News

Chicago mayor wants to allow food trucks at city's airports

March 31, 2017

Food trucks, which have become a pivotal part of Chicago's culinary scene, would be allowed to set up shop in staging areas at O'Hare and Midway airports under a mayoral plan proposed Wednesday, according to The Chicago Sun Times.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel brokered the 2012 ordinance that legalized mobile food trucks with cooking on board. He now wants to open the lucrative airport market to food trucks, just as he did for ride-hailing giants Lyft and Uber.

At this week's City Council meeting, Emanuel introduced an ordinance that authorizes Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans to establish areas at O'Hare and Midway where food trucks could remain, without having to move every two hours, as is required on Chicago streets.

The mayor's office said the intent is to have food trucks serve ride sharing and taxicab staging areas at the airports.

The ordinance authorizes Evans and Business and Consumer Protection Commissioner Samantha Fields to "jointly designate any other exempt locations" at O'Hare and Midway, provided those sites "will not interfere with traffic or public safety."