By Ryan Michaels
The Birmingham Times
In addition to a new food truck venue, which opened Oct. 23, Birmingham attorney and real estate investor Eric Guster plans to bring new food pickup and coffee options to the western edge of downtown on Third Avenue North.
The food truck court, located at 1104 3rd Ave. North, has space for four food trucks and is the first leg of a project where Guster intends to add a mixture of locally-owned and national food options.
He is already hosting Taquería La Catrina taco truck as well as Frozen Rooster’s food truck. According to the Birmingham Business Journal, Guster purchased the property from Waffle House in November 2021 for $425,000.
In addition to the land used for food trucks, which Guster purchased last year, the attorney recently purchased land at 1116 and 1120 on the same block, giving him control over half a city block, or “everything on your left side” as one enters the city’s central business district, he said.
On those extra parcels, Guster said he will seek other pickup food locations, and ideally, a national coffee chain drive-thru to add onto the site which currently houses an Alabama Beverage Control (ABC) liquor store.
On the 1100 block, Guster said he now owns 1.34 acres including the building which houses the ABC store that has 1,500 square feet of retail space, and a second building that has over 2,600 square feet for a full-service restaurant/bar, with a drive-thru window.
The pickup-and-leave plan for the site is intentional, Guster said.
“My goal is to create a space where, for example, people with their co-workers and friends can come, a carload of them, and everybody has a different food choice, and they can get it…not necessarily to have a place where people go and eat at picnic tables … but more of great spot where you can pick up food and take it with you,” he said.
The food truck venue, Guster said “enables [owners] to go to these different events and say, ‘Hey, you can find me at 1104 3rd Avenue North, [however] many days a week, and that creates a level of stability without them having the brick-and-mortar, location expense and commitment.”
Taking part in the food truck venue could also help the entrepreneurs mitigate the effects a potential upcoming recession, he said.
“The food truck industry, if positioned properly, can thrive during a recession because it has fewer overhead costs. Many companies are going to drive-thru-only locations instead of sit-down places, so properly positioning your business to survive any dip is crucial to the long-term survivability,” Guster said.
The project is also part of revitalization.
As it stands, the particular spot “has been largely ignored,” according to Guster. There are no drive-thru coffee options and limited food pickup options in that area, Guster said.
“I want it to be something so amazing, that everyone takes note of 3rd Ave. North, and I want to create a destination for food because there’s no food over there except the chicken place–,” Guster said.
Like his previous sale which closed this year of the American Red Cross building for $4.25 million farther east down 3rd Ave. North, Guster said he hopes this project will bring more energy and investment into the area.
“I hope to create some energy in the middle, like the Fourth Avenue district and some other places, where if everything around them is being improved, that it goes that way as well,” Guster said.
With his own investment, Guster said he seeks to bring “hope” to people in that side of downtown.
“It’s easy to focus on the central part of downtown and all the growth, but when you take on a part that is not being really redeveloped, it’s not only a challenge, but it is a calling to do right by the city,” Guster said.
