Applicant for Pizza Shack mobile food license at Payne’s Dock asked to return with detailed plan

Alberto Sanchez asked the New Shoreham Town Council’s licensing panel to consider his application for a mobile food establishment (MFE) to operate a Pizza Shack at Payne’s Dock, saying he hoped to provide late‑night food service for patrons after the existing concession closes.

Council members and staff said they were broadly supportive of the idea but expressed multiple operational and safety concerns and requested more detail before final approval. The council voted to continue the application to its May 21 meeting so Sanchez and town staff could produce a specific plan for the vehicle/trailer, hours of operation, site location, and emergency access.

Sanchez told the council he has done catering and wants to add “another variety” near Payne’s Dock to serve families and late‑night patrons. “I like to make pizzas. People love pizzas,” he said. He described options ranging from small mobile units to enclosed trailers and said he would remove the unit nightly if required.

Council members and the police and fire representatives pressed him to provide detailed, final plans rather than conceptual ideas. A council member said approving a license without seeing the finished configuration could result in an installation “not what we had imagined,” and asked for visual plans. The council noted that the Department of Health approves MFE licenses and that the town’s liquor license for the adjacent establishment requires food to be available at a “sandwich level” while alcohol is served; if the concession is to meet that requirement, it may need to remain open while the bar is open.

Fire safety and emergency access were raised repeatedly. Fire Chief Chris Hobey asked for a review of the proposed location and how the food vehicle would affect access on the dock, noting a previous dock fire and nearby fuel storage. Police Chief Paul (first name used in the meeting) and other council members also asked for clarity about hours, particularly concerns about very late‑night operation and potential large congregations on the dock after 1 a.m.

Council members indicated they would be willing to consider conditional approval but only after submission of drawings, a description of the unit (whether motorized or towable), a proposed hours schedule, and confirmation from the property owner (Sam) and relevant town staff. Sanchez said he was aiming for limited late hours—“maybe 12, maybe 12:30 and, you know, maybe just enough to have something there”—and that he bartends at Payne’s and did not want an after‑hours gathering point beyond the bar’s close.

The council moved and seconded a motion to continue the application to the May 21 meeting and voted in favor. The council directed Sanchez to coordinate with Millie (town staff), the property owner at Payne’s Dock, police and the fire chief and to return with a tangible proposal at that meeting.

The council did not make a final licensing decision at the April 16 meeting; the item was continued to allow staff and public‑safety review and to give the applicant time to produce pricing, layout and operations details.