WASHINGTON — If you spent any time on the National Mall, chances are you have seen the lines for food trucks. They are a lifeline for hungry tourists and people working downtown, but some of those trucks aren't necessarily operating legally. There are special parking zone laws that could mean big fines. But owners of those food trucks say they are willing to eat into their profits in order to make a living.
In the shadows of the symbols of our democracy, every day thousands come to reflect and relax. But to get a flavor of what it's like to make a living on the mall, talk to the folks in the food trucks.
Vendors on the National Mall say that while they are taking orders, they are often getting tickets.
"All the time. Whenever they see you, they just fine you," one vendor said. "Sometimes $100, $150, $200. You never know."
D.C. has specified spots for licensed food trucks to park and do business. Vendors say they costs a lot of money.
"We pay about $10-11,000 a year for our D.C. permits, our D.C. licenses," a vendor told WUSA9.
Those permitted spots are blocks away in the business district, and with fewer people working downtown offices post-pandemic, vendors say to make money, they need to be where the tourists are — and they're willing to pay the tickets to be on the Mall. Vendors say they pay thousands of dollars in fines in a month.
Sometimes, trucks are ticketed or towed because they are in no parking zones. Food truck operators say, most of the time, they are fined for not feeding the meters or for parking in one spot for too long. They also face fines for technically selling on federal sidewalks when they pass food through their windows.
The curb seems to be complicating things. On 7th Street, for example, if you stand in the street, you're on public property. Step on to the sidewalk, and you're on federal property.
"Its the transaction on the sidewalk. They're saying, 'Oh, it's federal property.' 'Oh, it's National Park Service property.' You can't be doing that," one vendor explained.
Vendors also say they have even seen Park Police arrest vendors.
"Two of my buddies got arrested down there, and they got their truck impounded," a vendor told WUSA9.
A spokesperson for the Park Police told us that without names and dates they can't confirm any arrests, and most of the vendors we spoke with were afraid to share that information.
As for the local laws, D.C. confirms there are no city-designated food truck zones on the Mall. A spokesperson said, "Any food trucks parked in those areas do so illegally."
Vendors we talked to said they would pay even more in fees if it meant they could do business in peace.
"I mean, it would be better for everyone. Better for us and better for the cops," a vendor said.
Meanwhile, with no other food options close by, the tourists on the Mall we spoke with stand on the side of the food trucks.
"I have two kids and they're like, 'We're hungry.' Food is here, let's eat it," one man said. "I don't understand why that is not a relationship they want to foster in some way.