Choosing A Location For Your Food Truck
The City of Boston encourages food vendors to pick the right spot to vend. Vendors can choose from locations on the public way, on private property, or on special properties.
Propose Additional Public Site Locations
Operators are welcome to apply for sites not listed in the pre-approved locations selected by the City. These sites will, however, be subject to an additional approval and verification process. Please be aware that site proposals are only reviewed the first week of each month.
For the rest of 2011, the committee will only consider proposals for Boston neighborhoods. At this time, we do not recommend site proposals in the following locations: Downtown Boston, Back Bay, Kenmore, Newbury Street, Hanover Street, the North End neighborhood, the Boston Business Improvement District, and Fenway Park.
Requirements for Submitting Additional Site Locations
You must provide the following:
Completed Food Truck Proposed Site Application
Copy of your Food Truck Permit Application cover sheet
Completed Proposed Site Locations Worksheet
Completed Proposed Site Evaluation Form. See a Sample Site Evaluation Form.
Description of your proposed business plan, including:
A sample menu with healthy menu option indicated. Must offer at least 1 healthy menu option.
Additionally, please address the following issues:
Uniqueness of your product offering
Please describe the food that you will be offering and how it differs from what is available nearby. While you should address issues such as the freshness and quality of your ingredients, it is also important to note the cultural or ethnic diversity that you could bring to an area. It is in this section that you should include your agreement that your product offerings will not complete with establishments within 100 feet of your food truck.
Please indicate if you are willing to participate in the City's "Rethink Your Drink" campaign on beverage offerings and how you will incorporate this program into your business plan.
A list of nearby food businesses within 100 feet in any direction, including both sides of the street.
Your plans for operation at each location, including:
When you plan to arrive for set-up, open for business, and depart.
How you plan to staff your vehicle.
A plan for customer qeueing.
How you plan to keep other vehicles from parking in front of or behind your truck
For safety reasons you will need to insure that 20 feet in front of and behind your vehicle is free from other traffic and/or parking. A strategy to maintain this margin is necessary for consideration of your proposal. Any violation of this margin is a fire hazard.A plan to keep surrounding area free of trash and must include:
Locating a trash barrel next to the truck.
At the end of the vending period, the food truck operator must sweep clean the site and if necessary, wash down the site/sidewalk. Additionally the licensing authority is authorized to supsend the license for a minimum of 3 days, at its discretion, of any vendor that is found to have dumped food product down city sewers. Repeated violations may result in the revocation of a license.
A plan for your staff's access to a restroom at each site.
Proof of service by a commissary.
Please include the following additional information:
Statement on Community Engagement
Please demonstrate how your operation is committed to the community it serves. Specifically, please describe local hiring and training practices, any plan you might have to source your ingredients locally, and whether or not your commissary is located in the City of Boston.
Statement on Environmental Sustainability
Please let us know if your food truck operations include environmentally sustainable practices such as: using locally grown and sourced ingredients, use of alternative fuels or low-emissions vehicles, bio-based food serviceware, or recycling and composting practices.
Google Map indicating where you plan to park your vehicle.
Provide 360 degree pictures of each proposed site.
Your site request must include a minimum of at least 20 feet in front of and behind the vehicle for fire safety purposes. This is the equivalent of 3 parking spaces. Loading zones, bus stops, and fire hydrants cannot be included in measurements that you take around the vehicle.
Submit parking meter identification numbers for site to be designated as a site location.
Sidewalks must be a minimum of 8 feet wide. You will need to measure and note the width of the sidewalk in front of your proposed location.
