clovis food truck-wheezy

CNJ staff photo: Kevin Baird

CLOVIS, NM – Mobile food trucks are trending across the country, and in Clovis, food truck owners are seeing their businesses grow.

“You can’t move a building, but you can move a truck to work special events, football games, or catering,” said “Catfish Mike” Hiter, owner of Weezy’s Southern Catfish Kitchen. “I plan on doing night clubs in Portales soon.”

Hiter said he has been running Wheezy’s since 1988 in Glendale, Calif. He said Weezy’s has been housed in a building and food truck and her prefers to run his restaurant out of a truck.

Bill Wentworth who is the owner and chef at Mo’ Bills, said he decided to build his food truck because it allows his restaurant to be more accessible to the public. Wentworth said the business community in Clovis has been helpful too, adding some businesses have invited him to park in their lots to attract traffic to the area.

Carol Wight, CEO of the New Mexico Restaurant Association said, “There is an increase in food trucks across the country, but New Mexico is behind the trend.”

Wentworth said, “In the bigger cities they have rows and rows of food carts,” and he can see the number of food trucks growing in Clovis because, “people love to try new food.”

Wight said an advantage to starting a food truck is, “You can find out if people like your food enough. If they do, you can open up a brick and mortar restaurant.” She said if a restaurant wants to add another location it is a great way to test a new location.

According to Wight, food trucks sometimes create animosity from those in charge of brick and mortar restaurants because they feel they have invested more in their restaurants than a mobile food cart that swoops in to do business.

Jenna Pine, a shift manager at Taco Villa, said that Mo’ Bills, set up across the street from Taco Villa on Sunday to sell tacos and burritos, didn’t put a dent in business.

Find the entire article by Kevin Baird at cnjonline.com <here>