Haitian food truck owners says he’s losing business after comments made by Donald Trump

SALT LAKE CITY — A Haitian man who’s called Utah his home since 2008 says business isn’t doing quite as well after comments from the former President last week.

“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in – they are eating the cats,” former President Donald Trump said during the ABC debate last week. “They are eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Roody Salvator owns a Haitian food truck and catering company in Salt Lake City.

You can find his Makaya Caters Food Truck out at Rose Park or at the Salt Lake Farmers’ Market on the weekends. He says in the days after last week’s debate, sales fell sharply. And then there was an insulting comment.

“I think halfway through the day some lady walked up and very seriously said ‘cat or dog?’ And I was taken aback,” Salvator said.

He says at the Salt Lake Farmers’ Market he can pull in $2,000. But last Saturday he made $350. During the week, he says he’ll make around $600 to $700 at Rose Park, but on Thursday he made $50, and Friday a little over $100.

Nationwide responses

Springfield Ohio officials have stressed time and time again that Haitians are not eating pets. They say there’s been no specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by immigrants.

But Republican Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance has doubled down on the claims.

“My constituents have brought up approximately a dozen separate concerns to me,” J.D. Vance told CNN over the weekend. “10 of them are verifiable and confirmable and a couple of them, I talk about because my constituents are telling me firsthand that they’re seeing these things”

It’s something that some Republicans have run with. In Arizona, the GOP ran billboards joking about eating “less kittens.”

But Salvator said this isn’t a joke, it’s his livelihood.

“It is what I used to pay my mortgage, you know, to help my family in Haiti, and to have this come in and destroy everything — potentially destroy everything I’ve built for the last 10 years. It’s just awful,” Salvator said.

Haitian immigrants living in Utah

Utah Refugee Services tracks the number of Haitians coming into Utah. They say there are a very small number of Haitian Refugees that come into our state every year, just three or fewer. And there have been about 150 Haitian entrants since January of 2023.

Utah State Senator Todd Weiler represents Rose Park – the area that Makaya Caters often runs out. He said he hopes our state continues to welcome refugees.

“I think you know, we’re a state that is composed primarily of good people that want to help those in need,” Weiler said.

He said he thinks it’s “horrific” that situations like Salvator’s are happening in our communities. “I think Utahns are better than that,” Weiler said.

Salvator says he doesn’t think what’s happened over the last week represents his overall experience in Utah.

“Utahns, I want to say they represent the best of America. I love the state. I love the value of the people here and it is so, so sad that there’s a slim majority that will take this lie and will take this hate and will just feed off that dark blood that’s in their heart.”

Makaya Caters will be in Rose Park at 1000 North Victoria Way from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.