Friday marked the first day of the food truck court that Kim Kelly, owner of Hurricane Alley, fought the City Commission to get.
By Attiyya Anthony Sun Sentinel
Boynton Beach welcomes food trucks on Federal Highway
Kim Kelly of Hurricane Alley opens food truck on Federal Highway
Food trucks now have a spot on one of Boynton Beach's main thoroughfares.
After hitting a few roadblocks with the City Commission, restaurateur Kim Kelly opened her food truck, Chowder Truck-n-Snack Shack, on an empty lot on 601 S. Federal Highway on Friday.
And she plans to also bring other food trucks and carts to the area.
Kelly is the owner of Hurricane Alley Raw Bar & Restaurant at 529 E. Ocean Ave. And in June, she petitioned the City Commission to allow her to place her meals on wheels at 222 N. Federal Highway.
The city didn't grant her request over concerns of a small lot size, lack of parking and proximity to upcoming developments.
As an alternative, Kelly successfully partnered with property owner Christine Francois to set up her truck and others on a private lot on Federal Highway. The food trucks will be parked and ready to serve from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
On Friday, Kelly said, "It's great being here, just to see the cars and the customers coming in and out is great."
Don and Shelley Costantino stopped by to get a bowl of clam chowder.
"It's an awesome location and Boynton Beach desperately needs this," Shelley Costantino said. "It could be a great little area on the weekend for people to come out and support local businesses."
Commissioner David Merker, who opposed letting Kelly put the trucks on a city-owned lot, came out to support her.
In June, Merker had likened food trucks to garbage trucks and said that they did not belong on Federal Highway, leading Kelly to create a new menu item called "garbage fries."
The signature fries are deep-fried waffle fries with a three-cheese sauce, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, tomatoes, bacon and a special sauce.
Merker didn't try the fries on Friday, but has since changed his mind about food trucks and says that he's happy that Kelly partnered with a private owner to make her food-truck dreams a reality.
"It's not on city property and it's not using taxpayer dollars," he said. "I'll be a steady customer — I like the food."