9 Food Truck Vendors Ready to Serve Brentwood, Many More Expected

If you work in Brentwood, before calling in your usual order or microwaving your lunch, take a look outside.

You might just see a food truck.

After passing an ordinance two weeks ago that allows mobile food vendors to apply to operate in office areas like Maryland Farms, the applications rolled in.

Katie Jardieu, the Brentwood department of Planning and Codes employee in charge of the permitting process, said so far nine vendors picked up their permit and another five should soon join their brethren in a Brentwood parking lot near you.

313 ConeyLittle Cancun On the Go, Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Bruster’s Ice Cream, YaYo’s OMG, Music City Brisket and Balkan Xpress will run one truck each and Bradley’s Creamery and Hoss’ Loaded Burgers will both field two.

Two others applicants, Bob’s Fish Fry and The Grilled Cheeserie, gained approval but haven’t picked up their permit yet. And three more– Retro Sno, Blue Monkey Shaved Ice and Steaming Goat— should soon have approval.

Even more should soon join the ranks. The city received seven more in the past week.

The Nashville Food Truck Association counts close to 100 members, and 40 or so more mobile food vendors operate in Williamson County.

Jeff Dobson, director of the Brentwood Planning and Codes, said his department, which is handling the permitting process, printed up 175 permits to be safe.

“I don’t think we will issue all of them,” he said.”We wanted to be sure to be able to include both Nashville and Williamson County.”

For a $50 fee, vendors can apply for a permit that lasts for a year. There are some specific rules to follow.

The new ordinance allows food trucks (meaning fully fledged mobile kitchens), to set up shop from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. The ordinance explicitly allows food truck operators to market their products to the public via advertising, including social media.

Canteen trucks, which transport, sell and warm-up food but don’t actually prepare it on site, are allowed from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Canteen trucks, the idea is, provide food to workers at locations where it is otherwise unavailable or impractical to leave and get a meal. The ordinance suggests construction sites as an example of where canteen trucks could operate.  These vendors are not permitted to advertise themselves except for on-vehicle signage.

Ice cream trucks can operate from 11:00 a.m. until sunset. The definition of an ice cream truck also allows for push carts.

Up until the ordinance passed the City Commission on February 27, Brentwood rules allowed mobile food vendors only in areas zoned for retail. This, however, put the many office buildings, zoned commercial but without any retail sprinkled in, off limits.

The trucks are allowed to park in business parking lots and private property with permission. However, the city laid out rules restricting them from bunching up and potentially disrupting traffic flow.

The city considers two or more food trucks set up at the same spot and time a “food truck rally.” Rallies require a special permit. This rule creates the possibility of something akin to Spring Hill’s Food Truck Fridays or Franklin’s Eat the Street festival.

A planned gathering of 10 or more trucks requires a special permit approved by the Planning Commission, Parks Board and the designated food truck administrator.