Independent Operators

Food truck operators in Philly claim they were targeted by city after speaking out against curfew

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September 26, 2025

Several food truck operators in Philadelphia are claiming the city retaliated against them by speaking out at a City Council meeting regarding a business curfew. They claim city agents visited them to check licenses and registration afterwards, according to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

This curfew requires businesses in large portions of North and Northwestern Philadelphia and Kensington to close by 11 p.m. Violators have to pay a $1,000 fine.

Edward Bonilla, owner of the Fifth Street Super Juice Bar, claims the Philadelphia Police Department, parking authority and the department of labor and industry all showed up to his truck wanting to see her permits and licenses following his testimony at City Hall. He also said they visited another food truck owner Jose Luis.

"It felt like retaliation, because how do you explain that just four hours after the hearing, we get L&I, the parking authority, and the PPD? How do you explain them going to the area where José Luis' truck is and then coming right to my truck?" he told the news outlet.

The Institute for Justice, a libertarian law firm, has threatened to sue the city over the issue. It sent a letter to the city solicitor, "to express serious concerns that the City of Philadelphia is retaliating against local businesses that exercise their First Amendment rights."

The city has denied any wrongdoing.