Everybody who decides to open a restaurant surely dreams of a long line of customers on the first day.
For Ryan Reid, who opened Folkfood Downtown on Wednesday, that dream came true about 15 minutes after he unlocked the door.
People walking around deciding where they’d eat lunch stopped at the menu board on the sidewalk, took a look and got in line.
Part of the attraction could have been the pulled pork sandwich, baked jerk chicken wings or the catfish tacos. It might have been the beer macaroni and cheese or the citrus kale salad.
Or it might have been that the menu was familiar to them, since Reid served the items from his food truck of the same name, which often was set up for lunch in Hemming Park, a block from the restaurant at 219 N. Hogan St.
Whatever the reason, Reid said, “I’m just glad to be here. It’s a great neighborhood.”
The new venture is the latest in a line of food trucks that have evolved into brick-and-mortar restaurants, said Mike Field.
He founded Jax Truckies three years ago to provide an advocacy platform and help establish a mobile cuisine movement.
What started as a handful of food trucks has grown to a group of more than 120, he said.
Reid isn’t the first food truck operator to establish a more traditional operation. Some have been more successful than others.
The Salty Fig food truck transitioned into The Blind Rabbit in Jacksonville Beach and Riverside. Corner Taco opened a restaurant in Riverside and the Monroe’s Smokehouse barbecue food truck opened restaurants on Beach Boulevard and Highway Avenue.
The first local food truck to open a restaurant, Pele’s Wood Fire Pizza, closed its restaurant in Riverside. Cravingz opened Johnny’s, a barbecue restaurant along Beaver Street that ultimately closed, Field said.
The first rolling restaurant to transition in Downtown, Super Food Truck, opened in May as Super Food & Brew at 11 E. Forsyth St. in a former Starbucks location.
Co-owner Dale Stoudt said as he expected, lunch business is good. He’s doing quite a bit of catering and is booking private holiday parties six nights a week. It’s the later in the day business that needs some help.
“Dinner is a struggle Downtown except during Art Walk,” he said.
After the first-day lunch rush subsided, Reid said it was gratifying to see customers enjoying his food in the restaurant just as they did at the food truck.
His next project will be to decorate the interior of Folkfood. The former tenant’s bright blue décor will be covered with a muted off-white paint.
The walls are bare, except for a small menu board near the counter. That’s by design.
“It’s a blank canvas,” said Reid. “I want this to be a community-based restaurant, so I’ve invited some artists to hang their work here.”
Folkfood is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
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Other food truck operators who opened restaurants
• Super Food Truck opened Super Food and Brew Downtown, right
• Salty Fig opened The Blind Rabbit locations in Riverside and Jacksonville Beach
• Corner Taco opened in Riverside
• Monroe’s Smokehouse BBQ opened restaurants on Beach Boulevard and Highway Avenue
• Backyard Pops opened in Jacksonville Beach
• 5 Loaves 2 Fish opened in the Interline Brands building
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