BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Over the weekend one local food truck owner was working to serve those in need but was soon shut down after a neighbor called the city to complain.
In the midst of COVID-19, owner of Blues Boys Barbecue Jeff Horton parked on his lawn in hopes to give back to the community as well as keep his business afloat during these hard times.
“It really comes down to helping your neighbor,” Horton said.
For about two weeks, Horton says he set up shop on his property and gave out free meals to all kids and even gave discounts to his neighbors to help during these difficult times.
“I want to take care of those around me,” Horton said.
For Cynthia, she looked forward to visiting the truck regularly to support her neighbor by buying an entrée and also feeding her kids for free.
“We don’t get to eat out a lot so when we get those opportunities handed out to us it's not only emotional but were thankful," she said. "We’re thankful for those people who use their money to help us single parents help our children."
For most neighbors like Cynthia, it was a big hit. But one call to the police shut down the food truck because although he has permits for other cities around Northwest Arkansas, he didn’t for the City of Bentonville just yet and he was in a residential area.
“I understood what I was doing was in residential area, but was hoping under, with regards to the crisis we're in they would understand. I was really trying to help out my neighborhood,” Horton said.
The City of Bentonville says it truly does appreciate the efforts of the food truck owner to feed those in need, but, it does have to follow permits to keep residents safe.
Horton plans on getting his Bentonville permit and setting up shop in a non-residential area. He hopes to reopen next week and you can find where he will be located on his social media page.