You may recognize the name JT Desert Drifters. They have been serving up hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and other dishes that they call “real, honest food” out of their 26 foot trailer in the Home Depot parking lot. The truck has also posted up at events around Yucca Valley like the Woof Walk, Grubstakes Days, concerts in the park and the upcoming King of the Hammers out in Johnson Valley.
The business is owned and run by Mike and Sue Watson. Mike is an electrician and Sue’s previous career was in the premium seafood industry and now they are both the first properly-permitted food truck in Yucca Valley.
That doesn’t mean they are the only food truck in town, but they are the first to have gone through the Yucca Valley Planning Commission’s regulations for operating as a mobile food vendor. Those regulations came at the request of the Town Council back in May of 2024 and they were formerly adopted in November of that same year.
JT Desert Drifters were granted the temporary use permit that will allow them to setup in the Home Deport Parking Lot in a designated food area for the next 12 months. That permit stays valid as long as the business keeps up on their health permits, fire codes, ADA regulations, and a number of other standards in the Town’s Development Code.
JT Desert Drifters will be operating Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and co-owner Mike Watson spoke to the Planning Commission on Tuesday evening saying they have already been receiving praise from folks in the big-box parking lots where they are located.
“It’s been going great at the Home Depot, people love it, and we’re very we’re very honored with the praise that we’re getting from our customers. We’re giving them great food at a great price and we got people coming over from Walmart and especially the Home Depot employees… they love the chili fries. We appreciate the opportunity,” Mike said as he addressed the Planning Commission before the permit was approved.
Each commissioner on the board seemed pleased that an applicant had applied for permits through the process they created back in 2024.
First food truck to go through “the process”
Commissioner Clint Stoker echoed the sentiment during his comments, saying “we do appreciate people that go through the process to do things the right way. For us, this is a code that we wrote and we had been waiting for someone to go through the process. We still see lots of vendors out there that have not so we applaud you for that and I look forward to seeing this as a staple and as an example of how to go about that process for others looking to do the same thing.”
Will this open the door to more food choices in Yucca Valley? The real question might be whether the other mobile food vendors that pop up on the side of Highway 62 or in business parking lots will go through the same process as JT Desert Drifters. Unpermitted food trucks have been mentioned at both Planning Commission and Town Council meetings, and ultimately it’s up to the business owners to decide whether to go through the process of getting proper permits or face the occasional fine for operating outside of the Town’s Development Code.
Land Development Update
Sun Mesa Mini Storage’s Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) has been posted to the Town’s website.
Walmart is reportedly very close to completing their California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process. Dutch Bros. is also going through the CEQA review process, and both are expected to be completed by the end of the week.
The next Yucca Valley Planning Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 10 at 6:00 p.m in the Yucca Valley Community Center.
