ACityDiscount attends Food Truck Association Event

The ACityDiscount team networked with food truck owners and operators at PREP Atlanta

Since the first gourmet food truck opened in Metro Atlanta in 2010, the food truck community has been working to improve the local economy and restaurant industry by creating jobs, revitalizing underdeveloped areas and engaging with the public in unique ways.

While there are many myths about food trucks today, like they infringe on the local restaurant industry and are unsanitary and unregulated, the industry is projected to hit $1.1 bil by 2022 – and it is showing no signs of slowing down.

A small group of food truck owners who saw the potential for mobile food businesses formed the Food Truck Association of Georgia (FTAG) in 2016. The mission was simple but not easy; to represent the interests of their members including food truck, trailer, dessert truck and cart owners operating in greater Metro Atlanta.

ACityDiscount, who has been an FTAG partner since 2017, recently attended the organization’s annual networking Kickoff Social that was held on January 27, 2020 at PREP Atlanta commercial commissary kitchen group. It was a wonderful event to meet food truck vendors and suppliers and hear about what is on the FTAG agenda and was open to non-members.

Mike Ellin, director of sales at ACityDiscount, attended the event and said, “It was great to see our customers, some of the original Atlanta food truck owners, at the event.”

“It was especially nice to see how far they’ve come, some of them now have multiple trucks in several cities," he adds.

We caught up with Tony Harrison, FTAG president, to learn more about the organization. Harrison got his start in the food truck business with Cousin’s Maine Lobster in 2015 as the company’s first franchisee. He noticed that food truck owners around him were trying to figure out all the rules to owning a mobile food business and kept “butting their heads against the wall,” he explained. He said that he started meeting with a core group of individuals who would become the governing board of FTAG.

Since its inception, FTAG has welcomed more than 100 food truck owners in Metro Atlanta and currently has 60 members. The organization plans to expand its membership outside of the Metro area to places like Athens, Ga.

The group has 5 strategic goals (via the foodtruckassociationofgeorgia.org):

• Lobby state and local governments to make metro Atlanta more food truck friendly
• Significantly increase the number of vending opportunities/locations for Atlanta food trucks
• Partner with event planners to develop a more mutually beneficial relationship
• Leverage the collective buying power within the organization to build better relationships with food truck vendors and suppliers (i.e. mechanics, truck builders, restaurant equipment suppliers, food suppliers, etc .)
• Provide education and support for current food truck owners/operators

Harrison states that partnerships have been a part of what makes FTAG great and helps provide unique opportunities for members. When it comes to partnerships, Harrison states that PREP offers FTAG members the best place to start a food truck business because the upfront cost is very low and it gives owners the opportunity to put their toe in the water without spending a small fortune. The organization is currently offering training and education courses on food truck ownership at the end of this month, which will be held at PREP 3.

When asked about what is next for FTAG, Harrison states that the organization is working to get on the legislative agenda and hopes to have their first bill introduced during this legislature session.

The organization is currently working to pass a food truck reciprocity bill, where the main objective is to have food trucks obtain just one health permit from the state and be able to operate in any county once they’ve met that standard.

There are 159 counties in Georgia alone, and 25 to 30 in the Metro Atlanta area; food truck operators currently must obtain a permit in every county in which they operate. “There’s a state standard in place, but counties have the autonomy to do whatever they want. What we’re trying to say is, we’ll meet the standard for the state, but there’s no reason to have to do it again in every county,” he said.

“[The current policies create] redundancy and more work for already overburdened health departments,” he adds.

Harrison says that they know there will be issues down the road, as counties don’t have to follow state guidelines, but they are working with the state legislature and the department of health to ensure the changes they want to make doesn’t have unintended consequences down the road. We also asked what Harrison’s best advice is for anyone wanting to start a food truck business. He states, “people get into this business for many different reasons, but ultimately it’s a business and you must make a profit to stay in business—start with the end in mind.”

To learn more about FTAG, visit their website at foodtruckassociatinofgeorgia.com