One of the main reasons we’ve heard that the City of Decatur has hesitated to jump to the cutting edge of the food truck craze in the past year is the potential impact on existing brick-and-mortar restaurants and other food businesses already set up in the city.  So, I suppose it’s little surprise that in Atlanta, where food trucking has become easier recently thanks to the lifting of some restrictions, there’s been a bit of backlash from local restauranteurs.

The AJC reports this morning…

But in some cases, the trucks have brought controversy along with gelato, tamales, Venezuelan corn cakes and char-grilled hot dogs. They have lower overhead than restaurants and — some restaurateurs suspect — tenuous allegiances to particular neighborhoods and their existing businesses. In a tough restaurant market, is that an unfair advantage?

“My main issue is, how are they helping the community?” said Coggin, who noted that his restaurant is hit up for charitable donations every week and wonders if food trucks are also asked. “Are they just making a buck and leaving? It’s like poaching.”

The “Art Stroll” in Castleberry Hill became the focus of the food truck debate earlier this year when the trucks got a special exemption from Atlanta to park in a public area.

And while I’ve come down on both sides of this argument in our time discussing it, the more I read about it and see real examples of its impact, the more respectful I am of the complexity of the situation.