Just under five years since its opening, The Chipper Truck Cafe in Pelham announced its closure due to financial issues unrelated to Covid-19. 

Frequenters of northern Fifth Avenue and exit 12 off of the Hutchinson River Parkway North may be familiar with the so-called “corner of death” for commerce at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Pelham’s main street. The Chipper Truck Cafe, an American and Irish-style restaurant established in 2015, is the most recent victim of this black hole for business. 

The restaurant originated as a food truck specializing in fresh, homestyle cooking in 2004 catering to the Irish population in the Northern Bronx. As the demand for the Chipper Truck grew in size and diversity, owner Alice O’Brien Bermejo said on the cafe’s web page, the business expanded accordingly. O’Brien Bermejo opened cafes in Pelham and Yonkers and added Mexican and Italian items to the menu of Irish staples, including bap sandwiches and chips with curry. 

However, O’Brien Bermejo recently released news of The Chipper Truck Cafe’s failure to generate enough income to cover the cost of maintenance at the Pelham location. She confirmed to the Pelham Examiner that the closure of the cafe was not the result of the economic recession brought on by Covid-19, but that the business arrived at a breaking point at the same time the pandemic hit. 

Likely due to the high level of traffic on Lincoln and Fifth Avenue between Pelham and its neighboring towns, there is frequent rotation of small businesses at the intersection where The Chipper Truck Cafe was located. Although populated by long-standing neighbors TD Bank and Sue’s Corner antique shop, two of the corners have seen the appearance of the eateries Soula’s Kitchen, a Jamaican restaurant, The Chipper Truck Cafe and Pelville Coffee & Pastry in the past five years alone. 

While Pelham residents can no longer enjoy the luncheonette, takeout, and delivery of The Chipper Truck Cafe, the food truck will continue running in Woodlawn and the other restaurant remains open 24 hours a day in Yonkers.