Cape Coral's Riverfront Runs on Food Trucks Now. Why Only One Spot Keeps a Steady Lineup.

"The existing 126 on-site spaces may be insufficient during peak demand generated by the park's amenities and a restaurant/bar operation."

The Kearns Group sent that line to Cape Coral City Council on June 6, 2026, the morning it withdrew its proposal to run a bistro at Jaycee Park. The letter reads like a contract dispute. It also works as a guide to where you can count on eating by the Caloosahatchee this fall. It names what a waterfront food operation needs to last: enough parking, a working dock and a steady events calendar. Right now only one riverfront site in Cape Coral has all three under one operator's control. That site has had the same lineup of trucks open seven days a week.

Ten Trucks, 120 Parking Spaces and a Shuttle at the Foot of the Bridge

Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina sits at 1811 Cape Coral Parkway E., where the Cape Coral Bridge meets the river. It held a ticketed soft opening on July 4, 2025, so it has now been through more than a full year of seasons.

Look at Slipaway against the Kearns letter and the match is close. The city's economic development page describes a $20 million build on a 3.1-acre site. It has 120 dedicated parking spaces, free overflow parking and a free shuttle Friday through Sunday from 3 to 10 p.m., the peak-demand evenings. Along the river it has 30 boat slips, a fuel dock and a Ship Store & Gift Shop. On programming, it has daily live music plus recurring events like the Sip & Shop Night Market and Wags on the Water, a pet-focused vendor event. A late-summer notice from Slipaway said Wags dates vary, so check the venue's own calendar before you bring the dog.

Slipaway's current roster lists 10 trucks:

• Gigi Gourmet for grilled cheeses and burgers
• Greek Spot Go for traditional Greek dishes with homemade tzatziki and vegan options
• Lobster Chef for lobster rolls, sushi and tuna poke bowls
• Philly Express FL for cheesesteaks and Philly pretzels
• Smokestream BBQ for slow-smoked cuts with house-made rubs
• The Crooked Cow for handcrafted ice cream, pastries and "spiked" ice cream
• Yunta Cuban for Cuban bowls, empanadas and Cuban sandwiches
• Street Wok for made-to-order Asian street food
• Taco Worx for tacos, burritos, nachos and bowls
• Little Italy in the USA for pizza, pasta and cannoli

The trucks are open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Helm Bar, the central pavilion bar, opens at 10 a.m. and stays open until 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 11 p.m. the rest of the week. The site notes that hours may shift seasonally.

Jaycee Park's Bistro Math

A short drive down the river, Jaycee Park reopened on April 30, 2026, after a full rebuild. The city has put $18.7 million into it so far. The finished park has a lighted riverfront boardwalk and overlook, pathways with cooling misters, an inclusive playground, a 5,000-square-foot splash pad, a bandshell, beach volleyball courts, and cornhole, pool and shuffleboard tables. The city's list also includes "a dedicated food truck court offering food and beverages," still marked "coming soon."

Food service at Jaycee has fallen through twice. The city ended an earlier agreement for a private concession and restaurant after the operator did not meet payment terms. Then The Kearns Group stepped away from its bistro proposal. The Cape Coral Breeze reported that Zak Kearns, the group's president, wrote that the operator would have had to invest more than $2 million in acquisition, buildout, a liquor license, rent and other operating costs. That money would have gone into a smaller footprint with limited parking and no construction credit, for a business that depends on outdoor operations and weather.

He also raised the dock. Boat slips at Jaycee are still planned, but approvals and construction timing are uncertain. Kearns wrote that a dock would attract visitors arriving by water and support a restaurant. Without a timeline, though, the return on investment was hard to judge. On programming, he wrote that because the park's programming approach was "still evolving," much of the job of drawing crowds would fall to the concessionaire.

District 1 Councilmember Bill Steinke described the city's goal for the site in narrower terms:

"We never intended for there to be a restaurant and bar there, just an oasis for the park goers to compliment the food trucks."

Kearns's three conditions, applied to the city's three riverfront food sites:

What Ran at Jaycee Through September

The food truck court did come to life for a while. On August 14, the city announced a weekend lineup at Jaycee Park, 4215 SE 20th Place. It would run through September with a food truck, a drink truck and a dessert truck at the court on the park's south side. Vendors checked in Fridays at noon and served through Sunday evening during park hours, dawn to 9 p.m. WINK News named the first lineup as Dawg Pound for hot food, Lemonade Splash, and Happy Ice Cream by P3pillos Family.

That announced window has now closed. As of early October, we found no announcement extending the rotation and no City Council vote on a permanent food plan for the park. The city's project page still says any future food and beverage plans will be decided by Council. The city's October calendar also lists no Jaycee Park events. If you plan a Jaycee afternoon around lunch, check for trucks before you go, or pack a picnic for the shaded tables.

One more change affects how people use Jaycee. City officials told WINK News that "no fishing" signs went up in July. The concern is hooks, lures and weights being cast near the new boardwalk, so a spot that anglers used at the old park is now closed to fishing.

The Yacht Club Is Waiting on a Funding Decision

Yacht Club Community Park is the third riverfront site, and it is the furthest from steady food service. In March 2026, the city reported that Procurement had approved two food truck vendors. Parks had coordinated with Wright Construction on where the trucks would park. The city has not named the vendors, and we found no public confirmation that they are serving yet.

At the May 25 Committee of the Whole meeting, Council directed staff to move ahead with Phase 2: the fuel system, civil site work and beach amenities. The same update says Council "has not yet determined a source of funding for the project." NBC2 reported that other redevelopment phases remained on hold and that pier work still needed Army Corps permits. The city ranked the Boathouse and docks as revenue-generating priorities back in March. That fits the Kearns letter: on Cape Coral's waterfront, the dock tends to come first and food service builds around it.

Four Freedoms Park Hosts the Next Two Waterfront Nights

The city's next two waterfront events this season bring their own trucks. Both are at Four Freedoms Park, 4818 Tarpon Court, on Bimini Basin. Sunset Fest runs October 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. with free entry and parking, live music, food trucks and vendors. The Holiday Boat-a-Long runs Saturday, December 19, from 4 to 9 p.m. It includes a boat parade through Bimini Basin, Santa, food trucks, crafts, stage entertainment and a movie afterward.

Four Freedoms Park is also in line for the city's biggest waterfront change. Bimini East is a proposed redevelopment of about 34 acres and $500 million led by Crown Development. It would bring hotels, retail and dining, offices, up to 900 residential units, 45 public-access marina slips and a reimagined Four Freedoms Park. At a September 9 Community Redevelopment Agency meeting, City Council approved a funding method that would use the new property taxes the development creates. The News-Press reported that step on September 17. No construction start has been confirmed. As proposed, the plan pairs restaurants with parking, public slips and a redesigned park, the same three things the Kearns letter identified.

For now, here's how riverfront food service stands this fall. Slipaway has 10 trucks open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jaycee has a finished food truck court that is waiting on a Council decision. The Yacht Club has two approved vendors while construction continues. Sunset Fest on October 21 brings trucks to Bimini Basin for one evening.

Kevin Shelly grew up on this coast and pays attention to Cape Coral's riverfront projects as they move through City Hall. If you live near Jaycee, the Yacht Club or Bimini Basin, Kevin Shelly Realty can show you how these projects line up with recent sales near your home. Start with your Instant Home Valuation, and call us with any questions about what Council decides next.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.