Mexican food stand that left Andover didn't have a permit to operate, city says

Yahoo

02-04-2025

The Mayor of Andover has responded to a food stand's claims it was "not welcome" in the city, with records released by the city showing it had no active permit to operate when it was asked to cease operations last week.
La Troquita Del Sur announced last Wednesday in a widely shared Facebook post that it is relocating to Nowthen and "probably" won't return to Andover. It made allegations that the city had blocked its attempts to operate in the city, claiming that one of its workers rejected a license application, and claiming another worker had been abusive towards them.
The City of Andover "unequivocally denies" any harassment and abuse by employees, saying: "Our interactions with mobile food vendors are focused on educating them about and enforcing our established ordinances."
A spokesperson told Bring Me The News that La Troquita Del Sur was the subject of enforcement action on Mar. 26 because it didn't have a permit to operate in the city. The city also responded to claims it denied a permit application from the business, saying it hasn't received an application since last July, and that a permit application would almost certainly be approved if one was submitted.
Speaking on Monday, Andover Mayor Jamie Barthel said that the allegations about the city's conduct were untrue and that the city was getting "a bad rap" as a result.
Both Barthel and a city officer said that La Troquita Del Sur is welcome back in Andover if it applies for a permit for its desired location, along with proof of insurance and permission from the property owner.
"As long as they meet all of their requirements under the code, then we would proceed with issuing that with that permit," the city employee said. "We encourage La Troquita to submit an application so that we can process it and get them operating in the city."
Mobile food stands are required to obtain a state food license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, a license to operate in the county – in this case Anoka County – and, in Andover, a permit to operate in the city. Andover's food truck permits stipulate that a business cannot be in the same location for more than 21 days in a single year.
Bring Me The News submitted an information request for all permit applications from La Troquita Del Sur to the City of Andover, and found it did get a permit approved last year to operate for 21 days in the parking lot near G-Will Liquors, and selected 21 days in July 2024 in which to do business.
Since then, no applications have been received from La Troquita Del Sur between the end of its permit on July 31, 2024, and the time it was shut down last week, according to city records.
The food stand had a license to operate in Anoka County in 2024 that expired on Jan. 31, 2025. County documents show that La Troquita Del Sur has obtained a new county license for 2025, but a city permit is still required to operate in Andover.
Andover said that La Troquita Del Sur had come to the attention of its staff on two occasions – in May and July last year – prior to its first permit being obtained. The most recent shutdown came on March 26. The Anoka County Sheriff's Office confirmed it was involved in the enforcement action, saying that La Troquita Del Sur left the premises "without issue."
Barthel says that a day later, action was also taken against another food truck operating without a permit in a different location in Andover. That food truck has since applied for a permit from the city and has already had it approved.
Dianna Alvarado, whose mother Maria owns La Troquita Del Sur, claims that when they were shut down on Mar. 26, they were told by a city staff member that they could not re-apply for a permit because of the 21-day limit that they maxed out last year – which the city denies.
Andover's licensing period runs from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, so La Troquita Del Sur could apply and be accepted for a new permit to operate outside G-Will Liquors for 21 days between now and the end of this year.
Alvarado says they were aware of the 21-day rule and had planned to be outside G-Will's for 21 days and then move elsewhere. But as mentioned above, the city says it had not received a permit application for La Troquita Del Sur to operate near G-Will's in March.
Alvarado said she feels like her family has been disrespected through the process and claims the city "is making things harder than it should be," saying they have not encountered as many problems operating in other cities in Anoka County.
Bring Me The News asked Alvarado whether the food stand has operated in the past without permits, but she did not wish to comment.
The food stand currently lists its location as 8077 Viking Boulevard in Nowthen.