First hot food truck in Horry County to open south of Myrtle Beach on Tuesday

It’s been a process a little more than two years in the making, but for food truck entrepreneur Karl Moser, the wait was worth it.

“It’s been quite a ride,” said Moser, who was at the Horry County Government and Justice Center first thing Monday morning to pick up his permit from the planning and zoning department. He will be setting up in the parking lot of Palmetto Distillery, 4801 S. Kings Highway, serving hot dogs, sausage and peppers, barbecue, brisket with Palmetto Distillery barbecue sauce and more starting Tuesday. “Sure there were a lot of bumps along the way.”

Moser pioneered the idea of mobile food trucks in Horry County at a November 2013 Horry County Council meeting. At the time, Horry County policy did not permit mobile food trucks, but had allowed push carts since 2010.

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 2014, Horry County Council voted 9-3 against the pilot program. In its place, county leaders suggested the trucks be limited to serving pre-packaged food on job sites far from brick-and-mortar restaurants. Some council members worried that the food trucks would lure business from traditional eating places. There are more than 1,800 restaurants along the Grand Strand.

County officials then decided to amend the ordinance, which passed in May. However, the only major changes included allowing multiple trucks for one property, such as a mall site, which eventually appeased the majority of councilmen.

County permits were issued in June, and Moser still had to work to get approval from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Then, he faced trying to get a commissary, or an off-site DHEC-approved kitchen or restaurant, to prepare his food. The law does not allow him to rent or lease a facility with septic tanks, which Moser found out was a lot of properties.

“With the commissary, every time I turned around, they disapproved of every commissary I had,” Moser said. “This one had a septic tank, so that won’t work. I was getting discouraged. I was ready to sell my truck and just give up on it because they didn’t want them here.”

Moser then put an ad on Craigslist searching for help on the commissary, which is when the owner of Tokyo Hibachi stepped forward and offered a portion of his kitchen. Moser now will use a walk-in cooler and freezer, three-compartment sink, a dish washer, waterline, dry storage, and parking spaces at the hibachi grill then transport it on the food truck to finish preparing and sell at Palmetto Distillery.

From there, Moser had to get his site plan at the distillery approved by the county. On Friday, he received the call it was approved and by Tuesday, it’s off to sell food.

“My truck is nicer than most restaurants you walk into,” Moser said.

Moser said he’s not too worried about opening in the tourist off-season because he thinks folks busy with shopping during the holidays will need a quick place to stop and grab a bite.

“It’s the best time,” Moser said. “Everybody is out shopping still. They don’t have time to sit down and eat a full meal. They want something they can grab and go. So that’s the most opportune time where everybody’s running back and forth.”

Moser said he was excited to see the food truck plan finally get off the ground and is eager to see what this new step has in store for other entrepreneurs.

“I’m looking forward to the excitement of opening the first day,” Moser said. “It’s a great location. Traffic flow is huge through there. We have plans of multiple trucks. This is just the first of the fleet.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 8:43 AM with the headline "First hot food truck in Horry County to open south of Myrtle Beach on Tuesday."