Food trucks face weekend ban in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood

The Denver Police Department is once again banning food trucks from operating in parts of Lower Downtown during weekend evening hours.

Law enforcement officials attribute the policy change to the need to control crowds and prevent violent incidents after bars and nightclubs close their doors. But food stand operators and their advocates question any attempt to link people selling hot dogs to crime.

“This ban doesn’t even make sense,” said Justin Pearson, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, a Virginia-based nonprofit that spoke out against a similar police policy in Denver in 2022. “Research shows that food trucks make neighborhoods safer … (and) they’re taking away options for people to recover before they go home. That’s a horrible idea.”

Starting this week, food trucks are prohibited from parking along Blake, Market and Larimer streets, between 18th and 21st streets, and on 21st Street between Market and Larimer, from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Establishments within the prohibited zone include Viewhouse Ballpark, Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, Tap Fourteen and 1up Arcade Bar.

Police alerted food truck operators about the change last weekend by handing out flyers, though officials acknowledged to The Denver Post on Wednesday that those flyers contained an error: They wrongly said the restrictions were also in effect on Thursday nights.

“The restricted area of ​​operation is intended to help reduce the number of fights and incidents resulting in gun violence that occur among crowds during these nights and hours, and to encourage people to leave the LoDo area shortly after bars and nightclubs close,” the Denver Police Department said in a statement.

However, violent crime has declined this year in that area, according to data released by the Denver Police Department.

The part of LoDo where food trucks are now banned on weekend nights straddles the Union Station and Five Points neighborhoods. Denver police data shows that reported violent crimes are down 17% so far in 2024 from the three-year average in the Union Station neighborhood and 1% from the three-year average in Five Points, though the latter neighborhood is much larger and has other distinct nightlife areas.

The city intends to create two or three designated zones for food trucks to operate in the area, but details are still being worked out, police said. “This is a pilot program and DPD will evaluate the initiative and results in the future to determine if adjustments are necessary,” the department’s statement said.

In addition to restrictions on food trucks, Denver police said they also implemented rideshare pickup zones in July, increased officer staffing, improved lighting and increased outreach to area bars and clubs to address nighttime safety.

Police officials declined to answer further questions from The Post about what new events prompted the restrictions on food trucks.

In the summer of 2022, food trucks were banned from operating in LoDo for about a month following a mass shooting in which Denver police injured a gunman and six bystanders, though city officials denied a connection between that shooting and the ban.

David Sevcik, owner of Food Truck Avenue, which oversees operations for several Colorado food trucks including Mac N’ Noodles and Mile High Cheesteaks, said his trucks haven’t served downtown Denver’s nightlife for years because dealing with city regulations is too difficult.

“If we’re afraid of having crowds in any setting, why are we serving food at sports stadiums?” Sevcik said. “The Denver metro area is becoming anti-food trucks.”