By: Erin Dyer
Houston Mobile Food Unit (MFU) Collective has announced new mobile food ordinance changes that will be proposed to Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston City Council on September 26. These changes are to be presented in hopes that they will aid food trucks and small businesses, benefit Houston’s reputation for entrepreneurship, and increase tourist flow into Houston as a destination city.
Currently, seating outside of the food trucks is not permitted and no downtown food trucks serve hot food because they are not allowed to use propane in downtown locations. Among the proposed modifications are the elimination of the 60-foot distance requirement between mobile food units, the allowance of limited seating (up to 3 tables and 6 chairs), the ability to park next to existing seating, a lift of the propane ban downtown, and the ability to have one propane permit cover multiple locations. These changes that will reduce food truck limitations will in turn benefit Houstonians and our city’s growing food truck trend.
There are numerous ways you can show your support of the proposed mobile food ordinance changes. You can attend the City Council meeting on September 26 and/or send a letter of approval to Mayor Annise Parker and council members. Participating mobile food vendors will have a public petition available to sign as well.
A special awareness event on September 23 is dedicated to supporters of this movement. From 4-10PM, Houston will host its first mobile food party that will be put on by mobile food vendors, for mobile food vendors, at The Refinery Burgers & Whiskey– 702 West Dallas Street. Your favorite food trucks will be there, as well as a few new food trucks. Join Houston’s Mobile Food Unit Collective as our city shows our civic leaders that we support these ordinance changes.
Send a letter:
City Council
900 Bagby
City Hall Annex
First Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Mayor Annise Parker
City of Houston
P.O. Box 1562 Houston, TX 77251
Or via email: mayor@houstontx.gov
For more information, visit www.mfuhouston.com.
The reason they came up with the ordinance in the first place was because downtown restaurants complained that there biz is lost with food trucks. Back then they complained about hotdog carts. Houston I dont think will never be a tourist destination but go ahead. To get rid of the ordinance makes perfect sense as it should not have been put in the first place