GALT, CA (MPG) - Selling food outdoors seems simple: set up a cooktop and a table, put up some shade and a sign, and start cooking. Following the law and ensuring safety is more involved, though. The location and marketing angles have their twists as well.

Keeping the hot food hot and the cold food cold is requirement No. 1, according to county code enforcement officials. Working with clean hands is also a high priority, as are using professional-grade equipment and keeping the food and work area clean and free from flying or crawling critters.

Home-cooks who want to start carving al pastor or making burritos for the public have support from the city of Galt as long as they obtain the proper permits and maintain approved cooking and serving operations. Larger pushcarts and smaller hot dog carts can have a place in the selling sphere, but these entrepreneurs also must have permits and inspections to do business in the city.

During a visit by the Herald to Galt’s Public Works Department, senior planner Kristyn Bitz showed the Industrial Way/Pringle Avenue area on a zoning map. This light industrial neighborhood of manufacturing, assembly and auto repair businesses and self-storage facilities is the only zone in Galt that permits itinerant food trucks: those that roll in to feed people and then move on. Other areas of the city require permits and limit parking to three hours.

Doing the Paperwork

The food trucks that set up regularly in parking lots have done the permit work and made the agreements to cook at these specific spots, and the city regulates the number of trucks per area or intersection.

Some eateries run food trucks in addition to their brick-and-mortar businesses. Those in Galt must get written consent from other restaurants or convenience stores/gas stations within 350 feet before parking and cooking, Bitz said.

Edgar Gomez, whose portfolio includes the Tequileros taqueria at Carol Drive and Highway 99, also has full-time food trucks at two convenience store/gas stations in Elk Grove. His mobile businesses follow county code regarding the availability of restrooms to comply with county code for food-truck personnel. Gomez’s rental agreement with the Elk Grove convenience store/gas stations also provides electricity and water, plus refrigeration if needed.

Gomez noted that his trucks also follow county code regarding the use of a commissary to store the trucks, clean them and restock them each day.

Galt a Great Draw

Galt is a great draw for food trucks, Bitz said, with the city being on Highway 99. It also has more on- and off-ramps than other cities of its size.

Still, the code covering mobile food is strict in Galt, although the effort to engage new business is strong.

The city is eager to help food vendors find the right place and time to sell to plentiful customers, Amie Mendes, Galt’s economic development director, said during the Herald’s visit. The Saturday Market, Galt Market, and city parades and community events provide more options for local and visiting attendees.

But these events are occasional and mobile vendors are driven to feed more people every day.

Food vendors selling on a public right of way, on private property or without a permit are always on the radar of T.J. Guidotti, who oversees mobile-food operations as part of his role as code compliance supervisor for the city.

Guidotti’s method is about education first, compliance next and enforcement after that, if necessary. He counsels small vendors, such as those selling crates of strawberries in parking lots, carts full of frozen fruit bars on sidewalks and one-off snack sellers outside schools. Some individuals are just trying to make a living, Guidotti said, but they must follow code to do business in Galt.

Crossing Jurisdictions

Monitoring mobile-food compliance crosses jurisdictions, Guidotti said, making it both a challenge and an advantage in his first-responder role. Vendors who set up on a city street or sidewalk can impede vehicle or pedestrian traffic, according to Guidotti. Dealing with trucks or pop-ups on county property sometimes can bring assistance from Sacramento County code officers or Sheriff’s personnel. And if a seller is on state property, the California Highway Patrol has helped the Galt code enforcer clear the site.

There is little chance for a quickie setup with an awning, cooktop and cold chests to have the documentation and permits to do business legally, said Sonia Andrusiak, a supervising environmental health specialist for the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department.

Itinerant vendors find business by word of mouth, social media and drive-by curiosity. Their operations do not pay taxes, rent, utilities or employment costs, which is not fair, said Tony Gutierrez, who owns Compadres Bar & Grill in the Raley’s shopping center near the Twin Cities Road roundabout. A regular taco pop-up on East Stockton Boulevard north of the circle is set up just outside the city limits, Guidotti said, and under county jurisdiction.

Galt City Councilman Shawn Farmer, a local business owner who advocates for local eateries and their customers, has contacted Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume directly on the issue and hears occasionally from constituents who are concerned that non-compliant vendors are harming business for compliant eateries.

“We say to the city that we promote local business, but then we have to do our part to have the city enforce the rules,” Farmer said.

Andrusiak said the county has personnel to respond to reports of noncompliant vendors but not enough people to cover nights and weekends, when pop-ups are set up to capture weekend customers at dinnertime or late night.

Andrusiak’s team aims to educate the vendors and help them become compliant with the rules of the business. County staff use educational storyboards, fliers and postcards to provide the basics. The inspectors also counsel the vendors on-site to correct any violations, including being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Personal Safety

Galt planner Bitz said customers who patronize nonpermitted food sellers are risking their own safety and health. This goes back to the hot foods/cold foods rules.

The public and other businesses can report unpermitted vendors by calling 311, Andrusiak said, or by using the GaltConnect app, Mendes said.

Andrusiak has been in this field for more than 20 years and has seen food trucks evolve from the traditional silvery lunch wagons to the rolling billboards and quasi-gourmet food haulers of today.

She patronizes food trucks on occasion, Andrusiak said, but only those with the distinctive, bright pink permit sticker.