DENVER — The Denver Police Department's (DPD) new measures to curb downtown violence are now targeting the city’s food trucks. Starting next week, food trucks will be barred from parking in the prime business area in Lower Downtown on weekend nights.
The decision was outlined in a notice handed to food truck owners late Friday night, titled "Food Truck Exclusion Zone." It will go into effect on Thursday, Sept. 5.
DPD said it is part of a broader effort to enhance safety following a series of downtown shootings. DPD contends that the presence of food trucks contributes to violence, as people leaving bars in the LoDo district often congregate around them, leading to altercations.
Food truck operators, like Alex Salomon, are frustrated by the abruptness of the enforcement. Salomon has parked his truck in the same spot for nearly two years and operates from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on weekends.
“We’re a truck, we’re mobile, so it’s very important that the consistency of our time, our schedule and our location, it’s always the same. Moving half a block away would essentially be me restarting a whole new business,” Salomon said. “So essentially, this is cutting me off completely.”
Food truck owners say they were blindsided by the new regulations, as officers distributed notices at 12:30 a.m. with no prior warning or explanation.
Salomon criticized the short notice of just a few days, suggesting that at least 30 days would have been more reasonable to allow for planning and customer communication.
DPD estimates that the new restrictions will affect approximately six to 10 food trucks, but Salomon believes the impact is much broader.
“Just on this block, there’s six trucks that park here. Every business has employees. So, in this block alone, you’re affecting hundreds of people,” he said, estimating over 30 food trucks in the restricted zone.
With only a few days to adjust, Salomon and other food truck owners whose livelihoods depend on these locations are left scrambling, uncertain about their future and whether their businesses can survive.
In a statement, DPD acknowledged the impact on food truck operators and said they had minimized the restricted area as much as possible to meet their safety objectives. In July, DPD also implemented designated rideshare pickup zones with similar safety.
“The goal of this pilot program is to reduce violence and potentially save lives, which necessitates urgency,” they said in the statement.
The department emphasized that this is a pilot program, which will be evaluated over time to determine if adjustments are necessary. A similar measure was implemented after a downtown shooting in 2022, and many food truck owners say they barely survived the fallout. Numerous operators watched as some fellow food truck businesses were forced to shut down due to the impact.