A Hoboken food truck business said in an Instagram post this morning that the city forced them out by installing a bike rack at their primary place of operations, to which the city responded that an alternative has been offered.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Trying to recover from this has been extremely difficult. This is how we make a living, this is how I pay rent for my apartment, our kitchen space, staff, and more importantly how I provide for my family. I can’t help but feel this was done maliciously to us.(The 1942 bike rack put directly in the center of our space) A force out,” Hoboken Tastebuds wrote this morning.
“For close to 4 years we have been serving this community in which we have always done our best to deliver great food, with excellent service. We cater to our residents, get involved within our community, and have donated our time and resources to be a forefront with our small business. It must be some kind of evil to do something like this to us, with no heads up, not a complaint or warning… nothing.”
The post continued that installing the bike rack at 4th and Garden Streets is “just a passive aggressive chess move that screams ‘GET OUT'” and claimed the situation brought on tears of rage.
The small business owner also went on to ask for help being put in touch with Hoboken officials to remedy the situation.
After the post received over 1,700 likes, Council President Emily Jabbour indicated in a reply about an hour ago that the city was working on finding an alternative.
“The city has connected with the owner regarding a proposed solution that I’m hopeful will work for everyone. Waiting to hear back and hoping this means this amazing local business will be back up and running soon!,” she wrote.
City spokeswoman Marilyn Baer said that Mayor Ravi Bhalla supports small businesses like Taste Buds and has worked with the Hoboken Business Alliance to assist them.
She added that while this particular business had previously been operating in a no parking zone, City Hall had been in contact with them today and had already offered them a new location close to their prior one.
“While, in this instance, the business owner had been told previously that the truck was parked in a no-parking zone, as soon as the Mayor’s Office was made aware of the issue this morning, the Mayor directed the Office of Constituent Services to work with the business owners to allow them to continue operating safely and without blocking pedestrian sight lines, especially given the adjacent crosswalk is next to schools and a park,” she said.
“Taste Buds has been given the option to reopen in the area adjacent to their previous location, which does not block sight views and remains safe for vulnerable users such as children and seniors. We are confident that Taste Buds will be able to reopen in short order.”
This was a twofer: petty and punitive. No worries, there’s a great spot offered at 2nd & Harrison. Government showing the totalitarian way forward. Bike Racks First!
Going public and embracing the Bhalla Administration is a very effective way of getting them to eventually do the thing. Too bad with his ever expanding municipal staff that he can not figure out how to do the right thing in the first place.
This blog post delves into the challenges faced by a Hoboken food truck business in dealing with city regulations, including the use of bike racks. It presents both the business’s perspective and the city’s response, shedding light on the complexities of food truck operations.