CAROLINA BEACH — Visitors and residents of Carolina Beach might notice that the town is lacking when it comes to food trucks. In other municipalities across the country food trucks can be found scattered about, but not in Carolina Beach.
Currently, the town regulates food trucks the same way as other itinerant merchants, through a series of strict regulations, some of which merchants have claimed are hurting their businesses.
On Jan. 11, the Town of Carolina Beach’s Planning and Zoning Commission discussed potential ordinance changes that could loosen some of the restrictions on food trucks operating in the town limits.
However, one of the most significant of the ordinances, the one that requires any food truck to have a brick and mortar business on the island, will likely not be changed.
This protectionism has limited not only the amount of food trucks on the island, but other itinerant merchants as well.
“I think if we just allow anybody to come over that bridge with a food truck now we’d be stepping on the toes of people who are invested in the community.” — Deb LeCompte
Town leaders claim that the requirement to have a brick and mortar location on the island is to help benefit the local businesses that operate during tourist season.
“I spoke with a restaurant owner just last night … and he’s on the boardwalk, he struggles to stay open in the off season as it is. He still has to pay his rent, he still has to pay his utilities, and he still has to pay his employees,” Board member Deb LeCompte said. “I think if we just allow anybody to come over that bridge with a food truck now we’d be stepping on the toes of people who are invested in the community.”
The question was asked by a Planning Commission member on where the rest of the board stood on the brick and mortar requirement, and was met with hesitation and unsure answers.
“I think it is a limited thing for the future, I think brick and mortar will not be associated with mobile businesses and I think it will change in my lifetime,” Planning and Zoning Board Member Nan Toppin said.
Other board members shared similar sentiments, and the consensus for the time being was to only allow brick and mortar owners to have food trucks.
“I don’t think we should try to overstep where we’re going and kind of ease our way into it … I’ve talked to a lot of restaurant owners in town and I understand they only have a few months to make money, I don’t want to step on that toe,” Bloemendaal said.
Potential changes that could be seen if the board decides to move forward with pursuing an ordinance specifically targeting food trucks could make it easier for business owners on the island to operate food trucks.
While the specific changes, if there are going to be any, have not yet been released, the discussion showed there was an agreement among town leaders that the food truck regulations should be subject to different rules and regulations apart from other itinerant merchants.
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