How Some Florida Food Trucks Kept Afloat During Lockdown

Posted on 04/29/2020 by Tammie Nolte, BigFatWriter

For health reasons, Lee Caglioti and her husband retired their food truck in 2018, but Lee kept one eye on her Southwest Florida Food Truck network. When businesses were closing because of coronavirus and Lee also got laid off, she saw the need to help. How did she get the county to lift regulations for food trucks?

With more than 4400 members in SWFL Food Truck Depot, Lee Caglioti has built a loyal following. She used her network and marketing expertise to approach the local county government to ask for relaxed zoning rules, regulations and permits to sell for local food trucks. Spoiler alert, she succeeded.

“I reached out to my contacts in the county and asked if this waiver of current restrictions could be lifted. I knew it would be beneficial both to the trucker family and the community and I was thrilled to receive such a quick and decisive response from the powers that be,” says Lee.

Until the restaurants open again, food trucks can operate in residential areas and in accordance to the rules for Charlotte County temporary agreement. From mid-March until May 4, food trucks were allowed to operate under the new guidelines in Southwest Florida.

Facebook post with the Charlotte County Agreement with Food Trucks
HOW TO APPROACH THE LOCAL, CITY OR COUNTY GOVERNMENT

“The entire process was initiated via email over the course of less than a week thanks to the responsiveness of our county administration team, we had one just conference call between the zoning department, the code department and me to finalize the details,” says Lee.

Lee warns that ‘mileage may vary’ when attempting to get the city or county to have flexibility in other locations. But she lined out the insider tips on how she worked with the government.
INCREASING VISIBILITY

When food trucks business started picking up in the relatively small SWFL metro area, Lee became the go-to for pretty much anything food truck related.

Connect with Lee Caglioti on LinkedIn

“I have pushed hard to increase the visibility of the mobile food culture in our area and I've always been of the mindset that what's good for one of us is good for all of us,” says Lee.

While the arrangement is not at all formal or any type of revised ordinance, it is a relaxation of the current rules which will allow the trucks into residential areas. To her knowledge, the county will not be monitoring the situation.

Lee pointed us to several SWFL Food Trucks for comments.

“Our food truck has actually moved to delivery and pick-up only during this time. We feel that by reducing length and frequncy of contact with others, we are helping both our staff and our customers. We hope that everyone is taking steps to follow the guidelines set by the CDC and together we will get through this,” says Matt and Tammy Ashley, Triple B BBQ Food Truck.
COMPETING FOR THE SAME DOLLARS

The food truck business is competitive and competes with local restuarants, fast food and brick & mortar business with permanent locations. SWFL Food Trucks seems to have found a balance between working together for the greater good and for making a living.

“I run my truck completely solo and also work as a butcher for BJ's Wholesale. During this time, I have put the truck on hold for a few reasons. BJ's has been extremely busy and needed my help to provide for the masses," says Jake Murphy, JD’s Chuck Wagon.

"Combine that with so many trucks struggling, I felt taking some time off so as to not be competing for the same dollars was the right thing to do. Hopefully things will be back to normal sooner than later and I'll be back on the road."
IS A FOOD TRUCK SAFE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS?

Many have asked if eating at food trucks is safe, and that was before a pandemic. Lee gave a solid answer that our food truckers can use when getting the same questions.

“I feel very confident that all the truckers in our area will be using every CDC recommended precaution and then some, not only for the safety of their patrons but for themselves and their own families as well,” says Lee.

“Food trucks are inspected more frequently than the brick & mortars. Since typically no more than two or three people are processing, cooking and handling the food, it keeps a very tight reign on the risk level,” says Lee.

“Patrons can see the people preparing their food, they can see the kitchen area, they can monitor everything about the transaction. There are far fewer people, surfaces and steps involved in food truck meal prep than there are in a regular restaurant, especially since many of them are using outside delivery services,” says Lee.

Out of habit, Lee regularly tags, promotes and encourages other trucks which helps both build a good reputation locally, says Lee. “The relaxed regulations will aid the trucks in expanding their market and being able to reach residents who will now know who they are and hopefully come back to them when the world returns to normal.”

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES FOR FOOD TRUCKS
1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP FOR STRUGGLING FOOD TRUCKS

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