AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Food truck owners across the Texas Panhandle could soon find it easier to take their businesses on the road under a proposed change that would replace city-by-city permitting with a single state license.
House Bill 2844 would centralize permitting of mobile food trucks in the state, rather than requiring separate permits in each city. Supporters say that could help operators expand into smaller communities that may not have as many dining options and could also bring more variety into larger cities such as Amarillo.
Jorge Mendoza, owner of Family First Fry Bread, said he’s eager to share his menu beyond Amarillo.
“I want to travel everywhere,” Mendoza said. “I want to go to all the little towns that don’t really get out or. Have different diversity of food and just let them experience. Everything, you know, and the same thing with Amarillo, we’re going to get different food trucks coming our way and stuff we’ve never tasted before. So I think to be able to travel back and forth between the communities and the whole state of Texas.”
Anthony Spanel, environmental health director for the city of Amarillo, said the change could benefit food trucks by allowing them to operate in multiple communities under one license.
“We have a very wide range of cities, small cities and towns around Amarillo. I think our food trucks will definitely benefit. They’ll be able to go to, you know, Panhandle, do most all hard workers, all of these small towns that serve under one license,” Spanel said.
Spanel also warned that the shift could come with challenges during the transition and advised food truck owners to be patient. He said current local permits will not automatically transfer to the state system.
“There’s no transition of current permits to the state. So, essentially, all of the licenses we have will expire on June 30th. All of those mobile trucks then have to, in turn, go reapply with the state of Texas on July 1st,” Spanel said.
Michelle Velazquez, owner of Gypsy’s Ice Castle, said operating outside the city limits has been difficult, and she is looking forward to traveling more easily.
“It wasn’t easy, you know, for a lot of these trailers, and I’m just kind of like, my time and wait till July. I’m already permanent through the state, but that’s just wait till July to go to different places. I can’t wait,” Velazquez said.
Spanel said local authorities will most likely still have some jurisdiction over where food trucks can set up, even if permitting is handled at the state level.
Texas bill would centralize food truck permits, easing travel across city lines (KVII)