Brakes put on diner bus
The City of Niagara Falls has put the brakes on a Niagara Falls couple’s plans to add a new dimension to their retro-style food truck business.
Sophia and Dylan Mendoza have operated the Jukebox Diner food truck on Thorold Stone Road for the past three years.
When they came across a 1953 British double-decker bus for sale online, the couple felt the nostalgic red bus would be a perfect addition to their food truck location.
“It has some cool history to it,” Sophia said, adding they even have maps of the routes the bus once travelled in London.
The plan was to refurbish the vehicle in order to give guests an opportunity to escape the elements.
“Because we’re so local-driven we want to listen to our customers,” Dylan said.
“In our first year, for example, we only had three flavours of ice cream. Everybody was asking for more so we added tons of flavours. Then we kept hearing that sometimes during the summer it gets so hot or windy or rainy and people wanted somewhere to sit, so we came up with the idea of a bus.”
Soon after the bus arrived, however, a nearby resident made a complaint to the city and the couple was told the bus must be removed because it does not comply with the city’s clean yards bylaw.
Because the bus was towed to the site and is not plated, it is defined as an inoperable motor vehicle, said Alex Herlovitch, the city’s director of planning, building and development.
An inoperable vehicle is defined as refuse under the clean yards bylaw, he explained, which requires the owner and lessee to keep the land free and clear of refuse.
The Mendozas have also been told to remove a portable toilet and small shed.
The couple now have less than three weeks to remove the bus from the lot.
They’ve been told the bus could be set up in the Clifton Hill area as it would meet zoning standards for the area.
“That might be the only option for us,” Dylan said.
“We have to do what we have to do to survive and if that means going to Clifton Hill, so be it. We don’t have a choice, this is our livelihood. But, we love this location and we love the people around here.”
A move to the heart of the tourist district would also mean a spike in overhead costs. Any increases would have to passed on to customers through higher prices.
“It would definitely change our whole business,” Dylan said.
The Mendozas have launched a petition on the website change. org, asking residents for support in their fight to keep the bus in the city’s north end.
“The local outpouring of support has just been phenomenal,” Dylan said.
One supporter said the bus is a “fabulous and fitting addition to this unique restaurant.”
“The proprietors here offer a nostalgic eating experience unmatched anywhere else in the city, and this old double-decker fits perfectly.”
The couple hope to collect 1,000 signatures, which they plan to present to the city for consideration.
“We’re hoping for a miracle,” Sophia said.
By Sunday afternoon, almost 600 people had added their name to the petition which can be found at https://www.change. org/u/722893082.
For now, the Jukebox Diner is open Thursday to Monday, noon until 8 p.m. The double-decker bus is closed to the public.