SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Food truck owners at Metro Eats in Springfield are struggling with lost business as the Sunshine Bridge construction project blocks customers from Republic.
Some business owners say they are considering new hours or relocating as they wait for the bridge to reopen. Andrea Soriano moved her food truck Simply Better to Metro Eats two years ago.
“I’m like a cafe on wheels. I serve local coffee, organic smoothies, and brunch bites,” Soriano said.
She says all of the food truck owners are keeping close watch on the construction. It has caused some trucks to move away or to operate on limited hours.
“Whenever there is that shift in seasons, you are, like, kind of expecting there to be a little bit of a slower season. I will say this year has happened a lot faster than the previous years. And the only thing I can really correlate that to is that bridge closing down in August,” Soriano said.
One owner, speaking off-camera, said they have to cut hours because their business has dropped by 60% since the bridge closed.
Nathaloie Mupenda owns an African food truck and says business has been very slow.
“The customers that come, like, a, from, like, a west side, they struggle a lot to come here, because the bridge,” Mupenda said.
Owners are still hopeful that the community will come out and support them.
“We really do care about our businesses. Whenever you show up here, you’re most likely going to be seeing the owner of that business. Um, take your order, make your food, and serve it to you. So, it’s just a really good spot to come to if you want to support local,” Soriano said.
MoDOT representatives say they’re expected to finish the project by the end of the year. That would be about 3 weeks behind schedule.
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