Camden Welcoming Food Trucks After City Council Passes Ordinance To Regulate Permitting Process

CAMDEN, N.J. — Camden is welcoming food trucks into the city after City Council passed an ordinance last week to regulate the permitting process.

The ordinance gives the city’s Department of Code Enforcement the power to grant up to seven permits in one time frame for food trucks to serve in certain designated areas, including Camden’s waterfront and the business district.

The ordinance prohibits food trucks from setting up within 200 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Roy Villaneuva, the owner of Latin Bites, is excited to have another city to operate his food truck.

“This year is going to be great,” Villaneuva said. “It’s going to be great for all of us.”

Roy Villanueva loves to hit the road sharing his family’s recipes all over New Jersey. His Latin Bites food truck now has a new place to go: Camden. At 5:30 @CBSPhilly, how the city’s new food truck ordinance could be a model for other NJ cities. 📸@storyrd pic.twitter.com/Iq0T1XL668

— Brandon Goldner (@GoldnerTV) April 18, 2022

Jon Hepner, the founder of the New Jersey Food Truck Association, and a food truck owner himself, praised the city council’s decision and the thorough details outlined in the new ordinance.

“Most townships are receptive to it,” Hepner said. “They just don’t know how to put the regulations into effect.”

It’s why he’s lobbying legislators to enact a statewide food truck law, which, Hepner said, “would standardize the health permits, the fire permits, the parking permits,” and other regulations for food trucks.