Are you thinking about getting a TABC permit so you can sell alcohol from your food truck? In this guide we will go over the ins and outs of what you can prepare for! Recently we put together a guide for Mobile Bartending services. Well another business that loves to ask about TABC permits are the Food trucks. In this guide we will touch on the different requirements, costs, and options that you have if you want to get a TABC permit for a food truck to sell alcohol. If you would like to see the mobile bar tending post click here.
First if you don’t know what a food tuck is simply it is a box truck or large van that has been outfitted to prepare and serve food, other variations can be pull behind trailers. Now that you understand this let’s get into the meat and potatoes of getting a TABC permit for your food truck.
Can I get a TABC permit to sell alcohol from my Food truck? We have been asked this question dozens of times and it makes sense. Perhaps you want your business to be mobile, you plan on catering events, or you want to start with a smaller budget.
Let’s break down what to expect, The cost, depending on the type of permit you will need the state fees for a TABC permit starts at approximately $10,000 (With Bonds) for a Mixed Beverage permit. If you want to sell Wine and Beer the fees are less. Note this does not include the city and county fees.
Requirements, TABC will require the same items from a food truck that they would require from a restaurant or bar. This means you will need to identify a permanent location (E.g., Brick and Mortar) that TABC will then permit to allow you to sell to the public.
This is where clients begin to get creative and want to work around the rules. TABC will not allow any coloring outside of the lines.
“BUT IVE SEEN SOMEONE ELSE SELLING BEER FROM THEIR FOOD TRUCK!!”
Trust us we at Hernandez & Associates have heard almost everything. Yes, a business could have been selling Beer, Wine, or Margaritas from their food truck. How? This answer usually goes 2 different ways.
Example 1. Is the business in question apart of a large chain or local business? What we mean by this is sometimes you will see a business that already has their Brick-and-Mortar location purchase a food truck which could be sometimes parked in their parking lot. To hold pop-up events and sell from their truck. Another scenario is that they could be catering an event.
Notice in example 1 that the business already has a permanent location that is permitted by TABC to sell alcohol. Then they pull temporary permits to hold those pop-up events. Also, you should know that not all areas will allow you to get temporary/catering permits, so this isn’t a silver bullet cure.
Example 2. The business does not have a permanent location and they simply have just started to sell Beer, Wine, or Margaritas from their food truck illegally. This happens more than you think. During the 2020 year when there was a lot of gray areas going on as to what was allowed, we saw this exact situation take place.
There is a 3rd scenario that can take place we should mention. The 3rd and final scenario is say a business does not have a permanent location they could partner with another business that does have a license and use their license to pull temporary permits. We did do a video about this linked here you should check out which goes deeper into temporary permits.
Now in this scenario since another business is allowing you to use their permit. They are also taking on the risk that if you sell to a minor or someone is in accident because they were overserved and it is traced back to the food truck the business that allowed you to use their permit could lose their license, be fined, or even face criminal charges.
In closing, remember TABC does not allow coloring outside of the lines. We love that our Texas business owners get creative however the rules and regulations are what they are, and we do our best to make sure our clients are compliant with them!
We at Hernandez & Associates hope this helps, if you would like to apply for a TABC permit or need to pull temporary permits contact using this link! Contact Us Link
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