The City of Sydney has confirmed it will extend the trial of Sydney’s food trucks until March 2014, following its success since first rolling out in May 2012.

The extension will give all nine participating trucks a full year of operation, after some operators took longer than expected to hit the streets.

Suzie Matthews, the City’s manager, business precincts, late night economy and safe city, said a recent customer research survey of 400 participants indicated the food trucks were a positive addition to Sydney.

“More than a third of people using food trucks are eating out when they would otherwise have been eating at home and the benefits from that flow on to other business, like shops and small bars,” Matthews said.

“This is about generating new activity in the city, not taking away from existing food businesses. The food truck operators have invested large amounts to get their businesses rolling and they pay fixed costs like wages and rent for a place to store and prepare food just like any other food business.

“There are some areas of the city where food trucks are not a viable option, such as Kings Cross. But where they have been operating they have brought more options to more people, and proved hugely popular.”

“This research shows people have taken food trucks to heart and they’re now an acclaimed part of our night-time city,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“In less than a year, these small businesses have gone from scratch to become a popular addition to the city’s food scene. They’ve created their own community and brought new life and new business to the city.

“Food trucks were an idea people came up with when we consulted Sydney-siders about what they wanted for their city at night.

“The trucks are not allowed to operate within 50m of a comparable food business, so they take food to places that aren’t already well serviced,” Clover Moore said.

http://www.insideretailing.com.au/IR/IRNews/Sydney-food-trucks-roll-on–8314.aspx

Food trucks have hit the spot with Sydneysiders, scoring overwhelming support, generating new business across the city and stimulating spaces at night.

As part of the Food Truck trial independent consultants interviewed more than 400 people and conducted observational studies at food truck locations.

Customers interviewed said the trucks made the city feel safer and more welcoming at night and the most common request was to activate even more of them.

The City of Sydney’s food trucks introduced Sydney to the food sensation taking off around the world with a 12-month trial of quality food in designated streets, parks and plazas.

The research found:

• 98 per cent of people support the food trucks initiative;
• More than one third of customers would have otherwise eaten at home, meaning food trucks are generating new business in the city;
• Peak trading times are between 9pm and midnight when there are fewer available food alternatives;
• 72 per cent of customers said food trucks made an area feel safer, and 92 per cent said they made it more welcoming;
• The trucks have a dedicated following, with 44 per cent of customers coming to the area specifically to eat there;
• 18 per cent of customers eat at a truck at least once a week and some are travelling up to two kilometres to get there, and;
• The City’s food truck app and web site are the most popular sources of information about food trucks

“This research shows people have taken food trucks to heart and they’re now an acclaimed part of our night-time city,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“In less than a year, these small businesses have gone from scratch to become a popular addition to the city’s food scene. They’ve created their own community and brought new life and new business to the city.

“Food trucks were an idea people came up with when we consulted Sydneysiders about what they wanted for their city at night. This research shows the initiative is delivering diverse options and enticing more people to spend time in the City.

“The trucks are not allowed to operate within 50 metres of a comparable food business, so they take food to places that aren’t already well serviced.”

Trucks started rolling out under the City’s trial in May 2012, and all nine trucks were operating by early this year. They have become a feature at festivals and community events as well as servicing dedicated locations around the city.

The City plans to extend the trial until March 2014 to give all of the participating trucks a full year of operation, so the program and feedback from the community can be fully evaluated.

Suzie Matthews, the City’s Manager, Business Precincts, Late Night Economy and Safe City, said the customer research indicated the food trucks were a positive addition to Sydney.

“More than a third of people using food trucks are eating out when they would otherwise have been eating at home and the benefits from that flow on to other business, like shops and small bars,” Ms Matthews said.

“This is about generating new activity in the city, not taking away from existing food businesses. The food truck operators have invested large amounts to get their businesses rolling and they pay fixed costs like wages and rent for a place to store and prepare food just like any other food business.

“There are some areas of the city where food trucks are not a viable option, such as Kings Cross. But where they have been operating they have brought more options to more people, and proved hugely popular.”

The full research report can be viewed here.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

http://www.sydneymedia.com.au/food-trucks-satisfying-sydneys-late-night-cravings/

Adelaide City Council is looking at reducing the number of food truck permits despite the fact not all operators are open at once. Source: adelaidenow

A council committee has backed a staff recommendation to cut the proposed number of permits from 50 to 40, despite research confirming only a minority are trading on any given day.

The mobile food sellers will also pay higher fees.

Under the new fee structure, sellers will pay a flat $1000 for a six month permit, or seek a  permit valid for any 10 days over six months for $500.

A second 10-day permit would cost $350 and a third would be $150 and usable for all days in the rest of the six-month period.

For its trial scheme the council last year issued 52 permits, of which 39 are still being used, and previously recommended 50 as the upper limit for a permanent program starting in August.

Some councillors had previously called for a cap as low as 20 because of the vans’ impact on bricks and mortar businesses.

