CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi is no stranger to food trucks. There are 213 food trucks throughout the city. But how high are the health standards of these restaurants on wheels? 3NEWS spoke with the city's health department and local restaurant owner, Anthony Perez, who also has experience running a food truck.
Some people may feel mobile food truck units aren't as clean as brick-and-mortar restaurants.
Restaurant owner of El Taino: Puerto Rican Cuisine & Desserts, Anthony Perez said, "I would say it’s the opposite. I find the trailers a little more cleaner, especially if the personnel running the trailers are clean."
Anthony Perez has had his brick-and-mortar restaurant, El Taino since November. But his dream began on wheels.
“It started from the house and a good friend of mine had offered to assist us in getting our trailer, so that’s how we got ours,” Perez said.
A year and a half ago, Perez and his wife hit the pavement with their food truck. Perez says the foot traffic for the restaurant has been pretty good.
“Really good actually, all of our regulars," Perez said. They’ve followed us, we’ve picked up new regulars."
But in order to have regular customers, the quality of food has to be on point.
"Just keep things at temp, it's basically that simple," Perez said.
Manuel Garcia with Environmental & Consumer Health Services says compared to restaurants, mobile food units are much easier to maintain.
“The same inspection that’s used in a restaurant is also the same for a mobile unit,” Garcia said. "What you got to think about is where so they have to clean? It’s a small little unit. There’s not much there to clean.”
There’s no dining area or restrooms to keep tidy.
“For someone to come up and say, they’re dirtier than a regular restaurant is pure myth," Garcia said. "They're not."
Permits for new mobile units have to go through the fire marshal.
"Basically, so it’s not gonna explode or anything like that,” Garcia said.
But how does the health department keep tabs on who’s keeping up with yearly inspections? Through the color and year represented on permits.
“So when the public sees this blue sticker, they know they’ve been inspected already,” Garcia said.
Before filing the paperwork, permits and inspections to start a food truck business, Anthony Perez says you have to possess the drive to make it successful.
"If you have the economic means, I would just take the leap," Perez said.