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Roosevelt Island Starved For Food Trucks
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 26, 2012
Modified Jun 26, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 26, 2012
Modified Jun 26, 2012
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While food trucks may have taken over the streets of many neighborhoods in New York, Roosevelt Island has been largely ignored. The good people at Roosevelt Islander have now been reduced to begging, and wondering "if any Mobile Food Truck vendor will come to Roosevelt Island with the extra RIOC fees and regulations that are not required in any other NYC neighborhood."
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) has instituted a $345/month fee (with a three month minimum!) to serve the locals there, but have just announced they are willing to waive it for the month of July (presumably to test the waters) giving some hope to Roosevelt Islander, who today wrote this plea: "So, Mobile Food Trucks like Luke's Lobsters, Mexicue, Rickshaw Dumplings, Schnitzel, Coolhaus, Waffles and Dingles and all the other great ones, please come to Roosevelt Island. You will have a ready, willing and very hungry public ready to buy your food—particularly during the evening rush hours and weekends."
Prior to the fee being waived, trucks had an unsurprisingly negative response to shelling out all that cash—the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck Tweeted, "Damn, $345 a month, three month minimum? Gonna have to pass!"
Roosevelt Islander told us this afternoon that one food truck did try to make it happen for them last year—"Luke's Lobster Truck came last December but got kicked off because they did not have specific Roosevelt Island permits although they had all necessary NYC permits." So for now, they're left with Mr. Softee—"There has been a mr softer ice cream truck on RI for several years with a RI permit who pays $345 a month to sell here. To date, Mr. Softee is what considered a food truck by Roosevelt Island standards."
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food trucks
roosevelt island
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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