Food Truck Lottery
Learn about the annual lottery and site selection process.
Our annual live lottery took place March 28, 2024 at 4 p.m.
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Have questions? Contact:
Small Business Development -
617-635-3534
Site lotteries
We award all public sites through a lottery system. There is an annual lottery before each vending season. Lottery sites are kept throughout the year, unless they are dropped. New vendors can submit an application on a rolling basis to join our program. They’ll be awarded sites based on what is available.
| Lottery type | Application deadlines | Lottery dates |
|---|---|---|
| Annual lottery (conducted via Zoom) | March 26, 2024 | March 28, 2024 |
In order to secure a site location, be sure to have all of the required documents to vend in the City of Boston:
- Health Permit
- Fire Permit
- Hawker and Peddler
- Business Certificate
- Certificate of Liability Insurance
- Business Plan
- Commissary Letter
We award all public sites through a lottery system. There is an annual lottery before each vending season.
Lottery sites are kept throughout the year, unless they are dropped.
New vendors can submit an application on a rolling basis to join our program. They'll be awarded sites based on availability.
Available Sites
Available SitesLunch, 11am-3pm (Two Slots Every Day)
Dinner, 4pm-8pm (Two Slots Every Day)
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Lunch, 11 am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Lunch, 11am-3pm
Dinner, 4pm-8pm
Site Rules
Please adhere to all site rules and regulations set forth by the City of Boston. Not adhering to these rules may result in removal from the lottery program.
ABSENCESYou are expected to vend at your lottery site for every shift. If you have an emergency, you must notify:
- the Mobile Enterprises Manager that you will not be vending that day (weldon.bodrick@boston.gov or 617-635-3534), and
- your customers via social media. Posts on Instagram, X (Twitter), and/or Facebook must tag @bostonoeoi.
Businesses that miss more than three shifts in one year are subject to removal from the location. They may also be suspended from future public site lottery opportunities.
If you arrive at your lottery site and notice that a car is parked, please immediately call the Boston Police Department (617-343-4911). When you call:
- tell them them it’s not an emergency
- provide them the license plate number of the vehicle, and
- finally inform Mobile Enterprise Manager of this occurrence.
Vending without an Annual Food Truck Permit is prohibited by the City of Boston for all mobile businesses. If you are observed vending without proper documents:
- you will be immediately subject to removal
- you will be ineligible to participate in future City of Boston food truck programs, and
- you may be fined by the Boston Police Department or another City of Boston authority.
Adding and dropping shifts
Food trucks have an opportunity to drop sites without a penalty. This must happen within the deadlines set forth by the City of Boston. We make the dropped sites available for new participants to use throughout the year:
- You must submit the drop form by the drop deadline for each quarter. After you drop your site, we make the site available for other food trucks.
- You have two weeks from the permit issue date to pick up your site permit at Public Works. You can also coordinate a pickup with the Mobile Enterprise Manager.
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Have questions? Contact:
Small Business Development -
617-635-3534
