Tucson seafood restaurant closes, owner cites food truck influx

Food trucks started trickling onto North First Avenue two years ago.

A couple at a time would set up in a vacant lot near the intersection of East Glenn Street and North First Avenue, not far from restaurateur Benjamin Galaz’s two restaurants on North First.

Galaz said that number grew recently, impacting sales at both of his restaurants and leading him to close one of them.

“We were doing excellent, but imagine to have seven mobile units in less than a week,” said Galaz, who owns El Berraco Mexican seafood in a building that resembles a submarine at 2960 N. First Ave. and BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs at 2680. “I don’t know where they came from but they went into that intersection and they went around our restaurant.”

Over the past couple of months, Galaz said sales dropped 40%, forcing him to close El Berraco on Dec. 14. A note he posted on the restaurant’s Instagram account said the closure was “temporary ... until further notice,” but on Dec. 15, he said it was permanent.

“I feel bad for the employees and I feel bad for myself,” he said. “We tried happy hours and specials (to boost business), but it’s impossible to compete with food trucks.”

City officials said there are no laws that prevent food trucks from setting up near established restaurants so long as the operation has the permission of the property owner and the proper city and health department permits.

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Galaz said a few of the trucks recently set up a food truck park of sorts on North First, which also has drawn customers away from his restaurants.

That’s something Tucson will likely see more of beginning early next year after the City Council in November amended zoning codes to allow for “congregate food truck parks” around the city. The new rules go into effect Dec. 28.

Dan Bursuck, section manager for the city’s code development, said city officials met twice earlier this year with Tucson Metro Chamber’s Tucson Restaurant Advisory Council to gauge their concerns with expanding food truck parks. The amended codes included the advisory council’s suggestions to require the parks adhere to brick-and-mortar restaurant regulations regarding parking.

Galaz started his flagship BK’s as a hot dog cart on South 12th Avenue in 1994. He opened the North First Avenue BK’s in 2007.

He said he has no plans to close BK’s as a result of the drop in business, but he might have to reduce his workforce.