MILWAUKEE — MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Food trucks in downtown Milwaukee will soon be required to close earlier after the Milwaukee Common Council unanimously voted to change the operating hours from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Effective May 9, food trucks in the downtown impacted area, including Water Street, will be required to close by 10 p.m. The Burnham Park food truck zone is also impacted, where trucks will be required to close by 11 p.m.
Alma Juarez owns Tacos Almita and is used to serving food until 1 a.m. With the earlier closing time, she said it means fewer customers and less income.
"It’s hard, and it's gonna affect me a lot," Juarez said.
Juarez is also worried about her employees who rely on the money to support their families in Mexico. She said she had no notice of the change.
"I didn’t receive any emails or nothing," Juarez said. "A lot of people come here, and this is my main spot, so I have to tell them and start again."
Juarez often serves students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, who say the trucks are a go-to late-night option.
"Very sad, like my friend said, we go to these trucks three, four nights a week. We are here all the time," Joey Bruno said.
"Me and my friends usually come because it’s the only thing open past 10 p.m.," Ryan Kazi said.
The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved the change this week. District 4 Alderman Robert Bauman sponsored the change, saying it is in response to safety concerns from police and the university. He brought up multiple shootings that have happened on Water Street and the surrounding area over the years.
"This file is a direct response to some of the disorder that’s already taken place in the Water Street entertainment district," Bauman said. "Hopefully this will thwart some of the disorder."
Customers and Juarez don't believe this is an effective way to make streets safer.
"I don’t think so, I don’t think trucks have to do anything with the safety," Kazi said.
"Moving us earlier is not going to be a solution. It’s not the food trucks, it’s the people," Juarez said.
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