Vegan Van Forced to Relocate, Launches GoFundMe Campaign

“Every single one of them said we were perfectly fine and legal. We had no reason to think otherwise until recently,” says Brittney Gurule, owner of the Vegan Van food truck, which has been operating from Steele Street and East 28th Avenue since 2020.

Since launching, Gurule says that Denver’s Department of Transportation, Department of Public Health and Environment and Denver Fire Department have all visited for inspections, adding that it wasn't until an October 21 visit by Denver Community Planning and Development that a red flag was raised.

In its current mobile retail food establishment guidelines, the City of Denver is clear that “food trucks are not allowed in residential zone districts” and must be at least fifty feet from these boundaries. But when the COVID-19 pandemic shook the restaurant industry, food trucks like Vegan Van were forced to innovate.

“We had nowhere to go. Breweries were closed, and events and catering were canceled,” explains Gurule. “We decided we would close the order window, set up an online platform and start taking no-contact delivery orders. But we had to figure out where to park the truck. We looked online to see if we could park it in our neighborhood. We did not see any laws prohibiting it, so we tried it. By some miracle, it worked.”

But due to the violation and order to comply, Vegan Van operations have stopped for the foreseeable future (aside from two previously planned Halloween events at Three Kings Tattoo and LFX Filmworks).
The truck, which was our pick for Best Vegan Food Truck back in 2013, isn’t new to overcoming hurdles. Since purchasing the van from former owner Amie Arias in 2015, Gurule and her partner, Justin Warner, have fought for their small business’ success, leaning on the community in hard times. First, in the summer of 2018, when their '86 Chevy Hi-Cube food truck, nicknamed “Bootsy,” broke down. Through a GoFundMe, the duo raised over $9,000 to help purchase and install a rebuilt engine.

Then, there was the pandemic. “We probably should’ve just let everyone file for unemployment and used our time to collect as much help as possible. But we didn’t,” says Gurule. She adds that the Steele Street and East 28th Avenue location made it possible to “keep our staff employed — although we haven’t paid ourselves since June of 2020.”

To stay afloat, Gurule has launched a new GoFundMe page for Vegan Van, calling on the community to help her business weather this latest obstacle. On her page, she outlines four scenarios, three of which are solutions. These include finding a new location to park the food truck (which must be near its commissary kitchen on East 40th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard); finding a space to convert into its own kitchen, then parking the truck on that property; or opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The fourth scenario would be to close the business.

For more than a decade, Vegan Van has proven to even the most carnivorous Denverite that plant-based food can be downright indulgent. The establishment is known for its play on popular fast food items, rotating through meatless menus that mirror entrees from Taco Bell, Arby’s and McDonald’s — think “beef” n’ cheddar sliders featuring house-made seitan, “chicken” fries, loaded crunchwraps and dairy-free gorditas.

Don’t want to see one of the best vegan food trucks in Denver disappear? Evidently, neither do many plant-loving locals. In its first 24 hours after posting on GoFundMe, 170 donations brought in over $7,500 in funds. As of October 24, it's raised over $12,000 of its $25,000 goal.

“Please share and donate if you can,” asks Gurule. “Whatever happens, this has been a life-changing experience that will stay with us forever. We will keep you updated as we start looking for locations and continue exploring our options.”