Small business owner opens food truck at Henderson Walmart after sharing challenges

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — After a Las Vegas food truck owner shared the challenges small business owners face trying to operate a mobile business throughout the region, Chef Robert Stewart said he was contacted by several people who offered him solutions.

“Even though we had big names like the Super Bowl, NASCAR, Nellis Air Force Base, we were still unable to manage the operational costs of a food truck day-to-day,” Chef Robert Stewart said. “Thanks to you (News 3), after airing the story, we got a call from Walmart,”

Stewart said the offer from Walmart in Henderson was a Godsend, but it didn’t come without a new set of challenges.

“We had a soft opening on Valentine’s Day and we were starting to make moves, people were excited, and then a couple of days into we built some momentum and then boom it happens again only to find out the permit that ‘Stew Stix’ had was good for the City of Las Vegas, not necessarily Henderson and so that was another process we had to start,” he said.

The longtime chef said it was back to step one.

“We had to get another fire inspection, we had to get another business license, we had to get a finger printed, give blood the whole nine yards to be able to get back operational but we lost six days of revenue, we lost six days of marketing, we lost six days of staff being paid.”

After obtaining the proper business documents with the City of Henderson, Chef Stew and his crew are celebrating the grand opening of ‘Stew’s Stix’ food truck at its new home.

This week he opened for business at the Henderson Walmart on American Pacific Drive.

“I understand the city’s flight to make sure that everybody is up to code and doing what they are doing expected, but at the same time as an owner of a food truck it has to be a better way that we can go about this collectively,” Stewart said.

To help small business owners like Chef Stew, Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva said he is working on a bill that would allow mobile business owners to acquire one business license, which would be valid from city to city throughout the county.