A food truck on Drexel University's campus on March 15, 2024.
Credit: Anastasia RussellDrexel University has begun enforcing city parking laws more strictly — in particular those banning overnight parking — resulting in a crack down on food trucks.
Food trucks near the corner of 33rd and Arch street were notified on March 26 that they would no longer be allowed to park overnight starting on April 4. The mobile businesses typically park on streets overnight to maintain their spot the next day; With the restrictions, trucks that are unable to find a place to park could shut down.
In a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, a Drexel spokesperson said that food trucks “have long been a part of the fabric of University City with many located around Drexel University's campus at any given time.”
“The University values the services these food vendors provide to its community and looks forward to working with Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, the Department of Licenses & Inspections, the Department of Public Health, and with vendors, so that vendors can continue to operate their businesses — at various locations throughout campus — while also ensuring the safety of the community,” the spokesperson wrote.
Drexel’s student newspaper, The Triangle, reported that university administrators said at an April 2 forum that they are only asking the food trucks to comply with the city’s laws — not to shut down.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents the district that houses both Drexel and Penn, said in an interview with Fox that she was “dismayed” that Drexel told the student community the restrictions were a mandate from the city.
“I would hope that Drexel would reverse course on this, but if they don’t, I’m going to be exploring legislative options to make sure we continue to welcome food trucks to West Philadelphia,” Gauthier said.
Some Penn students expressed disappointment about the potential closure of some food trucks.
First-year University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School student Yitian Wang said that he eats food trucks almost daily. He said that the owner of Kami Food Truck — located on 33rd and Market street — wasn’t here “yesterday or the day before.”
“I believe the owner lives far away from the place, so she couldn't commute with that mandate,” Wang said.
Second-year Penn Carey Law School student Mary Su, said that while she wasn’t a frequent visitor to the food trucks at Drexel, she felt that enforcing the parking restrictions would be “harmful to [the food trucks’] clientele.”
One of the trucks near Drexel’s campus, Pete’s Little Lunchbox, has already closed its doors. Pete’s Little Lunchbox told The Triangle that it would be “tiring, and too much” to have to go back and forth without being able to park overnight on Drexel’s campus.
A petition launched by Drexel student Claire Toomey — advertised via QR codes posted on several food trucks in the area reading “Help Save The Food Trucks Of Drexel!” — is urging people to sign in protest of the crackdown. It currently has almost five thousand signatures.
The petition “ask[s] the school to heavily reconsider and reverse this shameful decision to support our beloved small businesses.”
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