The Champaign City Council will hold a study session May 28 to discuss the future of the city’s Mobile Food Truck Pilot Project, which is set to end June 30.

City staff will likely recommend an extension of the pilot project, with some changes, to the city council at its study session, said Rob Kowalski, assistant planning director for the city of Champaign.

After the pilot project ends, mobile food trucks would not be able to operate on public property without the extension.

“They could operate on private property zoned commercial,” Kowalski said.

The city defines a mobile food truck as a food service operated in a movable vehicle, used to store, prepare, display or serve food intended for individual meals. Push carts, food stands and other methods of selling food without use of a motorized wheeled or towed vehicle are ineligible.

Through the pilot project, the Champaign City Council aims to provide an opportunity for mobile food service in the city while observing vending impacts as the council considers operational regulations for mobile food service.

Food trucks may currently operate in seven permitted locations across the city. Trucks can stay in a location for a maximum of two hours from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m., except for the loading zones on Sixth and Walnut Streets, where vendors are allowed to park in the evening from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The maximum number of vendors is different at all locations.

The city has issued six permits to mobile food vendors. Mobile food service is currently provided to the city by Cracked, Papa Johns, The Empanadas House and Burrito King, which has two trucks.  A permit has also been issued to Crave, whose truck is not operating this spring.

Juan Olarte, the owner of The Empanadas House, said his restaurant offers empanadas with a variety of fillings throughout the week. He said there are some regular customers who come to the truck several times a week.

“Because the truck goes around (the city) a lot, many different people know about it,” Olarte said.

Kowalski said he think the pilot project is going well, and feedback from the community is good too.

“Overall, I believe the impact to the community is that people like (the trucks), and appreciate the choice in eating options and the vibrancy they bring to downtown and campustown,” Kowalski said.

Matt Dierker, sophomore in Engineering, said he gets lunch from Cracked several times a week, and he said people are noticing the trucks more and more.

“It’s usually parked really close to my classes,” he said. “Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like more people come here for lunch than last semester.”

Permit holders as well as downtown and campustown businesses can provide comments on the pilot project by the end of April for the city council to consider before its May 28 study session.

Earn can be reached at [email protected].