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Board largely affirms DPW limits on Country Grill food-truck hours on Post Street
Summary
The Board denied a food-truck owner’s appeal of Department of Public Works conditions that limit operations at 1 Post Street to 6–8 p.m. on certain days, finding expanded hours could worsen traffic on a congested block and raising questions about yellow-zone use for mobile food facilities.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals denied an appeal by Country Grill Roadside Rotisserie on Sept. 28 and left in place Department of Public Works conditions limiting hours at 1 Post Street to 6–8 p.m. on specified days, citing traffic and neighborhood concerns.
Owner Mitchell Neuberger told the board the two-hour post–6 p.m. window proposed by DPW was impractical for his operation because rotisserie cooking takes roughly 1½ hours. "The 2 hour window would only enable us a 30 minute window to sell to the public," Neuberger said, and he offered alternatives such as a 2–8 p.m. schedule to match meter availability.
DPW’s Brent Cohen outlined the department's review and public-notice process: two objections were received during the notification period and the department issued DPW Order 185012 imposing reduced hours after the public hearing, drawing on concerns about proximity to restaurants, air-intake impacts to adjacent buildings, trash/maintenance costs and the block’s congestion.
Commissioners and the city attorney discussed whether yellow loading zones allow extended commercial parking for mobile food facilities; Tom Owen noted commercial vehicles may use yellow zones for loading/unloading but cautioned about using them routinely for food-service operations. Several commissioners urged DPW to coordinate with MTA and to clarify the ordinance’s current interpretation.
Commissioner Rick Swig moved to deny the appeal and issue the permit with the director’s stated conditions on the basis that additional hours would further impede traffic and could breach the intent of yellow zones; the motion carried 3–1. The Department of Public Works may follow up with MTA or legal staff to provide definitive guidance on yellow-zone use.
