A new Texas law intended to slash bureaucratic red tape for mobile food vendors is instead serving up a case of sticker shock for West Texas entrepreneurs.
State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) met with dozens of local food truck owners Monday at the Downtown Grub Hub to address mounting “anxiety and concern” over Senate Bill 2844. Known as the “Food Truck Freedom Act,” the legislation was designed to create a single, statewide license, allowing vendors to operate across city and county lines without paying for multiple local permits.
However, the convenience comes with a hefty price tag. Local business owners say the new state fees, which can reach upwards of $1,800, represent a massive hike compared to current local costs.
“The biggest thing everybody is really concerned about is the fee. The fee jumped $600,” said Eddie Mitchell, an Odessa City Councilman and owner of Ed & Tom’s Bar-B-Que. “That’s killing people because if you have two food trucks, you’ve got to pay $2,800 or whatever the total is going to end up being. This is some people’s livelihood.”
The burden is felt most acutely by “stationary” vendors who operate out of permanent food parks like the Grub Hub and rarely, if ever, travel outside of Odessa city limits. Under the current structure of the law, these owners are forced to pay for a statewide “freedom” they do not intend to use.
“I think if we had options where we could choose the state or the city… that would be helpful,” said co-owner Laura Armendariz. “Some don’t travel out of city or county limits.”
During the town hall, Landgraf admitted the rollout of the law hasn’t been perfect and conceded that the fee structure wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. He told the crowd he is now moving to hit the “pause” button on the legislation to protect the “little guy” from being priced out of the industry.
“I left the meeting feeling good,” said snack truck owner Manira Villa via a translator. “The representative gave us hope that there’s going to be adjustments made so that small food trucks can continue operating at lower costs.”
The clock, however, is ticking. With the application portal scheduled to open in June and the law set to take full effect on July 1, Landgraf is working to delay implementation until January 2027.
If a legislative or administrative stay is not secured by the end of the month, West Texas food truck owners will face a difficult choice: pay the high cost of the new state permit or risk losing their ability to operate by mid-summer.