Muto A ‘Maybe’ on June 2 Food Truck Bid

WARWICK, RI — Warwick City Councilman Bill Muto, recently recovered from food poisoning, says his vote on the Food Truck Bid June 2 is a ‘maybe,’ pending changes to how food trucks are hired for city events in the future.

“I am a maybe vote,” said Muto, who was nearly well enough following a bout of food poisoning Monday to attend the meeting, but passed out while getting ready for the night.

Muto: Food Truck Bid process not competitive enough

Wednesday, after the Warwick Schools Budget Commission meeting, Muto said he’d like to see the food truck bid process changed to allow more city vendors to participate in food truck events. However, he said, he thinks the city should honor its decision to move forward with Ocean State Concessions and then change the process going forward.

Muto referenced Monday’s meeting discussing the issue, in which Ocean State Concessions was the only bidder.

“A system that creates only one bidder is not competitive enough,” Muto said of the food truck bid issue.

Also, he said, it doesn’t make sense to him that the city isn’t continuing the practice of awarding licenses for food truck businesses to vend at certain city venues.

“What I heard during the Council meeting, the city is giving up a ton of revenue,” Muto said, referring to Robert Lombardi, owner of New England Lemonade in Warwick for 40 years, which has a location on Oakland Beach Avenue and provides food truck vending. He said in past years he has paid to serve lemonade at city locations.

“I gave this city $18,000 for five venues. Waterfront, City Park, Mickey Stevens, Conimicut Point, Rocky Point, he said.