City Forces Wayward Cheeseburger Guy to Tow Trailer Around the Block

Little explained that the Texas law requires mobile food vendors to demonstrate mobility once per year when renewing their permit. How a mobile food vendor proves mobility is what is open to interpretation, according to Condon.

Condon holds the view that if the trailer is equipped for movement, had tires, a trailer tongue, and lights; he should only have to prove mobility on paper.

Little said the City staffers disagreed and felt that Condon should have to prove mobility by driving around the block. Driving around the block was a compromise, because last week, the City had demanded that Condon tow his cheeseburger trailer to City Hall, about four blocks east, and back.

Condon and the City worked out a compromise. Little said that few other food trucks were required to make the trek to City Hall, so he easily agreed with towing around the block.

Condon started the day early. Inside the trailer, as he took me on a tour at around 10:30 a.m. this morning, he showed how he had disconnected and tied down the large box freezer inside the trailer. Neatly secured too were his fryers and other commercial grade kitchen equipment inside the trailer. Everything was scrubbed clean.

“I’m worried about the tiles,” Condon said, looking down at the tile flooring Condon had installed in the aftermarket. Moving the trailer, especially down the ramp of the private drive entrance to the Eskimo Hut with that much weight still in it surely was going to break part of the floor.

Outside, the operation wasn’t going smoothly. The handle to the crank that raises and lowers the landing gear on the tongue broke off. Condon and crew had to overcome it by finding a truck with a lower wheelbase so it could be attached to the truck’s trailer hitch. They found a Ram 2500 used for towing large trailers at American RV.

Then, as the trailer was taken off it’s blocks, it became apparent that the tires on the tandem axle trailer needed more air. After watching parts of the spectacle on Facebook Live at Constancio Tire and Fleet Service, 1000 N. Chadbourne St., Gus Constancio, owner, dispatched himself to the scene with his truck-mounted air compressor. He examined the tires and filled them up to the proper tire pressure. “Just helping out a fellow San Angelo entrepreneur,” Constancio said. After filling the tires, Constancio joked, “I love the lemon chicken he makes. I don’t want him to go away!”

By noon, the trailer was moving forward, and down the driveway, turning east on W. Beauregard Ave. towed behind an older year model Ram 2500 pickup truck. The truck and trailer turned north on S. Koenigheim St., west on W. Harris St., and then south on Abe St. The truck and trailer, on a 100 degree F sunny day, turned back into the parking lot on the south side of Eskimo Hut.

Trouble happened when the truck and trailer had to traverse the City Hall Annex. An array of City vehicles blocked entrance back to the original parking spot. The City was able to locate the keys and a driver for all but one Nissan Frontier pickup that blocked the Lonestar Cheeseburger trailer. Ironically, the City truck had the words, “Customer Service” stamped on its doors.

The City guy who had the keys to the Nissan was at lunch. He couldn’t be found right away. Being blocked by a City vehicle emblazoned with the words, “Customer Service” was a metaphor for Condon’s thoughts on the day. The same bureaucracy that forced him to move his trailer put up one more physical roadblock to Lonestar Cheeseburger getting back into its parking spot of operations so Condon could open, and start making money again.

Despite the differences of opinions between Condon, the City staff and health inspectors, on interpreting State law, the mood Wednesday was cordial. Everyone was working together towards a common goal of proving that Lonestar Cheeseburger’s trailer is really mobile.

What happened to the tile floor? “Everything turned out good,” Condon said. The floor was not damaged. There was a plumbing pipe that was damaged as it scraped against the pavement pulling out of the private drive. 3 D’s Plumbing arrived almost immediately and fixed the pipe and reconnected it.

The Facebook Live video of the trailer moving was broadcasted on San Angelo LIVE!’s Facebook page. It was was the top post of all news outlets on Facebook in Texas for about three hours, according to CrowdTangle.

Condon promised he will be open later Wednesday. Considering all of the grief government regulations caused him today, he said he is introducing a new item on the menu.

With a nod to San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter’s campaign slogan last year, to “Cut the Red Tape!” Condon is introducing the Red Tape Burger. For an extra dollar, Condon said he will slice the burger into two equal parts for easier handling.

He asked customers and potential customers to suggest ingredients for the new burger on Facebook Live.  Among the suggestions from viewers of the Facebook Live video: lots of pepper and bacon, representing government pork. Others suggested "crow" because they felt Condon had to eat lots of crow in his public battle with the City.