less than four customers at this time.