This week, vendors at the Whitesboro Food Truck Park were given notice that they have until the end of October to find a new location.
Whitesboro City Administrator Phil Harris was the bearer of bad news after the state contacted the Grayson County Health Department with concerns about the food truck park. In turn, the county contacted the city.
“It really comes down to health and safety,” Harris said. “From running water to ‘permanent’ porta-potties, the department has some concerns.”
These concerns aren’t necessarily about the individual trucks themselves, which are passing health inspections, but about the location at which they operate.
The food trucks are required to have access to a commissary kitchen to store food, as well as running water/sewer/grease traps for gray water disposal. Currently, the trucks have been using the Masonic Lodge and SNAP Center to meet these needs, but according to the health departments, that isn’t enough.
The trucks are expected to move their vehicles nightly or the city must install permanent sewer and running water at their location (the parking lot behind the north side of Main Street).
“Unfortunately, installing sewer and water in a city parking lot isn’t a good financial decision for the city,” Harris said.
The trucks currently pay $300 a month to operate in the city-owned parking lot. They have been told they’re welcome to stay through Peanut Festival but will need to find a new home after that.
The Food Truck Park started as a project headed by the Whitesboro Economic Development Corporation in September 2021. Its original plan was to serve as a food truck park and farmers market, but the market never got off the ground.
“This wasn’t really supposed to be a long-term area,” Food of Dreams owner Tanner Allred said of the parking lot. “The city had planned to move us to another location as part of a bigger project, but that hasn’t begun yet.”
The food truck businesses (ranging in fare from sandwiches and pizza to burgers and tacos) have changed over the years. The park is currently home to Food of Dreams (burgers), MaYa Family Foods (tacos) and Namiku Hibachi (Japanese). Most recently for the summer months, Chilly Willie’s Shaved Ice joined the pack.
The vendors have worked hard to make the park a place people want to gather. First, they added seating, then a shade canopy, and in May, MaYa Family Foods owner Manuel Sandoval built a covered seating area that has elevated the park to a whole new experience.
A steel frame structure supports a tin roof, and a painted wooden deck provides the floor. Screened windows along the back wall encourage air circulation while keeping out bugs, and a countertop along the back wall provides a place to eat for up to eight diners. The area is wired for electricity. Several outlets along the back wall provide a place for people to charge their phones while a mounted oscillating fan helps to keep air moving throughout the space. Overhead lighting allows people to enjoy a meal after the sun has set.
Sandoval is now selling the structure for $7,000.
Harris has been in touch with developers, trying to help the vendors find alternate locations for their business. Unfortunately, none of them seem ideal in terms of visibility and infrastructure. While their future is uncertain, the food truck vendors are exploring options in Whitesboro.
Although it’s unclear why the state got involved in a small-town food truck park (vendors seem to think it came from a disgruntled complainant), the director of Grayson County Health Department, Amanda Ortez, wonders if it has something to do with House Bill 2844. Signed in June by Governor Greg Abbott, the bill moves food truck permitting under the state’s jurisdiction.
Regardless of why the departments got involved, the fact is the food truck park doesn’t meet the requirements to remain in operation – much to the dismay of area residents and patrons of the food trucks. A local petition to “save the trucks” earned more than 830 responses in support, and while it was appreciated, the food trucks are seeking a different course of action.
“If you know any spots willing to build septic/water, etc. in the town or near it, we would love to know – or if you want to be an investor,” Allred wrote on Facebook. “We love our customers and would love to be able to continue to serve the community.”