VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — While Virginia Beach food truck operators enjoyed a small victory at the city council meeting Tuesday, they were hoping for more.
Councilwoman Jessica Abbott argued that food truck employees should no longer be required to conduct annual background checks.
"We as a city do not have the right to prohibit somebody the right to work and that will always be morally wrong, that will always be ethically wrong,” said Abbott.
However, the majority of city council didn’t see it that way, voting 7 to 4 in favor of keeping the background checks.
"I think it is extremely unfair that I have to pass some sort of background check just to own a business. I think it’s the right of every American just to own or operate a business,” said MJ Medlar.
Medlar owns three food trucks. She said if brick and mortar restaurants don’t require employee background checks neither should her own business.
"Goes with that old stigma of the food truck peddler, where they must be a criminal or they must be a child molester or they must be a sex offender or something like that,” said Medlar.
Tuesday’s vote wasn’t all bad for the beach’s 30 plus food trucks. They will no longer operate under the peddler permit, but more as a mobile restaurant. This change in designation will drastically reduce their licensing fees.
"We have to pay $300 per mobile unit in order to get a license for a mobile unit, whereas a restaurant is based on revenue,” said Medlar.
Virginia Beach Restaurant Association president Philip Boyer said he’s worried this new mobile restaurant designation could open up a Pandora's box when it comes to where food trucks can operate.
"If someone is allowed to operate on public property without paying rent, without paying property taxes, without paying all that, that disenfranchises existing businesses,” said Boyer.