DETROIT (WWJ) -- More food trucks will soon be showing up around midtown and downtown Detroit.
The City of Detroit is making it easier for those wanting to start a food truck business. The Building Safety, Engineering and Environmental (BSEED) did this by streamlining the permitting and licensing process.
"It's exciting to offer our small business vendors this opportunity for success," said BSEED Director Dave Bell. "However, it's an interdepartmental effort to ensure we all have success at the end of the day."
Members of the Torrence family are just some of those people who aspire to owns and operate a food truck in the city. They currently own three food trucks in the city.
Catherine Torrence, owner and operator of Lemonade and Beyond, LLC said it's perfect for her family to work together and be mobile throughout Detroit and not leave to do business in other cities and counties.
"It has already brought my family closer by staying close, work together and not have to separate to other locations," she said.
The Torrence family plans to expand in the future to brick and mortar.
Food trucks in the downtown central business district and the midtown cultural center area can legally operate in four food zones -- which are more than 200 feet away from an existing restaurant or bar. Operating outside of these zones is prohibited.
Food truck locations in downtown DetroitCity of Detroit
Food vendors will have two zones in the central business district: Zone 1 bordered by Bagley, Cass, Howard and the third zone 2 which is bordered by Jefferson, Rivard, Atwater and Beaubien.
Food trucks in these zones can only operate where on-street parking is allowed. In the event that the parking space is metered, the food truck will be required to pay parking meter fees for the time they are parked.
Midtown food truck locationsCity of Detroit
There are two designated zones in the midtown/cultural center: Zone 3 bordered by Hendrie, Brush, Palmer and John R zone 4 which is bordered by Warren, Brush, Forest and John R.
Food truck locationsCity of Detroit
These are the 14 restricted commercial zones that food truck vendors are prohibited from operating in.
