bodhipooh wrote:
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Monroe wrote:
153 billion in sales, I'm sure their lawyers made one phone call to Fulop and said 'er, no, we're opening where we want to'.

I suspect you are NOT wrong. It was only a matter of time before a company with deep pockets decided to face down the city council and make it clear to them that their actions were completely nuts. I totally get wanting to support "mom and pop" shops and "shopping local" but forcing that by artificially manipulating the market is not the way to go about it. If the city is so serious about supporting local mom and pop, they can find ways to enact incentives that can help level the playing field.

Monroe wrote:
153 billion in sales, I'm sure their lawyers made one phone call to Fulop and said 'er, no, we're opening where we want to'.

JerseyCityNj wrote:
Jersey City to repeal law restricting chain stores Downtown

BY TERRENCE T. MCDONALD
tmcdonald@jjournal.com
The Jersey Journal

Jersey City's law restricting chain stores is headed for the chopping block, with the City Council scheduled for an initial vote next week to repeal the two-year old ordinance.

The move comes three weeks after the city said it would block a CVS from opening at 70 Hudson St., a Waterfront office building where the pharmacy giant had signed a lease for a 20,000-square-foot location.

The city enacted the ban in May 2015, when Mayor Steve Fulop was still eyeing a run for governor and looking for support in towns like Montclair where liberal voters say they favor mom-and-pop shops over chain stores.

At the time Fulop pushed the council to adopt the law, he said it was an effort to help Downtown retain some of its character. In a Huffington Post column from June 2015, Fulop wrote that "the commitment small business owners bring to a city helps make their communities more livable."

But the ban "may not hold up under strict scrutiny of federal laws," according to the ordinance set for approval next week that would start the repeal process.

John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchant Association, said the city's reversal is good news for businesses. The group opposes chain store restrictions, saying government officials should not try to control market forces in this way.

"It's encouraging to see that someone has clearly come to their senses," Holub said. "It was a misguided policy from the get-go."

Jersey City's law restricts chain stores from taking up more than 30 percent of ground-floor commercial space in any one lot in several noncontiguous areas Downtown.

Administration critics chuckled when it argued that the new Columbus Drive Krispy Kreme, the doughnut chain that opened this year inside the zone where chains are restricted, isn't really a chain store because it is a unique "factory" location that provides doughnuts to other retail stores.

The city has declined to say how many certificates of occupancy it has threatened to deny over the chain store ban.

WhoElseCouldIBe wrote:
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TwoBootsJC wrote:
Dear Friends.

Once again, untruths are running wild on JCList. So, for anyone interested in facts, here they are.

1. The food trucks at the farmers' market were illegal under Jersey City law. (Do the research.)

Sure. It's a poor law, though. Clearly, downtown JC is populated enough to support a restaurant row and a food truck market (like any thriving city).

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2. Over twenty Downtown restaurants signed a petition (not just Two Boots) demanding that the HDSID discontinue the "food court" it had created, illegally, to fill its own budget hole.

Please elaborate on how the food truck market filled the HDSID's budget hole.

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3. The HDSID was violating its duty to it own members -- us -- by running a competing business.

Alright, this is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. I'd say the HDSID's purpose is misguided if it's favoring certain local businesses over others. Especially when there's a market for both.

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4. The only reason the food truck "food court" could exist was the massive subsidy that it received in the form of below market rent using public space -- a subsidy that no brick and mortar restaurant receives.

Please elaborate.

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5. Two Boots has NEVER complained about any competitor that has to play by the same rules we do. We have New Jersey's largest pizzeria (and restaurant) right next to us. We welcomed them and welcome any other competitor, chain or otherwise, so long as they don't receive government support that we don't.

Restaurants and food trucks will never be able to play by the same rules as they have inherently different characteristics.

This is like a fish saying that a bird shouldn't eat it because it's not fair the fish doesn't have wings.

Restaurants and food trucks each have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. If someone wants to sit down and relax for a meal (especially with more than one person), no food truck in the world will pull them away from a quality restaurant.

Alternatively, if you're in a rush or just want to eat something casually on the go, you don't have time for a restaurant. You're going for a food truck instead.

These business models are inherently different, they serve different purposes and they both can (and have) coexist in downtown JC.

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6. We fully support food trucks parking in legal locations.

Sure, because it currently reduces your competition.

