ORLANDO, Fla. – Zachary Maxwell, the Orlando-based food truck owner of Maxtro’s went public Monday with a petition he created against a city ordinance he said is hurting his business.
Maxwell wrote the petition three weeks ago when code enforcement notified him that he could no longer serve between midnight and 6 a.m.
Recommended Videos
“About 75% of our sales are from 12 a.m. to three. So, it’s a huge blow to us for sure,” Maxwell said.
The ordinance was approved by city council on Oct. 7. It codified the ‘Mobile Food Vending’ pilot program that began in 2013 and was renewed in 2019.
The program lays out a set of rules and regulations that mobile food vendors — food trucks and carts — must follow if they are operating in the city, such as prohibiting alcohol sales and limiting hours of operation.
“Yes, we need the code amendments, but we also need to make sure that we get fair enforcement for these small businesses,” Council member Patty Sheehan said during the Oct.7 meeting.
Maxwell’s concern is food trucks in the downtown entertainment area do not have to adhere to some of the regulations that he has to. For example, according to the city, mobile food vendors in the DEA can stay open till 3 a.m.
Maxwell started his food truck business in 2021 in Los Angeles, but his goal was always to return to Orlando where he was born. He went back and forth between the West and East Coast throughout 2022. Then in April, he launched in Ivanhoe Village off 1620 N. Orange Ave.
Maxwell said it was easier to find a location and run Maxtro’s in LA. He even used to be parked along Hollywood Boulevard.
“Finding a location in Orlando, Florida, for a food truck to operate regularly is probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done in the business,” Maxwell said. “It’s a lot different here than from L.A.”
Maxwell’s petition currently has over 400 signatures with a goal of collecting 1,500 before the city’s next meeting on Jan. 13, 2025. Maxwell said he plans to speak during public comment.
The business owner said he wants the city to know this petition isn’t about losing money or business but about providing for the community no matter the time.
“I started opening up later for the people specifically because a lot of my friends work in hospitality, and I noticed that they were never able to make it by the truck to come try it, because they’re working the same hours that we are,” Maxwell said.
News 6 reached out to the city for comment and asked why food trucks outside of the DEA are unable to be open after midnight.
A spokesperson provided the following prepared statement, “the city’s goals in regulating mobile vendors and food trucks is to make sure each food truck or vendor is operating in a safe manner, to protect nearby residents from negative impacts such as noise, trash, or late-night loitering, to create a sliding scale of impacts from minimal (one truck on a site twice per week) to permanent (establishing a food truck pod that’s open daily), and to require additional public review and infrastructure as needed based on the impact.”
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: