photos By Patrick Lantrip
The Memphis Food Truck Association gathers at Shelby Farms every Sunday at noon in a Food Truck Rodeo.

If you are like most students, when you think of Shelby Farms in the spring, many things might come to mind such as kayaks, kites, wind, walking and wildlife. But would you also include gourmet cooking on your list?

While it may not be on many people’s list yet, the Memphis Food Truckers Association hopes to change that perception by presenting a Food Truck Rodeo, which is a gathering of multiple food trucks in one location, to provide quality food at affordable rates, every Sunday at noon.

“You would be surprised what can come out of a food truck,” said Derrick Clark, 41, vice president of the MFTA, while preparing a lobster roll — his signature dish.

While the concept is not new, food trucks are rapidly growing in popularity in urban centers across the country. A struggling economy has forced would-be restaurateurs to find ways to cut overhead without sacrificing the quality of their food. Thus the food truck revolution was born.

Clark, an Iraqi War veteran, came up with the idea to open his food tuck, A Square Meal on Wheels, while attendingL’Ecole Culinaire. At the cooking school, Clark was assigned a restaurant project where he was given a $300,000 imaginary budget for opening his own restaurant. Clark decided to take it to the next level by actually purchasing his own food truck and financing it within the parameters of the assignment.

Fellow classmate Roy Rachel took a page from his friend’s book and opened his own food truck, Royal Flavors, soon after graduation.

“I have no regrets, I love what I do,” Rachel said. “Going to the special events, meeting new people, I wish I could have started this five or 10 years ago, but timing is everything.”

Kim and Jeff “Pops” Toney also followed their dream and poured their life savings into their aptly named food truck, Pop’s Smokehouse. The Toneys took their show on the road, even taking top honors for best barbecue sauce in the West Memphis Fall Carnival in Arkansas and the Watermelon Carnival in Water Valley, Miss. At times, business was slow, but that all changed when they joined the MFTA.

The MFTA consists of several dozen local food trucks, and was formed to help the food truckers synchronize their whereabouts, work with the city to open up new places to operate, establish a social media presence to inform the public and organize the weekly rodeos.

“It’s great to see such positive sense of community coming together around food,” said Adam Weeks of Lynn, Ark., who bicycled to the park from Midtown with a friend via the Greenway.

Weeks was not the only patron who enjoyed the traditionally paradoxical notion of eating restaurant quality food in the park.

“I love it,” Elise Harris, 25, said. “We can come out, exercise really hard and then not feel bad about stuffing our faces.”

Clark is currently working with the Memphis Park Commission and local musicians to bring live entertainment to the event that will run every Sunday until late fall.

For additional information about upcoming events, you can visit the MFTA website at
www.memphisfoodtruckers.org.

http://www.dailyhelmsman.com/food-rodeo-bucks-traditional-dining-1.3031368#.UXHa76JmiSo

In 2011, the Memphis City Council passed a food truck ordinance drafted by council members Jim Strickland and Shea Flinn, which allowed self-contained mobile food preparation vehicles to operate in the city of Memphis.

A year later, attorney-turned-prominent restaurateur Taylor Berger led the organization of a food truck alliance, in addition to his duties as a partner in YoLo Frozen Yogurt & Gelato and the creation of the newly opened Chiwawa restaurant.

The alliance began to experiment with food truck rodeos in 2012, a move that was interrupted by the summer heat then resumed as the weather cooled. Now, the rodeos are coming back.

This weekend, the Memphis Food Truck Alliance will host a food truck rally as part of the “Heart of Memphis” celebration at Tiger Lane on Saturday. The following day, the Overton Park Conservancy and the alliance will present a food truck rodeo from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Overton Park.

That event will happen every Sunday this spring and summer, and trucks will be on the East Parkway side of the park.

A few weeks ago, meanwhile, another food truck rodeo presented by the alliance kicked off at Shelby Farms. Berger said that series started March 17 and is running through November on Sundays.

“We did events last year starting on Broad Avenue, and then we ended up out at Shelby Farms,” Berger said. “This is the beginning of the park rodeos for 2013.”

A so-called food truck rodeo is basically a gathering of two or more food trucks in one spot so that customers can have a choice of vendors to pick from. Berger said the Overton Park version likely will be the smaller one, with maybe two or three trucks, and the Shelby Farms version will have three or four.

The actual size will depend week-to-week on what the weather’s like and how the crowds respond. If people are showing up, he said, more trucks will come.

“Over time, the quality of the trucks has improved, so that’s made folks a lot more receptive to the idea of the rodeos,” Berger said. “We’ve also got some really interesting new concepts now, like the Stuffed Truck, the Stickem Truck and the one from Rock ‘n’ Dough Pizza.

“On the other side of things, the Mayor’s Innovation Team is working on a project to help not just food trucks but all kinds of mobile retail break down any barriers to entry that exist. They’re trying to find any rules that might need to be changed.”

Berger added that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s office is working to get better access to some of the other city parks that don’t have conservancies like Tom Lee Park and some of the smaller parks in neighborhoods.

Berger, who runs the Yolo Frozen Yogurt truck, estimates there are between six and 12 food trucks on streets on a daily basis.

“We’re still trying to help all our members get up to speed on social media,” Berger said. “The more of us using Twitter and Facebook and Foursquare, the more awareness the community is going to have of all food trucks. All the new ones coming online seem to be starting their own social media sites and then linking to our website, which we’re in the process of kind of ramping up over the next few weeks. Our goal is to try to help people find out when things are happening, where things are happening and which trucks are serving what.”

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/mar/28/food-truck-alliance-grows-with-rodeos/

While walking around downtown on Saturday, I spotted one of the smartest food trucks in Memphis. The Stuffed food truck is relatively new, but they’ve already figured out that parking at Beale and Second during the St. Patrick’s Day parade is a solid move.

Stuffed Food Truck is doing it right. Their menu is limited to burgers, empanadas, a few sides and a dessert empanada. It’s not a bad thing – by narrowing their options and not trying to replicate a full-scale restaurant on wheels, they’re able to serve the food quickly.

Another example of how they’re getting it right: I’ve seen them parked in the same spot at Beale and Second at 11 p.m. on a Saturday.

I wasn’t crazy hungry, so I ordered a pair of empanadas ($8 for two), and proceeded to eat one of them before I could take a picture.

The empanadas come filled with your choice of beef, buffalo chicken, shredded pork, barbecue or apple pie, and you can order two different kinds if you order them as a pair.

I tried the barbecue, which came stuffed with shredded, sauce-drenched pork shoulder and slaw. The meat was awesome, and the shell was just crunchy enough, but the slaw seemed kind of generic. It was easy to eat while walking (a major bonus for food truck food). I’ll definitely be back to try their burgers.

Stuffed Food Truck posts its daily locations to Twitter @getstuffedtruck, to Facebook, and toFourSquare. They accept cash and credit cards (thanks for the edit, guys!).

http://ilovememphisblog.com/2013/03/meals-on-wheels-stuffed-food-truck/

photo By Deven Lyle | staff
Students flocked to the new La Lola Loca taco truck outside the University Center Monday afternoon to receive free taco samples.

Those who are used to going inside the Tiger Den for their daily lunch or picking up a snack from one of the other buildings on campus that house food venues might find there are more interesting options on wheels.

La Lola Loca, a food truck that serves Mexican cuisine, was recently introduced to the University of Memphis, sparking conversations among students. Run by Mobi Munch, this food truck is one of a number of La Lola Loca trucks stationed at universities in the southern United States.

The University of Tennessee, Baylor University, and the University of Alabama, among others, offer La Lola Loca as a dining option.

Many students and faculty are satisfied with this new addition and are excited to have new options to choose from. Special Projects Coordinator for Student Affairs Lindsey Bray tweeted after visiting La Lola Loca about her experience and her anticipation of what is to come in the future.

“@lolaloca_UofM Just tried the Beef Barbacoa taco. It was really good! Can’t wait to try the other options,” Bray said via Twitter.

Student Preston Blair tweeted simply “@lolaloca_UofM is deliciousness” to express his enjoyment of the food at La Lola Loca.

Though there are a number of people throughout the campus who are happy about this new option, some are less intrigued by the change.

Senior civil engineering major Joey Clark said that he does not have a problem with the food truck, but he is disappointed by the recent changes.

“It’s not so much the food truck itself,” he said. “Just 4 U closed because the food truck opened.”
Clark said that his main concern was that students with meal plans would now have fewer options, as he was under the impression that Just 4 U, one of the dining options formerly located in Richardson Towers, closed in favor of the food truck.

“It’s really unfair to all students who have meal plans,” he said. “It will defer students from getting meal plans in thefuture.”
Clark emphasized that he has no problem with the food truck and that he may even see what the hype is about. However, he said he thinks that the campus lacks an adequate number of places where a meal plan is accepted.

“I’ll try it out just to see how it is,” he said. “I don’t have anything against the food truck. I just have a problem with not being able to use my meal plan on any of the many [other] places on campus.”
Sean Armstrong, the marketing manager of Tiger Dining, said that due to the outcry of students like Clark, the food truck will begin accepting meal plans today. The rates will be the same as they are for Fresh Foods — one entrée item and a drink will be $7.

Armstrong said that though it may seem that Just 4 U has been replaced, that is not the case.

“It’s not been replaced,” he said. “It’s been integrated into the Fresh Food Company.”
Just 4 U will now be called “Nature’s Market.” Armstrong said, due to the upcoming renovations to Richardson Towers, it made sense to change the location of Just 4 U.

Armstrong said, though many students might miss the comforts of eating at Just 4 U, overall these changes to the campus dining experience are making it easier for students to have access to food. Since Richardson Towers is located farther away from many of the other buildings on campus, he said that the merge with Fresh Foods would benefit the students more.

“Most of the students with meal plans weren’t going to Just 4 U,” he said. “We already had issues about the location because of proximity because students didn’t want to walk that far, anyway.”
The purpose of the truck is to bring something different to students, Armstrong said. The truck’s vibrant colors and flowery exterior attract students along with the taste of authentic Mexican food.

“Students are appreciating it and definitely appreciate the look of the truck as well,” he said. “We’ve been trying to think outside the box on this one and bring the food to the students. We just wanted to get creative and elaborative and gowild.”

http://www.dailyhelmsman.com/students-go-loca-for-mobile-mexican-cuisine-1.3005958#.UTk56tZTaSo

The Fuel Food Truck spent the day feeding the cast and crew of ABC’s hit series ‘Nashville.’

The Fuel Food Truck loaded up and headed east this morning to cater ABC’s hit program, “Nashville.”

Owner and operator of the Fuel Cafe and Fuel Food Truck, Erik Proveaux has a history in catering film projects and has made several trips to feed the cast and crew of television show shot in the Tennessee capital.

“Every couple of weeks they have a double-up unit where they have a second crew that films and often they hire me to come up and take care of the second crew,” Proveaux said. “This is the fourth time so far.”

Proveaux has some experience in this type of catering, He also catered last year’s blockbuster hit “The Hunger Games” and its upcoming sequel, which were both filmed in Atlanta.

He gained exposure for catering to film sets during filming of the 2008 movie “Nothing But the Truth,” which was filmed in Memphis.

The jobs pay well also, making the long haul worthwhile.

“They pay me for a prep day, my travel expenses, they pay for the wrap day and they pay me as a teamster,” said Proveaux. “For one day’s work, it’s like getting paid for three.”

To find out when the Fuel Food Truck is in your area, follow it on Twitter.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/blog/2013/01/fuel-food-truck-finds-boost-in.html

Operator is Erik Proveaux, co-owner of Fuel Cafe in Midtown

The Memphis City Council voted this spring to allow businesses to use trucks to sell tacos and other food within the city limits, and soon the Shelby County Commission will debate whether to expand the restaurant-on-wheels concept to unincorporated areas of the county.

County commissioner Chris Thomas said a man asked him earlier this year to support an ordinance permitting food trucks but that he decided to wait until the city acted before introducing the county version, set for an initial discussion Wednesday.

“Basically, I think it’s a good idea,” Thomas said. “I think it’s a great way for people to have their own little business.”

Before the City Council passed its ordinance in April, food-truck operators could operate in Memphis only with a short-term, special-use permit, Asst. County Atty. Janet Shipman said.

The proposed county ordinance would allow the truck operators to obtain licenses to park routinely on streets in unincorporated Shelby County.

The food trucks couldn’t operate in suburban cities such as Germantown unless those cities pass their own ordinances, Shipman said.

There are 27 licensed food trucks operating in Memphis, said Otho Sawyer, the Health Department’s assistant manager of environmental sanitation.

The draft version of the county ordinance says owners of mobile-food vehicles would have to ask the Health Department for a permit for each vehicle and pay a $150 application fee.

If operators parked a truck on a public roadway, it would have to stay for at least 30 minutes but it could stay no more than six hours on any one block in a 24-hour period.

The trucks couldn’t operate within 300 feet of a school in a residential district without written permission from the school. Operators of food vehicles couldn’t park within 300 feet of an open restaurant unless all restaurants in the area had given permission.

The proposed county rules are similar to requirements in the existing city ordinance.

Taylor Berger operates a mobile frozen dessert truck through his business, called YoLo, and says it’s not easy to find a place that’s 300 feet from a restaurant.

He also said it’s hard to meet requirements to move the trailer — his is a remodeled Airstream that requires a truck to tow it and a generator for power.

Because of the difficulties, the company has primarily used the trailer at festivals such as Bonnaroo, a big music and arts gathering in Manchester, Tenn., as well as private events such as weddings.

“It was a ton of fun and honestly, we didn’t make a ton of money doing it, but I was happy with it overall because we were able to get our name out there,” Berger said. “We were able to use the trailer to promote our stores.”

Another food truck operator is Erik Proveaux, co-owner of Fuel Cafe in Midtown. He said he uses Twitter to advertise the truck’s location and said he’s selling tacos, french fries and other food from Downtown near Jefferson Avenue and Main Street by the new dog park called The Barking Lot.

He said he’d like to see more people enter the food-truck business. “I’m not scared of the competition,” he said. “I think it will be better for everybody, actually.”

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/dec/13/panel-to-consider-food-truck-ordinance/

]]> http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/12/memphis-tn-shelby-county-commission-panel-to-consider-food-truck-ordinance/feed/ 0 http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/08/where-are-the-memphis-food-trucks/ http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/08/where-are-the-memphis-food-trucks/#comments Sat, 13 Aug 2011 01:09:50 +0000 MobileFoodNews.com http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/?p=19491 By STAFF | ILoveMemphisBlog.com

A few days ago, someone on Twitter asked why there weren’t any food trucks in Memphis, despite a city ordinance allowing them that passed earlier this year.

I’ve been wondering the same thing.

When the ordinance came up for vote in April, people packed downtown’s Court Square for a big food truck lunch. When the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race” came through town, the lines were ridiculous. But save for the odd hotdog stand downtown or the mobile fare offered at festivals, there are are seemingly no food trucks to be found in Memphis.

So, what gives?

Given past events, we know that people in Memphis will support food trucks. We know that a few restaurants (Parker’s Water Ice, YoLo, Fuel Cafe) have trucks.

You could argue that Memphis doesn’t have much of a pedestrian culture. Maybe that’s it, but Nashville doesn’t either, and they’ve got tons of trucks selling everything from tacos to grilled cheese on a daily basis.

Pedestrian cultures don’t just happen, though – they have to be made. It’s sort of a chicken-and-egg problem, though – in order for someone to want to open a business outside, they’ll want to make sure there are enough people outside in the area, but if there’s no reason to go outside, there won’t be any people, and so on.

So maybe we should start small. Park at Overton Park on a Saturday. Pull up to Court Square during lunch on a Friday. Someone could make a killing parked at one of the inlets that leads to the Greenline on a weekday evening.

Maybe I’m totally missing something. Maybe no one wants to take the risk first. Maybe no one’s had the time or money to get a truck up and running. I’m not sure why we don’t have regular food trucks yet.

But what I do know is that if someone parks one regularly, I’ll be there, cash in hand, ready to eat.

http://ilovememphisblog.com/2011/08/where-are-the-memphis-food-trucks/comment-page-1/

Contestants on the Food Network reality TV show, "The Great Food Truck Race," haul a pig to Court Square during a food challenge on Friday. Jason Quinn (left), Jesse Brockman amd Daniel Shemtob of the Lime Food Truck team get stares from Downtown walkers. Photo by Alan Spearman, Appeal

Court Square in Downtown Memphis was invaded with food trucks Friday afternoon, as the Food Network filmed “The Great Food Truck Race.”

The show, premiering in August, features eight teams competing in seven cities for $100,000 by creating dishes with themed challenges.

The race lasts seven weeks and one of the eight teams is eliminated each week.

Memphians gathered in Court Square and watched contestants race from the park to a local restaurant carrying dead pigs — skinned and gutted — on their backs as part of one of the episode’s challenges.

Peter Woronov, executive producer of season two of the show, said each team has a specialty, which they use for their advantage while competing.

Filming for the show comes on the heels of a city ordinance passed last month, which allows food trucks to be within 50 feet of restaurants.

Woronov said food trucks went from a fun thing to a popular movement this year.

“The best thing about the show is that each contestant is different and has real talent,” said Woronov. “Anyone could be the winner, we’ll see who rises to the challenge.”

Teams will be stationed in various undisclosed locations Downtown today and Sunday beginning at noon each day to sell their creations to the public.

Mike Disabatino, 22, with Roxy’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese — a yellow truck with a caricature of a woman eating a sandwich on it — said he and his brother, James, and their friend, Mark Melanson, started the business in Boston three months ago.

“We have a blast doing this and doing what we love,” said Mike Disabatino.

He said he hopes the Food Network exposure will be good for business, which specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, a simple, familiar comfort food.

Contestant Chris Hodgson, 23, with the Hodge Podge truck from Cleveland, said he began working in a restaurant when he was 15 years old.

Hodgson, who specializes in American food, said his truck, black with a pink pig’s head on it, uses a medley or “hodge podge” of ingredients for creations.

Next to it was the Karilla BBQ truck, painted orange with black tiger stripes.

Friends Paul Lee, 25, Steve Park, 26, and Eddie Lee Strong 25, all from New York, said their truck specializes in Korean food, or “comfort food with an Asian twist.”

Jessie Brockman, 21, Daniel Shemtob, 22, and Jason Quinn, 24, with the Lime Truck from Orange County, Calif., was stationed in a lime green truck.

Brockman said the business is entirely driven on unique ingredients.

“We never know what the menu is going to be,” he said. “It changes every day.”

Sharon O’Guin, deputy film commissioner for the Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television Commission, said plans for filming began four months ago.

O’Guin said for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the commission has helped with about 40 TV shows, 10 music videos, 15 documentaries, five commercials, two national print campaigns and several movies.

The Food Network’s 80-person film crew — which, she said is good for hotels — is tweeting and blogging about production.

“This is good national exposure for Memphis, especially with the assumption by the national media that we’re under water,” O’Guin said.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/may/21/hold-hog/

Good news for those of you who love food on wheels: the city council passed the ordinance that lifts restrictions on food trucks. I’m looking forward to mobile tacos in Memphis soon.

____________________________________________________________

ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 16, ARTICLE V, OF THE CITY OF
MEMPHIS, CODE OF ORDINANCES, SO AS TO ALLOW SELF-CONTAINED
MOBILE FOOD PREPARATION VEHICLES TO OPERATE IN THE CITY OF
MEMPHIS

WHEREAS, cities across the country have enjoyed the popularity of street food
and that popularity has increased over the past few years; and

WHEREAS, citizens in this community have expressed an interest in the
opportunity to establish a mobile food operation venture while others have expressed the desire to have these additional food and location choices; and

WHEREAS, the Council deems it in the best interest of the citizens of Memphis
that such mobile food operations be locally regulated as a matter of health and public
safety, and for the general welfare of the people.

NOW, THEREFORE,
SECTION 1. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
MEMPHIS, that Section 16-176. Definitions, is hereby amended to include the
following terms and definitions:
Commissary – means any State of Tennessee licensed stationary food establishment that
serves mobile food dispensers, mobile food facilities, vending machines or other food
dispensing operations where (i) food, containers or supplies are stored; (ii) food is
prepared or prepackaged for sale or service at other locations; (iii) utensils are cleaned; or
(iv) liquid and solid wastes are disposed of or potable water is obtained.

Mobile food preparation vehicle – A mobile food preparation vehicle is any motorized
vehicle that includes a self-contained or attached trailer kitchen in which food is
prepared, processed or stored and used to sell and dispense prepared food to the ultimate
consumer. Mobile units must be mobile at all times during operation. The unit must be on
wheels (excluding boats) at all times. Any mobile food unit that removes such wheels or
becomes stationary must meet Tennessee Department of Health Regulations 1200-23-1
et. seq. in their entirety. This definition does not include pushcarts as regulated by city
codes and prohibited from selling potentially hazardous foods by the Tennessee
Department of Health, nor vehicles from which only ice cream and other frozen nonhazardous
food products are sold, nor vehicles operating under a special event permit.

Menu change – means a modification of a food establishment’s menu that requires a
change in the food establishment’s food preparation equipment, storage equipment or
storage capacity previously approved by the Health Department. The term “menu
change” shall include, but is not limited to, the addition of potentially hazardous food to a
menu, installation of new food preparation or storage equipment, or increasing storage
capacity.
Servicing Area – A mobile food unit servicing area shall be provided and shall include at
least overhead protection for any supplying, cleaning, or servicing operation. Within this
servicing area, there shall be a location provided for the flushing and drainage of liquid
wastes separate from the location provided for water servicing and for the loading and
unloading of food and related supplies.
SECTION 2. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF MEMPHIS, that Section 16-187 is hereby amended to add “16-261”at the end
of the section.

SECTION 3. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF MEMPHIS, that Chapter 16 Section 16-178 is hereby amended to add Mobile
Food Preparation Vehicles to the list of Food Establishments with an annual local permit
fee of $150.00 per mobile food unit vehicle.

SECTION 4. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF MEMPHIS, that Chapter 16 Section 16-257 (a) is hereby amended and
replaced to read as follows:
“This section shall not apply wherever huckstering or mobile food
preparation vehicles are otherwise regulated in specific chapters or sections of this
Code.”

SECTION 5. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF MEMPHIS, that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add Section 16-261 which
shall read as follows:
Section 16-261. Mobile Food Preparation Vehicles.
Mobile food preparation vehicles shall meet all applicable requirements of this article in
addition to the requirements outlined as follows:
(1) No person shall engage in the business of a mobile food preparation vehicle within
the municipal limits without first having obtained a permit required by section 16-178 of
the City Code of Ordinances and the State of Tennessee.
(2) A mobile food preparation vehicle license, as authorized by the State of the
Tennessee and local ordinances, will not be issued to a person unless the following
conditions are met:
(a) The vehicle must be specially designed as defined as a mobile
food preparation vehicle and be approved by the health
authority in addition to meeting the standards as set forth in
section 16-208 of the City Code of Ordinances
(b) No person shall engage in the business of a mobile food
preparation vehicle without first having obtained a commissary
license or having a written commissary agreement, if required
by the health authority.
(c) Each mobile food preparation vehicle must display number its
business name and state and local permit numbers, with letters
and numbers at least three (3) inches in height, in a prominent
and visible location on the vehicle.
(d) The driver of the truck must have a current Tennessee Driver’s
License, current auto insurance (including liability insurance)
and current vehicle registration as required by Tennessee law
and enforced by law enforcement authorities.
(e) The vehicle can only operate in locations where the operation of
motorized vehicles is permitted under local zoning ordinances
and enforced by local Code Enforcement authorities
(f) All current permits must be posted in a conspicuous manner, in
compliance with T.C.A. 68-14-305.
(3) The health officer shall adopt written rules and regulations for mobile food
preparation vehicles for the purpose of interpretations of this article.

SECTION 6. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF MEMPHIS, that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add Section 16 –262 which
shall read as follows:
Section 16-262. Operational requirements.
1) When legally parked on a city street, alley and other public thoroghfares in an
allowed zoning district, Mmobile food preparation vehicles shall park on private
property with permission of the property owner, or on city streets, alleys and other
public thoroughfares within an allowed districtfor no less than 30 minutes and
shall not exceed a total of sixtwo hours in any one block, with food service
available for no more than four hours of that time., with aThe mobile food vendor
must then provide a minimum break from that location of one hour., in any one
block three times per day.
(2) When parked on private property with the permission of the property owner, a
mobile food preparation vehicle may operate at the times and for the duration
provided in its permission by the property owner. No sales from such vehicle shall
be made between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6 a.m.
(3) No mobile food preparation vehicle shall be equipped with any external
electronic sound-amplifying device.
Comment [c1]: Omitted at request of Health
Department
(4) No operator of such vehicle shall park or stand such vehicle within 300 feet of
a school or school playground in a residential district while school is in session,
unless an agreement is established with such school.
(5) When legally parked on a city street, alley and other public thoroghfares
in an allowed zoning district or on private property, noNo operator of such
vehicle shall park or stand such vehicle within 300 feet of any principal customer
entrance to a restaurant outside of the Central Business Improvement District
(CBID) during its posted hours of operation. For any restaurant within the CBID,
this distance shall be 50 feet. Restaurant, for purposes of this section, means any
public place at a fixed location kept, used, maintained, advertised and held out to
the public as a place where food and drink are prepared and served to the public
for consumption on or off the premises pursuant to the required licenses. Such
establishments include, but are not limited to, restaurants, bars, lounges, coffee
shops, cafeterias, dining rooms, eating houses, short order cafes, luncheonettes,
grills, tearooms and sandwich shops. All measured distances and distance
requirements addressed in this regulation shall be distances measured in a straight
line from the nearest edge of the mobile vehicle or trailer to the nearest edge of
the object from which the mobile vehicle or trailer is to be distant.
(6) When legally parked on a city street, alley and other public thoroghfares
in an allowed zoning district ,Nno sale shall be made from such vehicle except
from the curb side thereof when parked on the public street, and then only when
such vehicle is legally parked.
(7) Cooking must not be conducted while the vehicle is in motion.
(8) Mobile food preparation vehicle shall be parked only at its commissary or any
other location approved by the Health Department that does not violate an
applicable city ordinance.
(9) No detached signs are permitted. All signs used must be permanently affixed
to, or painted on, the mobile food preparation vehicle and shall extend no more
than six inches from the vehicle. No sign shall flash, cause interference with
radio, telephone, television or other communication transmissions; produce or
reflect motion pictures; emit visible smoke, vapor, particles, or odor; be animated
or produce any rotation, motion or movement. A sign on which the message is
changed electronically not more than one time per eight seconds shall not be
considered to be an animated sign or a sign with movement, but is classified as a
changeable copy sign. Changeable copy signs shall be permitted, but the total
area of such signs on the vehicle, when parked and the vehicle is set up to operate,
must not exceed 30 square feet. Any message on a changeable copy sign shall
have an instantaneous change of message with no fading, fly-in, dissolve or other
feature used. The change of message rate on digital signs shall be limited to no
more than once every 8 seconds. No sign shall utilize any exposed incandescent
lamp with a wattage of more than forty (40) watts, any revolving beacon light; or
a luminance in excess of three hundred fifty (350) foot lamberts measured at the
sign face.
(10) Vendor must provide for the sanitary collection of all refuse, litter and
garbage generated by the patrons using that service and remove all such waste
materials from the location before the vehicle departs. This includes physically
inspecting the general area for such items prior to the vehicle’s departure.

SECTION 7. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MEMPHIS that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add section 16-263 to read as
follows:
Section 16-263 Food Requirements
(1) All food shall be protected from contamination and the elements while being
stored, prepared, displayed or sold at a mobile food preparation vehicle and
during transportation to or between such establishments or vending machine
locations, and so shall all food equipment, containers, utensils, food-contact
surfaces and devices and vehicles, in accordance with the provisions of this
chapter and the rules and regulations of the Health Department.
(2) All foods to be used, prepared, cooked, displayed, sold, served, offered for
sale or stored in a food establishment, or during transportation to or between
locations shall be from sources approved by the health authorities of the point
of origin and must be clean, wholesome, free from spoilage, adulteration,
contamination or misbranding and safe for human consumption. The
standards for judging wholesomeness for human food shall be those
promulgated and amended from time to time by the United States Food and
Drug Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, the Tennessee
Department of Health and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and
published in the United States Code of Federal Regulations and the Tennessee
Code Annotated or the Tennessee Rules and Regulations. Such laws will be
adopted by reference when approved and deemed effective as of the date
designated by the above government agencies or the appropriate legislative
body approving such changes.
(3) The only milk or milk products which may be used as food ingredients shall
be pasteurized Grade A milk or milk products from sources approved by the
Health Department. All pasteurized milk and fluid milk products shall be sold
in the individual original containers in which they were received from
distributor and shall be stored at a temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit or
less until sold.
(4) Raw shellfish, including oysters, clams and mussels, with the exception of
properly prepared fish for sushi, shall not be sold or distributed, unless such
item has received specific authorization from the Tennessee Department of
Agriculture and the Shelby County Health Department.
(5) All meats, meat food products, poultry and poultry products used in cooking,
offered for sale, sold or prepared shall be from sources inspected and
approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, the State of
Tennessee Department of Agriculture or the state or local department of
health and shall be plainly marked, tagged or stamped to indicate the source,
and the inspection and approval.
(6) All hermetically sealed foods shall have been processed in approved foodprocessing
establishments. The use, preparation, display, sale or storage of
home-canned foods is prohibited and no other foods which have been
processed in a private home or other than in an approved food-processing
establishment shall be stored, used, kept for sale or served in a food
establishment or automatic food-vending machine.
(7) The use of newspaper or any unclean paper for the purpose of wrapping food
is forbidden.
(8) The Health Officer may augment such requirements when needed to assure
the service of safe food and may prohibit the sale of certain potentially
hazardous food.

SECTION 8. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MEMPHIS that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add section 16-264 to read as
follows:
Section 16-264 Food handler requirements
All food handlers shall meet the standards as set forth in T.C.A.§ 53-8-108,
Tennessee Department of Health Rules and Regulations, and City Code of
Ordinance Chapter 16, Article 1, Division II, section 16-201 through section 16-
203.

