The citizens of Tuscaloosa can soon expect to see a few new meal options on the block. Specifically, food truck meals will now be more available thanks to changes in city zoning laws.
The City of Tuscaloosa recently approved an expansion for mobile restaurant zoning in the downtown area, according to Ashley Crites from the Planning & Development Services Committee. This expansion will allow food trucks to operate in areas where they had previously been prohibited after they obtain a permit from the city.
New zoning does not necessarily mean Tuscaloosa will be flooding with food trucks overnight, but the city is likely to gain a higher number in new, more visible places, such as at the Transportation Museum on Queens City Avenue, across from the Tuscaloosa River Market and along Paul Bryant Drive west of 21st Avenue.
Food trucks like Local Roots and Jojo’s Food Trunk are excited about the coming change, as both of the franchises had been encouraging city officials to approve the changes over the past eight months. The two trucks had previously been able to attend events adjacent to the Black Warrior River. But until now, they had never been allowed within the greater downtown limits, where previous ordinances had prohibited any mobile food services from setting up shop.
These new rules are sure to please owners like Local Roots’ Dustin Spruill, allowing him and others like him to reach out to a wider audience of customers.
Tuscaloosa’s regulation change is a sign that it is trying to keep up with other southern college towns, where food trucks are a popular dining option for students. Food trucks are popular with students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Florida State University students often attend “Food Truck Thursday” in Tallahassee which has over 20 different dining options.
According to mobile-cuisine.com, the industry revenue for food trucks increased by 12.4 percent in the last five years. While some Tuscaloosa trucks such as Brother’s Street Eats closed up shop in 2013, the new 2016 rules could provide bigger and better opportunities for the city’s locally owned businesses.
