Revolution on wheels

When the Red Mountain Crawfish Company team parked their bright red food truck on the former Vestavia Motor Lodge lot this past spring, they realized that Vestavia Hills residents were hungry. 

Very hungry.

“We’ve been selling out every week. The response has been phenomenal,” Manager Jason Burcham said. 

“We chose Vestavia Hills because of the visibility and central location on U.S. 31 so close to I-65.”

The crawfish truck isn’t the only mobile food vendor to recently roll into the Hills. Neal’s on Wheels is located at 4220 Cahaba Heights Court. Cornelius and Vicky Bolling own the food truck and sell everything from barbecue to hot dogs to soul food. The couple said they have developed a loyal customer base that wants to see the business open for dinner in addition to lunch.

“Food trucks are gaining popularity with surprising speed,” said City Clerk Rebecca Leavings. “The issue was brought to the forefront in Birmingham a little while back. Then we started getting applications for these type of vendors and realized we didn’t have any firm regulations in place here in Vestavia Hills.”

Leavings said after many phone calls from residents curious about certain vendors appearing in different locations, the city formed a committee to draft a food truck ordinance. During a July meeting, the City Council approved the ordinance, which will go into effect Aug. 1.

“Food trucks affect all city departments so we formed a committee with representatives from each one,” Leavings said. “We researched ordinances from cities across the state including Birmingham and Huntsville.”

During the meeting, the council heard from the owners of Neal’s on Wheels, who were concerned about the limitations on operating hours stated in the ordinance.

“We’ve invested our life savings in this business, so it’s very important to us to continue to serve our customers.” said Vicky Bolling.

The ordinance states that food trucks must obtain an annual business license and operating permit from the city. The permit must be posted in a visible location on the mobile unit, and the mobile food operator is responsible for having the truck inspected and approved by the city’s fire marshal.

The ordinance also states that food trucks cannot operate in residential areas, within 200 feet of a restaurant during its open hours or in the public right of way. The trucks cannot operate more than eight hours a day or more than three days in a row in one location. Other restrictions include no portable signage, and hours of operation are limited to between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Some local residents say they welcome food trucks in the city and would like to see them parked in the Wald Park area and along U.S. 31. Others say the food trucks are not fair to brick -and-mortar businesses and they should be limited to special occasions and city events. 

Chamber of Commerce President Karen Odle said the chamber talked with businesses in the area and while many welcomed the competition, some were still concerned about the proximity.

“We did talk with brick-and-mortar businesses in the area, and the biggest issue some of these places had is with the 200 feet rule,” said Odle.

Leavings said that a Popsicle vendor and a barbecue vendor have shown interest and could start to show up around the city in the near future.

“Food trucks are definitely becoming a popular fad,” Leavings said. “They are not necessarily a bad thing, we just want to make sure they don’t interfere with brick-and-mortar businesses. A lot of thought and background work went into drafting this ordinance.”

To view a copy of the food truck ordinance, visit vhal.org.