What defines a restaurant? That was the question brought to the Brainerd City Council Monday night.
The answer was one that surrounds Prairie Bay’s recent extension into a mobile food truck in the community. According to the council by a 6-1 vote, the food truck is not a restaurant as defined by the city. Council member Kevin Goedker voted against the motion.
“The only definition, and I think even Nick (Miller, manager at Prairie Bay) mentioned that you could have 100 different definitions, is the one by our ordinance and those choices are that a restaurant is a sit down restaurant,” said council member Bonnie Cumberland. “And the (Prairie Bay) food truck doesn’t meet those requirements.
“To me a drive-thru or delivery restaurant isn’t part of this and if I go into Little Caesar’s, that is a take out but to me, this is a carry away, I don’t go inside anywhere.”
Currently operating on permits in Nisswa, Crosslake, Baxter and Brainerd, Prairie Bay is working with a number of area businesses, which could include the Westgate Mall and Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Baxter Clinic, in order to rotate the food truck to different sites for meals. The truck, called the Prairie Bay Side Dish Local-Motive Kitchen, offers a select menu including soup, sandwiches and take-n-bake pizzas.
Miller said the menu will adjust when in the vicinity of neighboring restaurants who count on making money via sandwich or pizza sales.
“We didn’t start a new business,” said Miller. “We want to use this as an extension of who we are (at Prairie Bay) and spread what we do to the community and our spirit for food and our love of all things culinary.”
However, Miller said he does understand the issue coming to the city and he agreed that he wants to play by the rules and respect and follow all that needs to be done to operate in the city.
Local business owners also spoke to their concerns of the food truck coming into town.
“They call it a truck, because it is a truck not a restaurant,” said Bob Turner, owner of Front Street Cafe in downtown Brainerd. “I think this should be put off down the road so we can weigh all the pros and cons with all the restaurants in town.
“But tonight, the issue is supposed to be specifically to decide if this (food truck) is a restaurant. ... Let’s not call this truck a building.”
Mike Bullinger, now living in Fargo, N.D., was the one who brought Prairie Bay into the area and came to speak in support of what Miller and Prairie Bay Chef Matt Annand are doing.
“These boys (Miller and Annand) have worked their tails off to make Prairie Bay the number one restaurant in the area,” said Bullinger. “Change is always tough. Our plan for this food truck isn’t to hurt these people (current restaurant owners) and the type of food we offer is very different.
“They (Miller and Annand) have a vision and I truly believe that a mobile restaurant is equipped better than some current restaurants.”
Monday night’s motion does not hinder the food truck’s current operating status but bars them from serving to the public from private and public locations. Essentially, while working off a catering permit, the truck could sell to employees at a company that requests their services.
Council did make a second motion to turn the topic over to the planning and zoning commission for further research and discussion on potentially allowing the food trucks to serve to the public in the future.
JESSI PIERCE, staff writer, may be reached at 855-5859 or jessi.pierce@brainerddispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jessi_pierce (@jessi_pierce).
Comments (27)
Add commentI can see it now
They better hope the new health inspector doesn't find them.
The truck won't be big enough to house everything.
What?
This is crazy. Why are they so against people having a convenient variety option for lunch? This is an argument and time wasted with the city council. Aren't there bigger matters to address. The only concern that the counsel has is the lack of taxes they receive.
Food trucks bring controversy
Too bad the dispatch did not provide this perspective from real world experience with the things, but no doubt some on the council were aware of it.
Businesses--not just restaurants, but store front businesses--have complained about these things in the twin cities for some time. They park in front of their stores, take up lots of parking space, cut into their business a lot more than draw customers to it. I think Mpls had to add regulations requiring them to hop around and not park in the same place all the time due to complaints from legit/long time businesses. Restaurants of course aren't happy, claiming direct competition and unfairness-- due to the tax system/regulation etc. being greater for sit down restaurants.
Not something worth rushing into. Even if you really happen to think Prairie Bay is the "number one restaurant in the area" (stretching the truth more than a bit, from my experience at Prairie Bay!).
At least today
no terrorists attacked one of our embassies and murdered our people. I'm glad to see you all holding Barry Obama's feet to the fire over the Libyan coverup. And it's good to see you really care that he has authorized weapons to be supplied to the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. It's also a great relief that the UN has said that Israel shouldn't do anything about the fact that there are more rockets hitting their cities than Hitler hit London with in WWII...... Oh Well.... Carry on!
and...
What in the hell does that have to do with what the topic is F&B? You are getting real tiresome, you know that?
Denny... where is F&B's leash!?
It says that
you people are acting ignorant about what is happening in this nation, Nan. As I said carry on with your trivial baloney. Sheesh!!
Trivial Baloney Oh Fair One...
