JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There's a food truck feud brewing in Downtown Jacksonville. Owners of established restaurants hope the trend runs out of gas, soon.
Felicia Patel owns the Quiznos restaurant on Hogan Street. For 12 years, she's been serving sandwiches with a smile. But she, and several other Downtown restaurant owners, say it's harder to smile these days. They say food trucks are driving away their customers.
"They can make their businesses elsewhere, but what about us? People like us, we're stuck here regardless," she said.
She says the area is already over saturated with eateries. And she'd like to see these trucks move to the suburbs, so the brick and mortar restaurants that have been there for years can survive.
"There is about 80 to 90 restaurants," said Patel. "And we just don't need any more eateries Downtown."
But the food truck business is booming. Just ask Stephanie Smith, owner of Le Petite Cheri Cupcakery. "It's been crazy," she said.
She parked her food truck on Adams Street to take advantage of the foot traffic coming from the new courthouse. And she says it's paid off. But she doesn't think food trucks are a threat to already established Downtown restaurants.
"I think if you have a great restaurant, you have done great food, you have a great atmosphere, great prices, then people will keep coming," said Smith.
Patel says the food trucks are creating unfair competition Downtown, especially when she believes they can make the same money in another neighborhood. "We just don't want them here," she said.
The restaurant owners plan to collectively take their complaints to the City Council, in hopes the city will put limits on the trucks.
