The food comes rolling in

Lloyd Taco Truck was busy.

The line stretched 10 deep and more people were trickling out of the First Niagara Center. Peter Cimino, Lloyd's co-owner, was manning the window as two employees worked the griddle and called out customers names as food came up.

For many Buffalo State College students, food trucks would be a welcome addition to the options available on and off campus.

"I love (food trucks), said Neil Flaherty, a political science sophomore from Amherst. "The food just rolls up to you."

Cimino and his crew have been selling tacos all over the Buffalo area for over a year now, and while they do have a permit to operate a restaurant within Erie County, they don't have any of the permits specific to the City of Buffalo.

The lack of Buffalo-specific permits, as well as a food truck's ability to move from location to location, has some of the restaurants in the city feeling threatened.

Around the corner from where Cimino was selling tacos off of his truck, one of Buffalo's Best Dogs stands was selling the hot dogs that have been familiar downtown fare for almost 30 years.

Tim McMahon, the stands' owner, found himself rather surprised by the food trucks popping up around him.

"(The food trucks) just appeared," McMahon said. " We didn't get any word about it from the Common Council or Buffalo Place."

McMahon, who said he personally doesn't feel too threatened by the appearance of food trucks, does understand why others may perceive a threat.

"For a food truck to roll in near a restaurant and take some of their customers, it can be perceived as unfair," McMahon said.

Cimino said he understands this problem, and has looked to other cities, such as New York, for ideas on how to deal with it.

"We did our homework," Cimino said. "We came up with something that was pretty much agreeable to everybody."

The plan that was put forth included restrictions on how close a food truck could be to a restaurant or special event, as well as where in the city food trucks could operate.

"We're making the concession that we would never be able to drive up and down Chippewa," Cimino said. "In order to be able to drive up and down Elmwood and Hertel."

Cimino's proposed plan was put on hold after several objections from local restaurateurs and developers during a Buffalo Common Council meeting on Sept. 29. Amongst the opponents of the plan were John Fusco, owner of Zetti's Pizza and Pasta, as well as developer Carl Paladino, who had expressed his opposition a week before the Sept. 29 meeting.

The final decision may be made Oct. 25, as the Buffalo Common Council has scheduled a tentative meeting on food truck regulations.

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