Pineapple Bakery owner Numia Fereti said he has found it difficult to run his food truck because of Dunedin City Council rules about where he can and cannot sell his food. Mr Fereti made a submission to the annual plan asking the council to consider changing some of the regulations for mobile businesses.
Mr Fereti started his mobile business in December and said he researched how he would be able to run a mobile food truck but was unaware there were so many restrictions.
''I was not fully aware about the '300m away from any other food business' rule . . . Being 300m away from anywhere is like being in the middle of nowhere.''
The Museum Reserve was the only place in town where mobile traders could make a good profit because they were allowed to stay for more than two hours, Mr Fereti said.
There should be designated areas near the city centre where mobile traders should be allowed to operate, he said.
Jump'n Java coffee owner Graham Scott said he had found working with the council relatively easy but said they needed to consider relaxing the 300m rule.
''I have looked into it and the Dunedin City Council is one of the only regional bodies with such a large exclusion area.''
Bacon Buttie Man owner Mark Cornelissen said in the six years since he started the Bacon Buttie Man food truck he had worked well with the council and learnt how to operate inside the bylaws.
Designated areas for food trucks was something the council should look at so food-truck owners and customers knew they were able to operate on a certain day and a certain time.
''Outside of the Museum Reserve you have to try and fight for a parking space with everyone else, which can be difficult at times,'' he said.
Council regulatory services manager Kevin Thompson said whenever someone applied to the council for a mobile trading licence they were told to carefully read the bylaw and consider their options.
The bylaw was in place to make it fair for regular traders as well as mobile traders, Mr Thompson said. With the review of the 2009 bylaw about to start, Mr Thompson said issues such as the 300m rule and a designated mobile trading area would be looked at.
ON THE MOVE
• Thinking about getting into the food truck business? There are some things you might want to know.
• A mobile shop operator sells goods from a vehicle or a stall on the side of the road.
• There are 47 registered mobile traders in Dunedin.
• Mobile traders cannot operate within 300m of any other business selling similar products.
• Traders are not allowed to use George St, Princes St or the Octagon and can only operate in the same place for two hours.
• Mobile food traders are subject to the Dunedin City Council food safety bylaw and need to be trained in food handling.
