What’s a food bike you ask? It’s a low-footprint, low-capital alternative to a food truck. If you’ve ever traveled around Asia or Latin America, you know that most “street food” is peddled by cart or bicycle as opposed to food trucks. Some examples of local food businesses getting around the East Bay by bicycle include Bicycle Coffee, El Taco Bike, and Curbside Creamery (left to right, above).

Mobile food and “pop-ups” are becoming increasingly attractive avenues for many food entrepreneurs, especially in the Bay Area. There are lower startup costs (and usually lower risk) than a brick and mortar business. Additionally, in recent years, there has been an explosion in the amount of outdoor community events, markets, and private pop-up events that are taking place and offer venues for selling food.

However, there are some legal constraints to food bikes - both in terms of state-level health and safety laws and in terms of local zoning laws. At this teach-in Berkeley Food Institute Summer Fellow John Romankiewicz will talk about some of the allowances and limitations of food bikes under existing law with a real demonstration bicycle out on the patio. We'll also discuss some public policy ideas that John and SELC Policy Director Christina Oatfield have been discussing on this topic. We'd love your input! Come with all your questions and ideas about food and bicycles!