Running a food truck used to be the Wild West of food preparation. Some use them as an extension of the brick and mortar establishments, some use them as an experiment to see what the people love, and still others use their food trucks to fulfill a personal dream. But, in King County, Washington, there are regulations which need to be followed before firing up the electric griddles.
In fact, even though they’re able to in surrounding counties, the people who run food trucks in the Metro Seattle area aren’t able to cook food on their own trucks. They have to go to a commissary area and cook their food before bringing it over to the truck where they wait for the customers to arrive.
They must also be within 200 feet of a restroom and have safe, running water available. The mobile food units which are roaming the streets in Washington are all under strict watch to make sure that they don’t spread any food borne illnesses. Some of the violations mirror those of the restaurants: hand washing, incorrect temperatures, and more.
Places to prepare the food, the commissaries, can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, so there is a price for location freedom in Washington. To learn more about the health regulations regarding food trucks in Washington, check out this article in the Seattle Times.
