March 16, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET
- Subculture Coffee owner Rodney Mayo has started an online petition to prevent the potential closure of his Delray Beach location.
- The city is concerned the business operates as a “meeting” space rather than “grab-and-go,” which would require more parking.
- A special city hearing has been scheduled for March 31 to address the conflict and determine the business’s classification.
A prominent Palm Beach County bar and restaurant owner is clashing with Delray Beach officials over concerns about insufficient parking and business operations at his Subculture Coffee Roasters location near downtown, blocks from Atlantic Avenue.
The man behind Subculture is Rodney Mayo, who has created an online petition to “save” the coffee shop at 302 Northeast Sixth Ave. from potential closure.
The Delray Beach City Commission wants to resolve traffic issues caused by customers parking in unauthorized areas because there are limited spaces at the Subculture site. Mayo is pushing back, calling the city’s plans a “death sentence” for his business.
“I don’t want to play this game. I came so close to saying, ‘I’ll just sell the building.’ But I’m not a quitter,” Mayo said. The fight for the cafe is not for his own sake, but for the people standing by him, like those who signed the Change.org petition he started on March 4. It has received more than 2,300 signatures.
How city labels Subculture Coffee determines parking spaces
The petition urged those who signed to show up to the March 9 City Commission meeting. Some did, and the room was packed to the brim with dozens of Subculture supporters ready to speak out publicly.
However, the Subculture part of the meeting was rescheduled as a special hearing on March 31 as Mayo’s team needed more time to prepare before moving forward with a discussion.
The mural-covered building now has eight approved on-site parking spaces. To operate a restaurant, the city requires 13 spots. In 2023, Mayo instead filed a lieu-of-parking request, paying city fees rather than constructing the mandatory spaces and winning approval to open in 2024.
Now, the city is questioning the current use of the cafe space. In 2023, Mayo told the commission it was a “grab-and-go” restaurant. The city feels it has become more of a “meeting” space due to concerns about past public events, such as poetry or trivia nights, which would attract more traffic to the area.
But Mayo said the majority of its customers come in and out to grab a cup of coffee, though sometimes someone may stay longer either to study or work for a reasonable time period. He also said the coffee shop has since stopped hosting those larger events.
If commissioners classify the store as a meeting space, it would require a total of 44 parking spaces. That would mean adding 31 new parking spots to comply with the standard. Mayo questioned where the spots would come from, as space is limited in the area. Mayo said he feels the city is forcing him out.
Delray residents near Subculture cafe say parking is a problem
Commissioner Juli Casale said the influx of Subculture customers affects businesses and homes in the neighborhood when they park in nondesignated spots, and requires more resources to ticket and tow cars. Subculture has signs posted advising customers not to park in areas not owned by the coffee shop and directs them to use alternative off-street parking.
Casale said she is unsure where the resolution will go without hearing the official presentation from Mayo and his attorney, during which the commission would have to vote on how to classify the store and then create a plan for additional off-street parking.
Casale said she wants to see Mayo’s business succeed and hopes he can meet the city in the middle, whether that means helping to address the parking issue or possibly relocating to another storefront to have smoother operations with neighbors.
“It’s been a lot of tension for years with him and the neighbors that has been unresolvable. And unfortunately, the city is sort of in the middle of it,” Casale said.
Along with the Subculture outlet, Mayo owns several other establishments in Palm Beach County, two of them in Delray Beach: Dada, an all-American restaurant in a restored historic house at 52 N. Swinton Ave., and Honey, a downtown nightclub at 16 E. Atlantic Ave.
He said the parking shortage at the Subculture location is no different than at his two other businesses and called the issue a citywide problem. Subculture also was in business in other locations in Delray Beach before settling at Northeast Sixth Avenue and Northeast Third Street.
