Munchies Food Truck Wins Extension Of Downtown Hours

In a debate that kept the City Council in session until early Tuesday morning, the Munchies Food Truck won an extra two hours of operating time in the downtown area.

The council voted 6-1 to allow the vendor to work in the downtown area between noon and 2 p.m. on Fridays. The vote also continues a compromise allowing the truck to be downtown from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. any day of the week.

The matter stems from a municipal peddler’s permit which mistakenly gave Munchies greater access in the downtown area than is allowed under a city ordinance. The permit was issued to Aiman and Manal Saad, with a Waterford mailing address, and is effective from April 11 through Dec. 31. The Munchies menu lists stops on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at , , , and . However, on information filled out for a form the Saads included 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each week at the intersection of State Street and Bank Street, while also providing a list of vending locations that included Bank Street, State Street, and Eugene O’Neill Drive locations.

In 2007, the City Council revised the solicitation ordinance to prohibit any motor vehicle from “hawking, peddling, selling, or vending” in the Central Business District. This encompasses an area enclosed by Huntington Street, Federal Street, Water Street, Bank Street, and several smaller roads as far west as Howard Street. In a letter to Manal Saad on July 8, Rose said the city’s law director, Tom Londregan, recommended that Munchies be allowed to continue operating from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the remainder of the permit as a compromise measure.

The council heard an appeal on Monday from attorney Gordon Videll, representing Munchies. Videll said the Saads went through the proper channels in their application, and that one took out a loan against his retirement account to buy the $75,000 vehicle. Videll said hundreds of people have signed a petition to allow Munchies downtown, and that the business has been helpful in bringing visitors into the city and to Parade Plaza.

“We’ve got to do something to this Parade to make it vibrant,” said Videll. “We’ll take things off the menu to stop being competitive. I think we’re being reasonable.”

Videll asked Councilor John Russell, who owns on Broad Street, to recuse himself from the discussion due to his status as a competitor. Russell refused, positing that Videll wasn’t also asking Councilor Michael Buscetto III—owner of Filomena’s in Waterford—to leave because of his recent support for the vendor and Munchies’ stated support for . 

Russell was critical of the operation. Although his restaurant is located outside the Central Business District, Russell says the truck has parked across the street from Louie’s to sell food at the . Russell said restaurants in town have put in greater investments when compared to the vendor and have to pay property taxes as well.

“You’re going to have more empty storefronts if you allow things like this to happen,” he said.

Russell was supported by Bill Cornish, owner of , and Ken Hochstetler, owner of . Cornish said that while he does not mind Munchies operating in areas outside the central district, he feels it has an “unfair advantage” in costs and cuts into business when it competes with downtown restaurants.

“I just don’t see it as the right thing to do,” said Hochstetler. “It seems like he’s picking right in front of other establishments.”

Videll admitted that Munchies changed its schedule to include the downtown since Mitchell College and Lawrence & Memorial Hospital were not bringing in enough customers. However, he said the vendor should not be affecting businesses due to the nature of its sales.

“I’ve never ever stopped at a vending truck when my destination was a downtown restaurant,” he said.

Russell made a motion to allow Munchies to operate “to the letter of their permit,” which would retain the compromise of downtown operation between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. but not allow any additional vending times. Councilor Adam Sprecace suggested that this compromise was satisfactory, but Videll said such a time is not ideal, since there tend to be less visitors at that time. Councilor Rob Pero suggested that , located outside the Central Business District, would be a possible location.

Councilor Michael Passero described Munchies as a “victim of a mistake the city made,” but felt the city had gotten an “unnecessary black eye” as a result of the dispute. He questioned whether Munchies was attempting to use the mistake as a way to expand their business operation, and whether it would open the door to several panel trucks around Parade Plaza.

“I still have gotten no accountability on how this happened,” he said.

Buscetto amended the motion to suggest that Munchies be allowed to park on State Street between Eugene O’Neill Drive and Bank Street between noon and 2 p.m., saying there was no indication of opposition from restaurants in that immediate area. However, the amendment faltered on his suggestion that the vendor’s permitting fee also be increased from $200 to $1,000 to address the question of Munchies “paying their fair share” when compared with downtown restaurants. Londregan said he would hesitate to change the set fee from a legal standpoint, and the amendment failed with only Buscetto voting in favor.

Pero amended Russell’s motion to allow Munchies to operate anywhere in the Central Business District from noon to 2 p.m. on Fridays only—a time consistent with the —as well as 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The amendment passed 5-2, with Russell and Mayor Martin Olsen opposed, and the main motion passed 6-1, with Russell opposed.

Correction: The original article stated that Manal Saad is the executive chef at Filomena's in Waterford. According to Aiman Saad, Manal used to hold this job but has not been associated with Filomena's for several years.