A council report tabled at the meeting said eight food vans were trading four to five days a week and a further six were trading up to three days.

There were eight trading no more than once a week and six opening monthly or less, while nine set up only at organised events where the permits are not required and two were yet to start trading.

The report said the smaller the number of permits, the higher fees would have to be set to cover the council’s administrative costs.

“The increase would result in an unviable fee for smaller and part-time vendors, potentially negatively impacting on the diversity of traders and positive public engagement and enjoyment of the mobile food vending program,” it said.

But Cr Sandy Wilkinson, who maintained the mobile sellers are getting an easy ride, pushed for fees of $3000 a year for sellers to cover the cost of an indpendent economic analysis of their impact on shops.

He proposed a maximum of 20 vans be allowed to trade on any one day.

Cr Wilkinson also proposed a review after a year to establish a scale of fees based on the commercial value of the locations where food sellers set up.

He said in Melbourne, the fees ranged from $400 to $1800 a month, and only one food truck was allowed in the CBD and eight in parklands by the city so as not to compete with bricks and mortar shops.

Council staff told the meeting that the fees proposed by Cr Wilkinson would force the less profitable stalls and carts out of business, leaving the city with only a handful of mobile traders.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/city-council-considers-limiting-number-of-food-truck-permits/story-e6frea83-1226636315242

Going mobile: Will and Mick Balleau’s copper-coloured Chingon taco van. Photo: Luis Enrique Ascui

Like Mark Twain’s death, rumours of a turf war among Melbourne’s taco trucks have either been greatly exaggerated – or the truck owners are politely downplaying the palaver through gritted teeth.

Facebook, however, never lies. A couple of weeks ago, Will and Mick Balleau, who run the copper-coloured Chingon taco van, posted a photo of their truck parked next to the original Taco Truck in High Street, Northcote, where Chignon is regularly based. There was no comment.

Raph Rashid, who started the original Taco Truck three years ago, wouldn’t bite. He responded to an email query with a terse: ”Turf war? Didn’t know there was one.”

Raph Rashid with his trucks. Photo: Arsineh Houspian

Will Balleau laughed it off. No problem here, senor. If there’s a war going on, he says, it’s between operators and local councils. It would be a ”relief” if more trading spots were opened up for food trucks, he says.

Having had the taco truck scene to himself for a couple of years, Mr Rashid – who also runs a truck called Beatbox – said he knew the competition was coming. ”But you’ll never have the onslaught of the turf wars they’d had in America, where you’ve got eight or nine trucks turning up on the one spot. Our country is too legislated.” While he admits to checking out the competition’s tortillas, he isn’t worried. ”They’ll slowly discover that running a truck is difficult. It’s not something to be entered into lightly,” he said.

Tensions with local councils refusing to allow food vans have played out on Facebook. Yarra Council faced a social media backlash against strict regulations that kept food vans away from residential areas and local businesses. The council is now drafting new softer guidelines for a trial period.

Unlike the hot chip and souvlaki vans that take root at sporting events and outside nightclubs, the taco truck, perhaps more than any of the new gourmet food trucks popping up at festivals, has become a scene unto itself. And social media is driving it: the truck owners post where they’ll be setting up business through the day, and the customers pass it along. Will Balleau is originally from New Mexico, where the taco truck has long been a social fixture. ”I’m pretty confident that Melbourne is big enough to support the … taco trucks it presently hosts. When two of us end up side by side, I’ve found that the customers generally react with excitement and I enjoy the festive atmosphere that unfolds,” he says.

Ellie Marin, who opened her Cornutopia truck in January last year, says 80 per cent of her customers are regulars. ”It’s all about the chase … finding out where we’re going to be, and following us there,” she says.

Chingon is the fifth truck open for business in Melbourne, and Ms Marin is about to open another. Of the turf war, she says: ”Personally, I think the more, the merrier. But I think there has to be an etiquette … If you’ve been parking in the same spot for a while, and someone wants to park next to you … I think they should come and say hello and ask if that’s OK. And the answer would be yes.”

She also notes, though, that if there are any tensions, people keep it to themselves. ”We work 90 hours a week … There’s not a lot of energy left over for conflict.”

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/tacos-at-10-paces-a-fare-approach-to-truck-wars-20130427-2ilpl.html

The fate of pop-up food vans in the Adelaide CBD looks uncertain amid claims from a city councillor that the “pop-up fad” has gone too far.

Earlier this month, Adelaide City Council launched Fork on the Road as part of Splash Adelaide, a joint campaign by the council and the South Australian government to invigorate the city’s streets and laneways.

Fork on the Road aims to bring together in one place Adelaide’s food trucks, vans, bikes and stalls.

According to a report by The Advertiser, a council committee has approved guidelines for mobile vendors, after a survey of more than 950 people found an overwhelming level of support.

However, it’s since been reported the council has voted to delay the passage of new guidelines until a further report, with one councillor claiming the “pop-up fad” has gone too far.

