Roosevelt Island Residents Wait In Frigid Cold And Long Line For Tasty Cousins Main Lobster Food Truck, But RIOC Shuts Them Down In Less Than An Hour For Failure To Have RI Permit Even Though They Have NYC Permit

If a business offers an appealing and desirable product on Roosevelt Island, residents will come out  and spend money for quality offerings, even if they have to stand on a long line in frigid temperatures.

That's what happened this afternoon as the Cousins Main Lobster Food Truck made an unexpected arrival at Roosevelt Island's Good Shepherd Plaza. 

Unfortunately, about 45 minutes after the Food Truck began serving hungry residents, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department ordered the Food Truck to shut down and leave Roosevelt Island. 

The reason for the PSD order was that the Food Truck did not have a Roosevelt Island Food Truck permit. The Cousins Main Lobster Food Truck operator had a NYC Food Truck permit but did not know they also needed a Roosevelt Island Food Truck permit.

So they were forced to leave Roosevelt Island and set up on Vernon B'lvd in Long Island City near the Roosevelt Island Bridge. Many frustrated and disappointed Roosevelt Island residents waiting on line said they would follow the Truck to Long Island City to order some food.

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Matt Katz was the last resident to buy from the Cousins Main Lobster Food Truck before they were shut down. Mr Katz wrote to RIOC Acting President Shelton Haynes this afternoon:

I'm writing regarding an old problem that has reasserted itself. I learned that there was a food truck, Cousins Maine Lobster, parked in front of the Good Shepherd Plaza today. Not surprising, the line to take advantage of this new treat stretched halfway down the block despite the cold weather and bitter winds blowing off the river. As my wife and I finished receiving our order, two Public Safety officers came over and told them to close up shop as they didn't have RIOC permits. This has got to stop.

Many food trucks, providing foods not found in our few groceries or even fewer restaurants, have left, unwilling to pay a second fee to RIOC despite having already paid for a City permit. Roosevelt Island is, after all, owned by New York City and only leased to the State for 99 years. City permits should be sufficient for them to do business here. And further, RIOC needs to live up to its designation as a "public benefit corporation" and find more and better ways to serve Roosevelt Islanders. Chasing away food trucks does not satisfy this requirement. The dozens of my neighbors willing to brave the elements so as to buy a lobster roll (delicious!) should be accommodated, not thwarted, by RIOC regulations. You can certainly afford the piddling loss of revenue. ...

Roosevelt Island NYC Council Member Ben Kallos heard about the incident and wrote to Mr Haynes:

Could food trucks be offered a warning on the first day together with an application for them to complete on site so that they can return the following day or following week?

RIOC Acting Presdident Haynes replied to Mr Katz: 

Good afternoon everyone,

Thank you for your email Mr. Katz. After looking into this matter, I was informed that our Public Safety team responded to a complaint regarding a food vendor blocking a fire hydrant.

The vendor presented PSD with a NYC permit, which is not applicable on R.I. as we have a separate process from NYC. We are certainly open to exploring the option of modifying our permit approval process when NYC permits are in place while taking into consideration other factors like vendor location, line monitoring and traffic control before approval.

Our team will work with this vendor to secure a permit and invite them back to vend on the island.

Mr Haynes also replied to Mr Kallos:

We will explore all options as we examine our current permit process. Our team is willing to work with any vendor to help expedite the approval process and ensure that we have special locations in place for them. The ultimate goal is to attract more vendors to Roosevelt Island and we feel that we can accomplish that.

How tasty were the Lobster Rolls? Vicki Feinmel was one of the few lucky residents who ordered 

before the Food Truck was shut down and told me:

The food was delicious.

Matt Katz agreed reporting:

Having braved the bitter cold and long line in front of the Good Shepherd Plaza, Sherie and I placed and received our order quickly. We scooted home to sample our now-revised lunch.  

We ordered two lobster rolls, a Maine (with mayonnaise) and a Connecticut (with butter and lemon) that came to a total of just over $40. The rolls were smallish but crammed with lobster and absolutely delicious.  

I speak as one who has celebrated every birthday for 35 years with a lobster dinner (I give my lobsters names, usually Hortense if they are female).  

I hope RIOC will have the good sense not to chase these folks off the Island and that Cousins Maine Lobster will be impressed with our enthusiasm and return on a regular basis.

Here's the Cousins Main Lobster Food Truck Menu

More on RIOC's Roosevelt Island Food Truck policy at this 2012 and 2015 post.