A proposal to expand the required distance between food trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants in Kansas City is drawing pushback from mobile vendors, who say the change could limit where they can operate just months before the FIFA World Cup brings an influx of visitors.
The ordinance, which would increase that distance from 50 feet to 300 feet, is expected to go before the Kansas Council on Thursday. Violations would be punishable by fines of up to $500 or jail time.
Supporters of the measure say it would create fairer conditions for restaurants, citing concerns that food trucks are taking business that would otherwise go to them. Food truck operators argue it could significantly reduce access to high-traffic areas and threaten their livelihoods.
This would not be the first time a distance rule has limited food truck operators during big events in the city. When the rule was originally implemented in 2015, it included a perimeter around the Power & Light District, which frustrated food truck operators looking to cater to basketball fans attending the Big 12 Tournament.
Kansas City Councilman Wes Rogers said the new proposal is intended to bring the city in line with other municipalities and address complaints from restaurant owners.
"We're not trying to eliminate food trucks," Rogers said. "We're just trying to make sure that restaurants that invest in the city have a reasonable buffer."
The ordinance would not affect food truck operations at festivals, in designated vending areas or under private partnerships with businesses, Rogers said.
He said the bill is intended to bring Kansas City into alignment with other major cities such as Chicago, which has an established "halo" rule for mobile food businesses. Kansas City's required buffer zone would be 100 feet more than Chicago's.
For some food truck owners, the concern goes beyond distance — they say it's about survival.
"When you hear things like this, it makes you question whether you can even stay in the business," said Daniel Marrero, owner of the food truck Hero's New York Griddle.
Marrero said he has operated his truck in the Kansas City metro area for more than a decade, serving an assortment of burgers, sandwiches and empanadas. He described the proposal as part of a broader pattern of restrictions that make it harder for mobile vendors to operate in the city.
"We pay to operate legally on city streets," Marrero said. "But we're being restricted from operating in the very places where business happens."
Other vendors echoed concerns about limited space to operate.
"It would really mess up our business," said Ken Viereck, owner of the food truck Gringo's Cubanos. "We already have such a hard time finding spots inside the city that it would just kill us."
Food truck operators said the proposal has dampened their excitement around the World Cup, which many have viewed as an opportunity to grow their businesses.
"We were getting really excited about it," said Zerelda Connelly, co-owner of Pop's Old Fashioned Kettle Corn. "And then the next thing we hear is this ordinance, and now we don't know if we'll be allowed downtown at all."
Connelly said the change feels personal for many small business owners.
"It makes us feel like we're the unwanted stepchild," Connelly said. "Like we're not worth the effort."
She questioned how the rule would function in practice.
"I'm not sure that there's 300 feet between storefronts," Connelly said. "So where would they put us?"
Operators emphasized that food trucks are not informal ventures, but fully licensed businesses with real costs and risks. Viereck said operating across different jurisdictions in the metro area requires multiple permits and fees, sometimes totaling hundreds or thousands of dollars annually.
"We are legitimate businesses," Connelly said. "We pay for permits, we pay taxes, we carry insurance — just like anyone else."
Marrero said the issue is also about recognition.
"They treat this industry like it's a hobby," Marrero said. "But this is how people make a living. This is how we support our families."
Restaurant industry leaders say the proposal is about balance, not exclusion.
Mike Burris, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, said the current 50-foot rule allows food trucks to operate at an uncomfortable distance from restaurant entrances.
"That's just too close," Burris said. "You could have multiple food trucks right outside a restaurant's door."
He said restaurants, which operate year-round and pay significant overhead costs, can lose business when food trucks cluster nearby during peak events.
"They're not telling them to leave," Burris said. "They're just asking them to move back a little bit."
Rogers said he had only heard from one person about opposition to the bill, and that he welcomes anyone who disagrees with the bill to talk to him about their grievances.
The debate comes as Missouri lawmakers consider a separate measure to simplify permitting for food trucks across Jackson County. That proposal would allow a single, county-issued permit to apply across municipalities, aiming to reduce regulatory burdens ahead of the World Cup.
For some food truck operators, the two efforts highlight a contradiction: One seeks to expand access, while another seeks to restrict it.
Despite disagreements, both supporters and opponents of the Kansas City ordinance acknowledge that food trucks play a role in the city's identity.
"Cities are better with food trucks," Rogers said.
Vendors agree — but say access is critical to maintaining that presence.
"It gives the city more options," Viereck said, "more life."
This story was originally published by the Missouri Business Alert, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
