Nordin Grabsi, who has been trying to run the Ali Baba Felafel truck at the Bethesda Farm Women’s Market, may finally have to shut down his popular stand. He is unable to meet County standards for a mobile food truck, but it also seems the County standards don’t recognize the growing and changing food truck business.

As one of the commenters on the Bethesda Patch site wrote, “I hate to see this happen, particularly since food carts are becoming more popular and interesting…”.

And this is not just a problem for Ali Baba, other food carts have also moved or shut down, just when things are getting interesting. And as well as possibly outdated regulations, there also seem to be complaints from nearby businesses who view the carts as competition rather than complementary.

Is there a food hipster contingent in the County that can advocate for a change in the rules?

An Update: The City of Alexandria, VA announced a pilot program for food vendors. It is limited to existing Alexandria restaurants, but at least they are considering the changing expectations and opportunties for street life.