AMHERST, NY – The months-long food fight raging in Amherst has come to an end – and chalk up a victory for the food trucks.

The popular rolling kitchens will finally be allowed to operate in the region’s largest suburb, eight months after one operator nearly had his truck towed away by the town for serving lunch at an office park.

“It’s not perfect, but we got our foot in the door,” said Mitch Stenger, attorney for the Western New York Food Truck Association.

Town officials Monday unanimously passed new regulations for the growing food truck industry. The rules, which are similar to those in Buffalo, include:

• A $400 fee for each food truck, to be renewed each year for an additional $200.
• A ban on operating within 100 feet of the front door of any restaurant with an open kitchen.
• A three-hour time limit for operation in a public parking space or a commercial area.
• A curfew of 8 p.m. in residential areas and 11 p.m. in public rights-of-way and commercial districts.

The Amherst law restricts trucks from selling their food on residential streets for longer than 20 minutes at a time, as town officials said they did not believe residents wanted them operating there.

Find the entire article by Charlie Specht at the buffalonews.com <here>