LYNDHURST, Ohio – While many brick-and-mortar stores have struggled over the past year, Andre Wheeler saw the pandemic as an opportunity.
“Because people cannot patronize restaurants,” he said.
He opened his food truck, Stix and Buns, in June 2020.
“The food truck, when I started it, was doing exceptionally well,” said Wheeler.
Since June, Wheeler has parked that truck in Lyndhurst on Mayfield Road in front of his wife Edith Donaldson-Wheeler’s salon.
“I think it is important to recognize that he is on private property,” said Donaldson-Wheeler. “It is parked in front of my company and that has been beneficial during the pandemic.”
But in January, the city passed a regulation restricting where and when food trucks can drive.
“The regulation says you can only operate your food truck one day a week, well, how can a company survive after one day a week?” he asked. “Since I’ve had surgery in the last few months, a regulation has to be introduced to pretty much silence me.”
He said he was operating under the Cuyahoga County ordinance because the city of Lyndhurst did not have one. But the Wheelers feel like the target of this new city ordinance.
“I think some residents just don’t want a trailer with a black man in the front sitting on Mayfield Road,” said Donaldson-Wheeler.
Lyndhurst Mayor Patrick Ward said the ordinance is simply about creating a city-wide ordinance. He said that while Stix and Buns is on the Donaldson-Wheeler property, it is a property shared with other companies.
“I know his wife pays rent in one building and the other, but so do all the other businesses out there,” Ward said. “That gives them the same rights and expectations for parking and visibility.”
Ward said it was time the city had a food truck ordinance.
“What is the interaction between the potential customer and car traffic, especially on a square where you only have one row of parking spaces here, one parking space here in a lane in between?” he said.
The regulation only allows a food truck 1 day per week unless it is an event in the city, it also does not allow a food truck to drive on public or private property while open to normal traffic, food trucks cannot be parked at night .
“It has nothing to do with anything other than the need to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents and the general public,” said Ward.
Wheeler said he did everything by the book.
“It’s very frustrating, especially after putting $ 60,000 in this truck. I just want to do things the right way and make a living for my family, ”said Wheeler. “We are not a problem for the community, we only bring profit and income here.”
He feels like it’s a way to get him out.
“Having to expel me is discouraging,” he said.
Andre’s wife, Edith, echoed his feelings.
“Any traffic drives business, so when you come to get food, you might go to the grocery store, come get food, and maybe stop for ice cream. Let’s be realistic, business helps business, ”she said.