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ZELIENOPLE — Differing opinions about the economic benefits of partnering with food trucks led some Zelienople business owners to weigh in during borough council’s Monday, Aug. 31, meeting.

Last week, a Zelienople business called police with a complaint about Papa Joe’s hosting a food truck on its private property, said Joe Talarico, one of the owners of Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar.

Currently, borough ordinance restricts mobile food trucks from being positioned within 150 feet of a brick-and-mortar business entrance.

Talarico said the ordinance needs some adjusting to remove the restrictions. He noted the rule is difficult to enforce and often ignored. He also argued removing the rule would benefit other businesses.

“Over the past 10 years, this town has really come a long way, (and) really done a great job bringing businesses in, and it’s really helped all the other businesses that were here,” he said. “Food trucks bring a lot of people into town that aren’t normally here. I think there’s strength in numbers. I think it’s been proven in other places.”

He said a change in the ordinance will help make Zelienople a destination location.

Two other business owners who operate brick-and-mortars businesses on Main Street spoke at the meeting after Talarico to voice their disagreement.

Dennis Detar, co-owner of Spring & Main Café, said while Zelienople has to update regulations, some consideration should be given toward brick-and-mortar businesses that invest more into the infrastructure of the borough.

“I think that there has to be some protection around that,” Detar said. “I definitely would not want food trucks lined up in front of my place. I think that would be detrimental, to a degree, for us.”

Detar said communication and collaboration between businesses on the street would be better for the community than bringing in outside food trucks.

Erika Shumaker, co-owner of ShuBrew, concurred. She argued Zelienople does not have the foot traffic or population to support bringing in more food options.

“Let’s be honest: We’re not Cranberry. We’re not in the city of Pittsburgh,” she said.

She noted that beyond basic expenditures, physical stores have many other considerations to consider food trucks don’t. A food truck, she said, can pull away on a slow business day, while brick-and-mortar spots like ShuBrew do not have that choice.

Shumaker also voiced concern there were inconsistencies with permitting from the borough. The food truck in front of the Papa Joe’s was placed without a special event permit, she claimed.

“I think a lot of the businesses are murmuring about it too, because they’re like, ‘Why is this place allowed to do this, and this one isn’t?’” she said. “What’s the point of having ordinances? Why don’t we just do whatever we want?”

Detar said he believes that, while there are exceptions like big community events, commerce in Zelienople can grow organically.

“We definitely want competition. We want to see everybody thrive,” Detar said.
“Some of these places need a solution to thrive, but maybe some of those solutions are right in their backyard.”