THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — "It would help us to grow. A lot of people don't know, we're so limited right now. So, people know of us, but we can't operate fully," said Jakila Presha Francis.
Co-owner of Jamerican Eats, Jakila Presha, says she's been waiting for the conversation about food trucks to be brought to Thomasville.
As of right now food trucks are not permitted in Thomasville outside of special events but that could all soon change.
"This is something that's been going on for several years. In all the recent plans and things, when we do community involvement, people ask about food trucks," said Kenny Thompson, Thomasville City Planner.
The city is speaking directly with the community about a possible food truck ordinance. If adopted food trucks will be allowed on private property.
Some of the things Thompson says the city would like input on are things such as where would the food trucks set up shop and necessary zoning changes.
"Food trucks are something that is a first step for a lot of restaurants allowing people to experiment before going into a full brick and mortar store," said Thompson.
I checked with IBISWorld.com Their data shows there are 36,324 food truck businesses in the U.S. as of this spring.
They also show the U.S. food truck industry has grown at an average annual rate of 9.9% since 2018
Now, Thompson says the city is looking into their own initiative for up-and-coming business owners.
Now, Francis tells me she's ready to take that plunge as soon as she's given the green light.
"We'd love to be able to operate our food truck," said Francis.
The city says if everything goes as planned, they hope to have a final policy in place by the end of the year.
