Food trucks are legal. How soon will they come to Myrtle Beach?

Up to six food trucks could be on the streets of Myrtle Beach within a week, after city council approved a pilot program for the mobile eateries.

The original proposal suggested opening up 20 permits. In a first reading of the ordinance two weeks ago, city council bumped the number down to 12. Then, on Tuesday, Councilman Wayne Gray suggested reducing it to nine.

Mayor John Rhodes, who has said he is concerned about the trucks’ affect on brick-and-mortar restaurants, finally suggested six.

The measure passed with five votes to allow the six trucks. Council members Mike Lowder and Mary Jeffcoat were not present Tuesday.

Gray said that the amount of permits could easily be changed, however, if the city sees substantial interest in the program.

The final ordinance also increased the buffer around existing restaurants, mandating that no food truck could locate within 500 feet of a restaurant’s main entrance without first getting permission.

Kerry Ragland, the operator of the Kurbside Katering food truck, argued that 300 feet, the county’s standard, is the size of a football field, and that 500 feet might be too far. He said he’d previously located in unincorporated areas that would be made impossible if they were in the city limits because of the 500-foot buffer.

“It’s gonna be hard,” Ragland said. “That’s a long way.”

Brian Beverley, who operates Cruisin Cuisine in North Myrtle Beach, said that the restrictions were discouraging for people who might have considered opening a business in a food truck.

“I think it’s just been a struggle,” he said.

City Manager John Pedersen said the first trucks could arrive after completing the permitting process in roughly a week. The pilot program will run for one year.

The program allows the trucks on private property, with permission of land owners, along some sections of Kings Highway, U.S. 17, U.S. 501 and 3rd Avenue South. The trucks must be associated with a commercial kitchen and there are no limits on their hours of operation.

[Here’s where you could start seeing food trucks in Myrtle Beach]

Trucks would also be allowed in some public spaces, like at Myrtle’s Market or at the historic Myrtle Beach Train Depot. Pedersen said the ability to have trucks at the depot, which has become one of the city’s more popular rented venues for events, could make the space more attractive.

Each permit allows a food truck to serve customers at two different locations and costs $150.

If too many people apply at the same time, Pedersen said, the city would find a way to make the applicants “draw lots.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Food trucks are legal. How soon will they come to Myrtle Beach?."