Owner Marc Roppolo informed the Chronicle that he’ll be closing his 4th and Colorado Roppolo’s pizza trailer after 16 years to make room for a new high-rise building. The news is particularly remarkable because of the food truck’s history.
Roppolo wrote, “When I put Roppolo’s trailer there in 2003 there were less than 55 mobile vendors and NONE were allowed to stay parked overnight. I hired an attorney to fight the city and a compromise was reached allowing me to stay provided I moved the trailer once a week. This open[ed] the door for Torchy’s, Hey Cupcake, Kebabalious, Gourdoughs and over 1,700 truck[s] in Austin and 10,000’s all over the country as I got calls from people all over the country asking how I got Austin to allow it – all other cities had the same ordinances with no overnight stays.”
Roppolo says he was informed of the changes by Kammie Neese, with Laz Parking management, and he said that the group behind the construction is Brandywine Realty Group. The Philadelphia-based firm is currently soliciting tenants for the future property at 405 Colorado, which will be a 200,000 sq. ft. office tower with parking garage.
“Due to the limited area of truck space in Downtown Austin, I have decided to close [the truck] and not move,” he told the Chronicle. “Lots of great memories even when driving the original trailer off the lot at 3am every Sunday morning 2 blocks to 4th and Guadalupe and back on Wednesday at 2am to get ready for the weekend which I personally did for over 2 years until the city relented and decided I could stay and not move.”
Feb. 16 will be the food truck’s last day of operation.
This article appears in January 18 • 2019.