Exeter food truck war: Clyde's Cupcakes loses coveted downtown spot after being outbid
EXETER — Clyde’s Cupcakes owner Clyde Bullen said he was “shocked” and “disappointed” to hear about the arrival of a new food truck that outbid him for his coveted spot near the bandstand.
Mike and Stephanie Oliveira recently announced their plan to bring a 1950s-style diner-on-wheels to downtown, where it will be parked next to the bandstand on Front Street.
The couple outbid Bullen for the spot, which is permitted each year by the town of Exeter through a competitive request for proposal process with a minimum bid starting at $2,400.
Town Manager Russ Dean said the bids for the spot were opened on Dec. 1. Bullen’s bid was $2,400, while the Oliveiras’ bid for The Jukebox Diner was $4,000.
“The town contacted Mr. Oliveira on December 5th, 2023, letting him know he had the high bid for the space, and he has been working with the town since that time in preparation for taking the space for 2024,” said Dean.
Bullen has been operating at the spot for nearly a decade.
In 2021, the town Select Board approved new regulations for mobile food vendors in response to a growing number of food trucks and complaints from downtown business owners.
Several business owners claimed it was not fair that mobile vendors could pay a relatively low price for a permit and occupy premium parking spaces in downtown, while shopkeepers are burdened by high rent costs.
In response, the board upped the annual permit fee from $250 to at least $2,400 for the spot in front of the bandstand and to allocate six parking spaces along Town House Common for other mobile vendors for $1,200 a year.
Dean said Bullen was the only bidder for the bandstand spot in 2022 and 2023 and the bids were $2,500 in the first year and $3,000 in the second year.
Previous story: Donut Love founders opening 1950s diner on wheels in downtown Exeter
Clyde’s Cupcakes owner expresses outrage after being outbid
Bullen, who did not return calls seeking comment, took to Facebook Wednesday to voice his displeasure regarding the Oliveiras outbidding him. He called the Oliveiras’ plan “extremely hypocritical and disheartening."
“The new owners of the spot have previously stated that they do not support food trucks parked downtown when it was ‘impacting’ their local businesses,” Bullen wrote.
His message resulted in a number of comments in support of Clyde's Cupcakes and a response from Stephanie Oliveira.
Oliveira stated her husband never spoke out against food trucks. The only comment he made was in a Seacoastonline article in 2021, when he stated that the operational cost for a food truck is cheaper than those in brick-and-mortar shops.
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Oliveira also took issue with Bullen's accusation they secured the bid because of who they know.
“This spot is open for bidding every year,” she said. “It is public knowledge what the bidding starts at, (on the Exeter website), and because we used to pay rent here, we know what the space is worth to us. We took that into consideration when submitting our bid, and didn't know until the bidding was closed, if we won the bid or not.
“This has nothing to do with ‘who we know,’” she added. “It’s a blind bid. Everyone and anyone is allowed to submit a bid with the amount that they think this spot is worth to them.”
Oliveira also stated due to the “negative” and “hateful” comments on social media the couple is “reconsidering our plan.”
“We never thought that by placing a bid on something that is available, that we would receive such hate,” she said. “We don’t want to surround ourselves with negativity and start our business off on the wrong foot. There are other places in Exeter we can choose to serve, and if we choose to do that, so be it.”
Attempts to reach the Oliveiras for comment were unsuccessful.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Clyde's Cupcakes loses Exeter downtown spot after being outbid