SECTION 9. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MEMPHIS that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add section 16-265 to read as
follows:

Section 16-265 Equipment standards.
All mobile food preparation vehicles shall meet the standards as set forth in
Tennessee Department of Health Rules and Regulations, and City of Memphis
Code of Ordinance Chapter 16, Article 1. Division II, section 16-213, 16-214, 16-
215 and 16-216.

SECTION 10. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MEMPHIS that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add section 16-266 to read as
follows:
Section 16-266 Maintenance of premises.
All Mobile food preparation vehicles shall meet the standards as set forth in T.C.A. § 53-
8-102 , T.C.A. § 53-8-103, Tennessee Department of Health Rules and Regulations, and
City of Memphis Code of Ordinance, Article 1, Division II, section 16-205, 16-206, 16-
207, 16-209, 16-210, 16-211 and 16-212.

SECTION 11. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MEMPHIS that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add section 16-267 to read as
follows:
Section 16-267 Vehicle sanitation requirements.
(1) Each vehicle shall be constructed so that the portions of the vehicle containing
food shall be covered so that no dust or dirt will settle on the food; and such
portions of the vehicles which are designed to contain food shall be at least 18
inches above the surface of the public way while the vehicle is being used for the
conveyance of food
(2) The food storage areas of each vehicle shall be kept free from rats, mice, flies and
other insects and vermin. No living animals, birds, fowl, reptiles or amphibians
shall be permitted in any area where food is stored.and
(3) Hazardous non-food items such as detergents, insecticides, rodenticides, plants,
paint and paint products that are poisonous or toxic in nature shall not be stored in
the food area of the vehicle.
(4) The vehicle shall be enclosed with tops and sides.
(5) The vehicle shall not be used for any purpose other than for the purpose described
in this chapter.

SECTION 12. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MEMPHIS that Chapter 16 is hereby amended to add section 16-268 to read as
follows:
Section 16-268 Zoning Districts
(1) Mobile food preparation vehicles are allowed to operate on sites and city
streets, alleys and other public thoroughfares within the Office General (OG);
Commercial Mixed Use 1, 2 and 3 (CMU-1, CMU-2 and CMU-3); Central
Business (CBD); Campus Master Plan – 1 and -2 (CMP-1 and CMP-2);
Employment (EMP); Warehouse and Distribution (WD) and Heavy Industrial
(IH) zoning districts; the South Central Business Improvement Special
Purpose District (SCBID) and the Mixed Use (MU), Neighborhood Center
Overlay (NC), Uptown Hospital (UH) and Uptown Light Industrial (ULI)
districts of the Uptown Special Purpose District. In addition, mobile food
preparation vehicles are allowed to operate on public and private school sites
within residential zoning districts with written authorization from the school.
(2) Mobile food preparation vehicles must operate at least 1,000 feet from
permitted special events locations and permitted Farmer’s Market locations
and the mobile food preparation vehicle shall not operate within 2 hours
before or after a scheduled, permitted event or Farmer’s Market, unless the
vendor has received specific authority to operate from the event or Farmer’s
Market officials. Mobile food preparation vehicles may not operate within
300 feet of FedEx Forum or Autozone Park when events are being conducted
or within two (2) hours before or after such event.
(3) Approval to operate a mobile food preparation vehicle within all residential
and residential work districts, or parks, except as provided below, shall
require approval of a special use permit from the Land Use Control Board and
the legislative body, subject to the provisions of Chapter 9.6 of the Memphis
and Shelby County Unified Development Code.
a. Mobile Food Vendors shall be authorized to operate in any park under a
management agreement with the City or County Government under terms
and conditions established by those entities authorized by the City or
County for such park management activities as to the times and locations
within the park and additional fees charged for such vendors.
b. Written authorization for activities within such parks by the management
group shall be provided by the food vendor upon request by local or state
authorities.
(4) Regulation of this section shall be performed by law enforcement and Shelby
County Code Enforcement

SECTION 13. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That the provisions of this
Ordinance are hereby severable. If any of these sections, provisions, sentences, clauses,
phrases or parts are held unconstitutional or void, the remainder of this Ordinance shall
continue in full force and effect.

SECTION14. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That this Ordinance shall take
effect from and after the date it shall have been passed by the Council, signed by the
Chairman of the Council, certified and delivered to the office of the Mayor in writing by
the Comptroller, and become effective as otherwise provided by law.
Myron Lowery
Chairman of the Council
Jim Strickland
Attest
Comptroller
2/28/11