ROANOKE, Va. – Food trucks have exploded in popularity in recent years and in just a few days, truck owners will be required to meet new safety regulations as set by the state fire marshal.
Next time you visit a food truck, you'll want to look for a silver inspection sticker in the window. Before a brick and mortar restaurant could even cook food, they would have to have fire protection in place. That wasn't the case with food trucks and the state saw a problem with that, so changes are coming.
Inside Roanoke's Mountain Grille Food Truck you better work quickly to keep up, because the orders aren't showing any signs of slowing down.
Jason Nichols and his parents are so busy with their new venture that they just added a second truck.
"My parents' phone is ringing off the hook with people wanting us to come to them," Nichols said.
Their trucks are actually trailers, and unlike some other food trucks in old vans, the trailers are brand-new, state-of-the-art mobile kitchens.
"We wanted to make sure that everything was safe and up to code because from the get-go we were pretty sure that later on down the line that the state would start mandating that things be a certain way," Nichols said.
You can take that prediction to the bank. Food safety regulations have always been tight, but regulations on the kitchen itself, not so much.
Roanoke City Fire Marshal David Guynn and other fire marshals from across Southwest Virginia are helping food trucks owner get up with the new rules. If there's grease, there now has to be a vent hood and fire suppression over it, and the gas system is closely watched.
They spent the day Wednesday hosting their fourth courtesy inspection day. They've hosted in Lynchburg as well as other cities across our region to have the maximum impact. While working with the truck owners, they're looking at a lot of the same things now that they'd look for in traditional commercial kitchens.
"Food trucks have historically had less regulation than a fixed restaurant," Guynn said. "It's very possible for a food truck that's not operating safely that maybe has a small propane leak to all of a sudden turn into a situation that could be explosive and potentially hurt or injure a large number of people."
Food trucks are growing more popular and are staples at local breweries. Mountain Grille was parked at Vinton's Twin Creeks Wednesday night and stayed busy throughout the night.
Mountain Grille's truck was built to above the then-code so they're already ready to go. A short inspection Wednesday earned them a sticker and the knowledge that they're operating within the law. They are happy to see other food trucks will be held to the same standard.
"There is some food trucks out there people kinda question and now that the state has gotten involved, you're not going to have to worry about that no more," Nichols said.
These regulations are in place in other states already so Virginia is playing a bit of catch-up. The regional fire marshals who are doing this say it's not about getting people in trouble, it's about getting them up to spec so that everyone is safe.