Hard-hatted construction workers eyed the offerings when Jaques Arantes’ coffee and lunch truck stopped by last Thursday at The Prospector work site, right across the street from two village restaurants, Dimitri’s and Piccolo’s. Mr. Arantes, the only person without a hard hat, got a vendor’s permit from the selectmen Wednesday night. —Macklin Reid photo
Weighing free enterprise rights against the value of protecting established, tax-paying, charity-supporting local businesses, the selectmen struggled to find a balance last Wednesday. In the end they couldn’t justify denying a food vendor’s permit to a lunch truck that visits local construction sites — even if it siphons off some business from town restaurants.
“I can’t see, legally how we can deny it,” said Selectwoman Barbara Manners.
The selectmen granted a food vendor’s permit to Jaques Arantes, who told them his coffee and lunch truck makes the rounds at seven or eight work sites. He stops at the library and Prospector projects off Main Street, at the new St. Andrew’s church off Ivy Hill Road and some residential projects. He also serves some yard maintenance crews.
First Selectman Rudy Marconi said he’d heard from two local business owners who’d rather not see vendor trucks.
Eating at a village restaurant, he’d been approached by the owner. “He said ‘I used to do a good business. The food truck showed up, they stopped coming in.’ ”
The first selectman also read from an email sent by Joe Ancona, who has Ancona’s Market and The Tusk and Cup. “Our town does not benefit in any way by having mobile food trucks,” Mr. Ancona wrote.
A co-owner of Dimitri’s, Kosta Mavridas, spoke up: “We are across the street. In this town we spend insurance, and taxes…I don’t think it’s fair. It’s not something like a construction site where there’s no restaurant around.”
A food vendor’s permit of the sort granted to Mr. Arantes has a $200 fee.
With two commercial condominium spaces in Yankee Ridge, Dimitri’s pays more than $18,000 a year in taxes.
“I have to agree with the local merchants,” said Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark.
The businesses not only pay taxes but make donations, sponsor teams, participate in fund raisers, she said. “We really are asking these people to be so supportive of the community.”
Ms. Manners said there weren’t grounds for a denial. “In terms of discrimination of one vendor against another, I just don’t see how you could do that,” she said. “I’m talking on a legal basis.”
Selectman Andy Bodner said Mr. Arantes’ lunch wagon’s stopping at construction sites was nothing out of the ordinary. “This is a typical lunch truck that goes to construction sites … 98% of construction sites — the guys can’t leave the site, they can’t take the time.”
He asked Mr. Marconi, who used to own a construction business, if he agreed.
Mr. Marconi confirmed that from the management perspective, it’s preferable to have a truck come by than to have the workers leave the site, go buy their coffee or food, maybe stop at the bank while they’re out, and then come back after half an hour and want their break.
“If I was wearing that hat and on that job, I’d want that truck there,” he said.
Mr. Arantes said he got a call from the manager of “the project at Prospect Street, Mr. George, he said ‘We need you here.’ ”
Mr. Marconi asked if Dimitri’s tried to compete with the vendor truck by offering to take orders by phone and deliver to the work sites across the street.
They don’t now, Mr. Mavridas said, but they could.
Ms. Manners suggested trying to reach “a gentlemen’s agreement” with Mr. Arantes: the town would grant him a permit, and he would limit himself to work sites that weren’t right next to restaurants, no longer visiting the Prospector and library projects, which sit side-by-side right across from Dimitri’s.
“I have two kids,” Mr. Arantes replied. “If I let you know how much I make in a day, you’d say ‘Leave this guy working.’ ”
“I’m not going to support it if it’s at construction sites that are downtown,” Ms. Kozlark said.
“I think we need to grant the permit,” Ms. Manners said. “Because we don’t have a basis for denying it.”
“I completely agree,” said Mr. Bodner.
“I’m really torn on this one,” Mr. Marconi said. “I understand Maureen’s position of wanting to support the local merchants. We preach that all the time.”
But he couldn’t bring himself to vote against Mr. Arantes’ right to try to make his livelihood selling food from the back of his truck.
“I guess I have to decide on the moral part of it, the ethical part of it, the legal part of it,” he said.
The vote was 3-to-1, with Ms. Kozlark in dissent.
Mr. Marconi said later that “If this was going to be permanent, I would have voted differently,” he said.
While the selectmen felt they couldn’t deny a vendor permit to Mr. Arantes on the grounds he was competing with local restaurants, Mr. Marconi said, Ridgefielders could and should make a conscious effort to spend their disposable income in town.
“It serves as an opportunity to let everyone in Ridgefield know that we need them to support their local restaurants, rather than going to Danbury for a quick bite, or some other community,” he said.
“We have a variety of restaurants that a offer very good food, and they need your help. Support them!”