Food trucks roll into Philadelphia

As the number of mobile food vendors increases in Philadelphia, city officials said they welcome the business as long as they have the proper paperwork in place.

Mayor James Young said he has heard no bad reports regarding mobile food vendors and food trucks.

“I have not heard of any problems. At least I have not received any negative phone calls,” Young said.

Bobby Joe Lovern, 52, has lived in Neshoba County his entire life. He is the owner of Papa Love’s Rolling Grill.

He has thrown himself full-time into the mobile food business after a roughly 30-year career with Williams Brothers where he most recently held the position of market manager.

“I just enjoy cooking,” Lovern said. “I would rather do that than anything else.”

Lovern is not new to the restaurant business. He has cooked at a number of places in town, most recently County Line Steakhouse.

Popular spots for him to set up are The Spot, Neshoba General Hospital and M and S Furniture. He makes regular posts on his Facebook page “Papa Love’s Rolling Grill” to let people know where he will be. Another traveling operation in town is Pam Bam’s Soul Food which also posts where it will be on Facebook.

Young said the city has no regulations about where food trucks can park unless it is somehow hindering the flow of traffic.

Lovern said he has established a good relationship with many of the local business owners where he has set up shop.

“We usually end up bringing each other some business,” Lovern said.

Young said the city that while the city has no ordinances concerning food trucks, proprietors of food trucks are required to have a transient vendor tax ID so that they can pay local taxes, and they have to meet certain requirements set by the health department. Young said they also have to have proper insurance.

Lovern said an early priority for his business was ensuring he follows local rules and regulations. He said that he makes a note on each ticket regarding where the sale took place to ensure that he pays proper taxes for each transaction.

Lovern said he tries to go out most weekdays that the weather allows. He usually stays in the area but has traveled to Union on occasion and recently set up at a rodeo in Brandon.

His menu consists of sandwiches, easy to eat on the go. Some of his regular menu items include grilled chicken sandwiches, ribeye steak sandwiches, burgers, tenderized pork-chop sandwiches and smoked sausage sandwiches. He said he puts together his catering menu based on the client's request but a staple is a steak, salad and baked potato.

He has also catered weddings, birthdays and church events.