Food trucks issue back on the table in Horry County

Horry County Council will reconsider allowing mobile food trucks to serve the area now that a committee is recommending the program for a second time, and this time not as a pilot program.

Horry County’s infrastructure and regulation committee met earlier this month and decided to recommend, again, that the full County Council consider permitting mobile food trucks.

“I’m in favor of food trucks,” said Jody Prince, chairperson of the infrastructure and regulation committee. “I’m pretty much in favor of it as it came from planning commission.”

The food truck issue began in November 2013 by a truck owner who wanted to expand his business into the county. Horry County policy currently does not permit mobile food trucks, but allows push carts.

A special committee and county staff spent nearly a year surveying the public, developing fee rates and regulations, and crafting a plan for a one-year pilot program that would test the viability of food trucks in the county.

But in October, county council voted 9-3 against the pilot program. In its place, county leaders suggested the trucks be limited to serving prepackaged food on job sites far from brick-and-mortar restaurants. Some council members worried about the food trucks luring business from traditional eating places. There are more than 1,800 restaurants along the Grand Strand.

Now, there are three new council members and one of them, Johnny Vaught, said he likes the idea.

“I think it’s a new business model that needs to be explored,” Vaught said. “I think it’s something that is needed in Horry County, especially at construction sites and companies that don’t have food nearby. I think if it doesn’t work, then it won’t work and people get out of business.”

Vaught said the county should review the program in place of the one-year pilot program designation.

“That will give them the whole summertime, six months from when we adopt it will get us into the fall, and get us into the peak season,” Vaught said. “The problems that will come up should come up during that period of time.”

Horry County Council’s next meeting is April 7.

This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Food trucks issue back on the table in Horry County."