Food trucks pop up in Panama City after hurricane

PANAMA CITY — Food trucks from anywhere were welcome sights in Hurricane Michael's immediate aftermath — not just for foodies, but for survival. And four months after the hurricane, several out-of-town trucks and mobile units have continued to claim their stake in parking lots around the city.

Local food trucks — such as Dovalina's Wood-Fired Pizza, I Roll Lumpia, The Prime Rib Guy, and Temperley's British Eatery — have continued to thrive with their quality gourmet offerings and familiar faces in a community that has grown even stronger since the hurricane. Many of these, also including Back Porch BBQ Concession Trailer, have even served free food to those in need.

Food trucks also have filled the void for local restaurants. Pepper's Food Truck has been set up in the restaurant parking lot till the building reopens mid-March, Finns Island Style Grub Express food truck rolled out in December with Christmas lights, and the Back Beach Barbecue food truck catered at Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center in January. The food truck from Son's 1936 Smokehouse also was spotted on 23rd Street this week.

Coming soon: Tracey Sharp Strachan's Curbside Bistro is in the works after Sharp Kitchen's store front on 23rd Street was destroyed in October. And Ernie Hall has been working on installing instant hot water supply lines on his new Just the Cook food boat, which he hopes to have open by next weekend. Hall plans to leave the boat on the trailer — and not at a marina — and pull it around to different locations to start.

Check out local and regional gourmet food truck favorites in one place at this weekend's Panama City Beach Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival.

While I have gotten to know the owners of local food trucks over the years, I have wondered: Are the out-of-town visitors — serving everything from tacos to hot dogs — following food truck regulations?

"Food trucks operating in Panama City are required to have a business license, which can be obtained by visiting City Hall," said Panama City Public Information Officer Caitlin Lawrence. "They are regulated by the Florida Dept. of Business & Professional Regulations (DBPR) - Division of Hotels & Restaurants."

According to Al Hester, chief license inspector for the City of Panama City, food trucks are inspected prior to being approved to operate as a regular restaurant and subject to the same criteria.

"This process protects our citizens and ensures food truck operators are inspected by DBPR for health and safety," added Jared Jones, Assistant City Manager.

Both the City Business License and Hotels & Restaurants License, an active business registration on Sunbiz.org, are good for one year. 

"The food truck situation has been a double-edged sword since the hurricane," Hester said. "On the one hand they have been a blessing in the absence of many of our regular brick-and-mortar restaurants that have been so heavily damaged that they are inoperable, but, on the other hand is the very difficult task of regulating them and ensuring they have the proper licenses. While our 'business license' is very important to us, as a municipality, the public should be on the lookout for the state license from the Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulations - Division of Hotels & Restaurants. One thing the citizens of Panama City can be sure about is, if the truck has a City of Panama City Business License, we have already ensured that they have a state license before issuing ours."

Code Enforcement is on the lookout for food trucks operating in the city limits without a license.

"As the Business Tax Department (License) Inspectors are out in the city, if we see a truck that we don't recognize, we call back to the office to verify if they have a license or not," Hester explained. "If not, we immediately call Code Enforcement to file an official complaint and have them checked out. I have not had any complaints about people getting sick from any food trucks, but if I did I would contact the Hotels & Restaurants Inspectors office located on Richard Jackson Boulevard."

And go with your gut instinct when trying a new eating place.

"My advice for someone visiting an unfamiliar food truck is to look for the obvious — cleanliness," Hester said. "If any citizen encounters a truck in our city limits that they are suspect about, they can call us at the Business Tax Department at 850-872-3033 and we will be happy to check on it for them. Also, a legit food truck will proudly have any current licenses displayed for the public to see. The license(s) will most likely be inside the truck, but within view when ordering."

Though the licensed Dawg House Concessions LLC mobile trailer out of Brooksville has been popular while parked at Lowe's, they recently said good-bye to Panama City — for now — on their Facebook page: "Time away from our kids, and the challenges of securing reasonable long-term housing has proven to be too difficult. We will, however, be back in Bay County in May of 2019 to serve at the multi-day Panama City Beach Jeep Beach Jam. We are excited about the event, and hope to see many of the wonderful people we have met and friends we have made in Bay County at the festival. Thank you for your support and business these past few months, and we wish you, yours, and all of Bay County residents, all the best through these difficult times."