Better than this Entertainment Baloney...
Times is a Changin
Obama has a superior record for keeping our embassies safe.
Sorry, nan, off topic.
Last President's dismal record:
June 14, 2002, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan
Suicide bomber kills 12 and injures 51.
February 20, 2003, international diplomatic compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Truck bomb kills 17.
February 28, 2003, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan
Gunmen on motorcycles killed two consulate guards.
July 30, 2004, U.S. embassy in Taskkent, Uzbekistan
Suicide bomber kills two.
December 6, 2004, U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Militants stormed and occupied perimeter wall. Five killed, 10 wounded.
March 2, 2006, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan
Suicide car bomber killed four, including a U.S. diplomate directly targeted by the assailants.
September 12, 2006, U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria
Gunmen attacked embassy with grenades, automatic weapons, and a car bomb (though second truck bomb failed to detonate). One killed and 13 wounded.
January 12, 2007, U.S. embassy in Athens, Greece
A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the embassy building. No one was injured.
July 9, 2008, U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Turkey
Armed men attacked consulate with pistols and shotguns. Three policemen killed.
March 18, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana'a, Yemen
Mortar attack misses embassy, hits nearby girls' school instead.
September 17, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana'a, Yemen
Militants dressed as policemen attacked the embassy with RPGs, rifles, grenades and car bombs. Six Yemeni soldiers and seven civilians were killed. Sixteen more were injured.
As for Obama, the attacks in Cairo and Benghazi are the first two attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission in an ostensibly peaceful country during his entire presidency.
Scribb's
Sir are YOU sure you're Rush picture wasn't from Crosby???
Hee Hee Remember alot of itchy Scooby-doo things going on!! Any Relation??
I say
I say excellent post by F & B at 5:09.
So what happened in Libya
was OK with you southie? Obama running guns to Muslim Terrorists in Syria is OK with you? Obama and his AG running guns to drug dealers was OK with you? ........... we are doomed.......
Tricia
The KEY word's is supplying arm's. TO cap't & his brother's GOOD LUCK on the high seas & in the air! All kidding aside does anybody remember an American being offered free arms?? With fish & snow paying for it.
Dutch ya might want to move closer to me. You'll be safer!!
Gee OFB 'n FnB...Santa is here this year...
dutch
I was serious. If you want to be stupid, please leave me out of it. Seriously. This is not funny anymore.
Sure Fair...Enough is Enough...Round the Corner...2016...
http://news.yahoo.com/creationism-controversies-norm-among-potential-rep...
Cafe or Restaurant?
First step would be to define where this falls...cafe, restaurant, concession stand or somewhere in between( neighborhood ice cream truck).
Second step apply regulations on the books when defined.
Food Truck Business in Lakes Region, a good thing...
Background...
My family enjoys this quite a bit...
http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-great-food-truck-race/index.html
_______
What this business model CAN DO, is share the great culinary talent of the Lakes Region...
To REACH many more folks around the Lakes Region at many more times...
_______
However...Kevin Goedker vote against...
A respected company in the Lakes Region for years of Bricks 'n Morter...
Kevin is currently the Broker of Record and owner of Goedker Realty...
_______
Mobile Food Trucks seems counter to that...
_______
However, Mobile Food Trucks have to have a base to start from to reach many destinations and supply those mobile vehicles with stock, etc...
______
So, I'm a little puzzled by the No Vote...
Food trucks bring food, but do they also bring
bacteria? My concern, and it IS a legitimate one, is that the employees may be much more lax about germ and bacteria control. Thats all I care about, is that people dont pay $4.95 for a quick death.
Valid Concern...Cleanliness...
Same concern in Mobile Food Truck or Sit Down Restraunt...
That's a killer...
Miss that one, and the business is done...
Off Topic...But...FnB 'n OFB...See this Movie...Lincoln...
Spend some coin, and get out...
In the spirit of Siskel and Ebert (http://siskelandebert.org/), share your observations...
_______
Not this kind of weed...Correct.?.
Naw...This Kind...
Hmm from what I have seen
Hmm from what I have seen here.. 2 things are very apparent.
1. If you own/want to own a business better move it to Baxter.. Between the tax/education and other systems in Brd now I understand why my company if expanding elsewhere rather than here.
2. There are a few quite honestly "dipsticks" who have no common sense and can't get past their political squabbles, so they have to hijack every comment section on here. Geez haven't dipsticks learned no one cares. I would say go post on one section back and forth but then no one else would see, and realize how petty/bitter you really are.. And in the meantime the rest of us go on with life...
If Brainerd restaurants are concerned about competition...
...maybe they should step up their game and be competitive. Let's face it, in order to get a decent meal, you've got to cross the bridge into Baxter anyway.