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7. The farmers market is flourishing.

But the public has less food truck options due to your anti-competitive lobbying and that's not a good thing for downtown JC.

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8. There are more eating options than ever in the Downtown.

That's my point, food trucks did not need to be banned because there's enough demand due to downtown JC's population growth.

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Finally, probably none of you know this, but we came close to going out of business. During our first three years, we lost money. Now, thankfully, we are doing well, thanks to thousands of loyal customers and Jersey City's growth. But the point remains, that opening a restaurant is a very risky business. Sixty percent of all restaurants close their doors within three years. This is why people who invest hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars in restaurants become emotional about unfair and illegal competition.

Lots of love,
Aaron

I can't speak about your situation as I am not involved in your business. All I can say is that downtown JC can clearly support both restaurant row and food trucks.

TwoBootsJC wrote:
Dear Friends.

Once again, untruths are running wild on JCList. So, for anyone interested in facts, here they are.

1. The food trucks at the farmers' market were illegal under Jersey City law. (Do the research.)

2. Over twenty Downtown restaurants signed a petition (not just Two Boots) demanding that the HDSID discontinue the "food court" it had created, illegally, to fill its own budget hole.

3. The HDSID was violating its duty to it own members -- us -- by running a competing business.

4. The only reason the food truck "food court" could exist was the massive subsidy that it received in the form of below market rent using public space -- a subsidy that no brick and mortar restaurant receives.

5. Two Boots has NEVER complained about any competitor that has to play by the same rules we do. We have New Jersey's largest pizzeria (and restaurant) right next to us. We welcomed them and welcome any other competitor, chain or otherwise, so long as they don't receive government support that we don't.

6. We fully support food trucks parking in legal locations.

7. The farmers market is flourishing.

8. There are more eating options than ever in the Downtown.

Finally, probably none of you know this, but we came close to going out of business. During our first three years, we lost money. Now, thankfully, we are doing well, thanks to thousands of loyal customers and Jersey City's growth. But the point remains, that opening a restaurant is a very risky business. Sixty percent of all restaurants close their doors within three years. This is why people who invest hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars in restaurants become emotional about unfair and illegal competition.

Lots of love,
Aaron

caj11 wrote:
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Haggis wrote:
We like the ban on chain stores. It's not like they are so far away if one really wants to go to one...

Depends on what you're looking to buy. If the area where CVS was looking to locate was already saturated with drugstores, I guess it doesn't matter. Still, I don't like local government or anyone else deciding what kind of shopping is best for me. The capitalist system is far from perfect, but this is one area where government intervention is unnecessary and oversteps what consumers prefer. If you hate the chain stores so much, keep supporting the local stores as much as possible and don't go to the chains. But don't deny me where I want to shop.

Haggis wrote:
We like the ban on chain stores. It's not like they are so far away if one really wants to go to one...

PremiumContent wrote:
Two Boots is better than most of the pizza downtown (which is almost universally mediocre).

terrencemcd wrote:
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caj11 wrote:
How many stores have to be part of the chain before the city considers them to be big, bad, evil and corporate?

10 or more locations within 300 miles of Jersey City.

brewster wrote:
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WhoElseCouldIBe wrote:
Two Boots pizza tastes like protectionism. Apparently, their pizza isn't good enough to stave off the food trucks, so they led the food truck ban.

Fair nuff, all I'm saying is it's not the worst pizza out there by a long shot. Hyperbole usually is self defeating as it loses you credibility.

WhoElseCouldIBe wrote:
Two Boots pizza tastes like protectionism. Apparently, their pizza isn't good enough to stave off the food trucks, so they led the food truck ban.

brewster wrote:
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jcneighbor wrote:
Two Boots Pizza is also a chain. And some of the worst pizza I've ever tasted...

Then you need to get around more. There's some seriously crappy za out there.

jcneighbor wrote:
Two Boots Pizza is also a chain. And some of the worst pizza I've ever tasted...

JCMan8 wrote:
Can CVS sue the city? Sick of these liberal laws restricting a landlord's right to rent out his own property.

jcneighbor wrote:
Two Boots Pizza is also a chain. And some of the worst pizza I've ever tasted...

Their locations: http://twoboots.com/locations/

caj11 wrote:
How many stores have to be part of the chain before the city considers them to be big, bad, evil and corporate?