Having food and beverage vendors could be a good service not just for day-trippers but also to the folks staying in the park’s RV area, Cross said.Ĭross said he hasn’t received any complaints from the public about the food and drink vendors except from one Port Aransas restaurant owner.
It would be 361 Blue Beach Concierge that would be responsible for vetting the businesses, according to Cross. But both would have to be vendors of food or drink, not vendors of other products, and there couldn’t be more than two vendors, he added. If 361 Blue Beach Concierge gets approval, it could bring in the same two vendors that were here as an experiment, or it could bring in two other food or drink vendors, Cross said. That reduces the department’s dependency on the county’s general fund, which is supplied by taxpayer money, he said. The matter is expected to be on the agenda when the board meets on Thursday, June 24.Ĭross pointed out that the county’s coastal parks department helps subsidize its budget by charging fees to vendors.
It will be Cross and the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board that will decide whether to allow 361 Blue Concierge Service to amend its vendor’s license agreement with the county so that the business can operate on a more permanent basis with two vendors under its umbrella, Cross said. The business owner, Shawn Taylor, “was trying at one point to set up an app so he could order something from local restaurants, but the logistics of that just weren’t working very well.” The 361 Blue Beach Concierge customers earlier had been saying they’d like to be able to get food and drinks on the beach, Cross said. The other was 5 D Travelin’ Tavern, which sold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Cross said. One vendor was a food truck called Pizza Guys. They’re gone now, but they might be back. Recently, with the permission of Nueces County Coastal Parks, 361 Blue Beach Concierge brought in two other vendors as an experiment to see how well that might work out. Beach Park, Texas Surf Camps provides surfing lessons on the south side of Horace Caldwell Pier.Īlso within the park’s boundaries, a business called 361 Blue Beach Concierge rents umbrellas, chairs and beach games. There are no county rules that prevent the county from having more than one vendor on the beach, according to Scott Cross, director of Nueces County Coastal Parks.Īt I.B. It’s run by Nueces County Coastal Parks, not the City of Port Aransas. The park, which extends between the area of the south jetty and a point just south of Lantana Drive, a distance of slightly less than one mile, is Nueces County property. The rules for vending operations are different at I.B. Actually, the city requires that the permits be sold. Nothing may be sold except for beach parking permits. The city’s rules say that the vendor is to be restricted to renting beach-oriented items such as canopies and chairs. Right now, Bron’s Beach Rentals, owned by Bron Doyle of Port Aransas, is the city’s vendor. County officials are considering the possibility of allowing a couple of new vendors that would sell food and/or drinks.
Beach Park, county rules allow more than one vendor on that part of the shore. Further north, at the Nueces Countyrun I.B. The vendor must sell beach parking permits and may only rent items that are beach-related, such as chairs and umbrellas. The City of Port Aransas Coastal Management Plan allows only one business to do any kind of vending on the part of the beach that is run by the city. The city’s contract with the vendor runs for two years, which allows businesses to compete for the contract.īron’s Beach Rentals does business at its location on the beach at Avenue G on Friday, June 4. The city’s Coastal Management Plan allows only one business to do any kind of vending on the beach, and that business is chosen by the city council. That area stretches from just south of Lantana Drive to Marker 62. The City of Port Aransas has 6.5 miles of beach within its jurisdiction. The two governmental entities operate in very different ways with regard to vending on the beach. When it comes to vending on the beach, the first thing to know is that some of the beach in Port Aransas is run by the City of Port Aransas, and some is run by Nueces County. Is that pizza guy going to stick around? Will there be more food trucks or maybe other kinds of vendors selling and renting stuff on the beach? Staff photo by Dan ParkerĪnyone who may recently have noticed a pizza food truck serving customers on the beach in Port Aransas may have wondered just what the deal is.īeaches in Port Aransas aren’t usually visited by food trucks. While several vendors operate at the county-run park, only one business is allowed to operate in areas of the beach controlled by the City of Port Aransas. Pictured on Friday, June 4, beachgoers use the chairs and umbrellas offered for rent by 361 Blue Concierge Service at I.B.