Food truck operators in Chicago can finally cook onboard their vehicles, as they do across much of the U.S., under an ordinance approved Wednesday that also keeps in place a parking restriction that many owners say could drive them out of business.
Chicago, known for its high-end restaurants, has lagged behind other cities when it comes to joining the food truck craze. The trucks, with their niche menus, have been allowed to operate in the city, but chefs couldn’t prepare food onboard.
Though the ordinance passed by the City Council on Wednesday does away with that restriction, it keeps in place a rule that prevents food trucks from parking any closer than 200 feet from a restaurant. Operators said that makes it clear the nation’s third-largest city is more interested in protecting brick-and-mortar restaurants than helping them.