CAPE CORAL
During Wednesday night’s zoning regulation discussion, the City of Cape Coral decided that food trucks will not be allowed to park at job sites overnight, and seating areas will not be allowed.
This decision could potentially put people out of business. People may enjoy visiting favorite food trucks to eat and enjoy the weather, but with no places to sit and the trucks unable to park permanently, what’s next is anybody’s guess.
Food trucks are the norm in Cape Coral and a popular business option for people in the restaurant industry. Some owners have spent years parked in popular spots, operating without much oversight.
Those days are over.
“I’m set up permanent here, you know; this is kind of set up like my kitchen at home,” said Matt Harrison, owner of Crazy Q BBQ. “So, think of it as, ‘I got to pack my kitchen up twice a day and then reset it back up.’”
Crazy Q BBQ food truck in Cape Coral. (Credit: WINK News)
Harrison has kept Crazy Q BBQ parked along Vincennes Street for two years. He says the new ordinance will hurt many food truck owners in Cape Coral.
“I can’t take this home and park it in my driveway,” Harrison said. “You know, nobody can, you can’t… Where’s everybody going to park?”
Where to park overnight isn’t the only issue. Removing any seating areas and tents will pose an obstacle for several food truck owners. Colleen Brady only has one table at her hot dog truck, The Flying Dog, and she doesn’t believe getting rid of it will be good for business.
“One of the things I enjoy about going to restaurants is being able to sit outside,” Brady said. “We can’t have our tables anymore. I think that’s a hindrance for us.”
And with the added expense of having to move her truck every night, Brady says she’s worried about the future of her enterprise.
“It could affect my hours that I stay open because now I’ll have to actually rely on somebody when they can come and move me,” Brady said.
The new ordinance does, however, include a provision to allow food truck parks. Each site would have to provide utility connections for each vendor and have onsite bathrooms and sufficient parking. There are currently no such food park sites in Cape Coral.
WINK NEWS