The committee has asked for a report outlining why staff recommended capping permits at 50 vans trading under the scheme’s trial. One councillor believes this number should be cut to 20.

However, Adelaide mayor Stephen Yarwood has labelled this suggestion “ridiculously conservative”.

Csaba Egri, owner of gourmet food caravan Bodri’s Bakery & Café, says there have been complaints from fixed-premises cafés and restaurants about the impact of mobile food vans, but says these complaints should not be taken seriously.

“If you go around the city, you can hardly find more than five or six food trucks at all who are in the city every day,” Egri told StartupSmart.

“Usually you can see two or three per day, so if this would really harm these businesses then they are already in big trouble.”

Scott Williams, founder of Instant Retail and Pop Up Shops Melbourne, toldStartupSmart it would be a shame if Adelaide council withdrew its support for pop-up food vans.

“Yes, they may be a challenge to the traditional bricks-and-mortar businesses in a precinct but that’s kind of missing the point,” Williams says.

“The way I see it, if there’s an opportunity for a pop-up anything to go into a space, that’s an opportunity [worth pursuing].

“I find that the councils and the local trader associations do support this concept because it’s all to do with invigorating streetscapes, and keeping neighbourhoods interesting and vibrant.

“It can only be good for the permanent retailers because if they’ve got decent businesses, people will visit them as well.

“It’s a bit of a shame if local governments and the chambers of commerce start to withdraw their support for this because there are so many benefits.”

Adelaide’s pop-up food vans aren’t the first mobile businesses to face hostility from their fixed-premises counterparts.

Last year, online shoe retailer StyleTread opened a kiosk at a Westfield shopping centre, but was later evicted following a backlash from existing tenants.

Williams, however, says this situation is slightly different.

“If you’re a pop-up shop in a major shopping centre, centre management [shouldn’t] put a pop-up shop outside permanent shoe shops. That’s just an unwritten rule,” he says.

“It is a disadvantage to permanent traders.”

http://www.startupsmart.com.au/leadership/legal-matters/adelaide-pop-up-shops-future-under-a-cloud/201304249550.html

A vote on new rules for the growing number of food vans was deferred at the latest council meeting.

Among the proposals would be a limit on the number of trucks and where they could operate.

There could be a permit fee of $1,000 annually for each van.

Councillor Sandy Wilkinson said permanent cafes and restaurants were suffering and deserved a fairer playing field.

“My hope is that this additional information about the relative operating cost will bring out the inequity of charging people just $1,000 or even a few thousand dollars when businesses are paying something like $80,000-$100,000 to have a cafe in competition,” he said.

The council is keen to have regulations in place by the end of June.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-17/food-vans-boom-prompts-cafe-costs-check/4634014?section=sa

THE SNEAKY PICKLE FOOD TRUCK OWNERS AMANDA AND JEFF GRIFFITHS WITH REGULAR CUSTOMER KATIE STEVENS. ADELAIDENOW

A council committee approved a set of guidelines for the mobile vendors, after a survey attracting 950 responses – a council record – found overwhelming support for them.

But the number of permits to be issued remains up in the air.

In a lengthy debate, Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood passionately defended the food vans but several councillors said there were too many.

The committee voted to ask for a report outlining why staff had recommended capping permits at 50.

There are 52 food vans trading under the scheme’s trial period, a number Cr Sandy Wilkinson said should be slashed to 20.

Mr Yarwood said that would be “ridiculously conservative” and the council would be labelled “a bunch of old fashioned people out of touch with what the city wants”.

“I’ve had at least 1000 people come up to me and say this is the best thing the city ever had,” Mr Yarwood said.

“There’s 100,000 people in the city each day who love this stuff.”

Mr Yarwood said the food vans helped bring a “critical mass” of people into town that would encourage new businesses to open, rather than hurting current traders.

He said two food vans had already transformed into bricks and mortar businesses.

Cr Sandy Wilkinson unsuccessfully called for permits to be capped at 20 and for a report into the economic impact of food vans on permanent traders and their relative start-up and running costs.

“We have vacant shops in Hutt St and Hindley St,” Cr Wilkinson said.

“This could compound that situation and see more cafe operators, say in James Place, driven out of business.

“While it’s good to be seen to be promoting vitality we could in fact be doing the opposite.”

Cr Mark Hamilton agreed 50 was “a step miles too far”, while Cr Anne Moran said small business owners were “not happy” and the council should “tread cautiously before we vote the people who pay rates out of business”.

Staff gave a brief explanation to the committee that 50 permits was close to the number allowed in Calgary, Canada, which has a similar population to Adelaide.

A final decision on permit numbers will likely be made next month after a report to council.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/too-many-food-trucks-in-our-city-some-city-councillors-think-so/story-e6frf7jo-1226617413595

Street Food Australia’s dumpling bike on display in Brisbane at launch

You don’t have to travel to south-east Asia or hit the streets of New York to experience the multicultural food movement that is street food.

Soon the streets of Brisbane and eventually Melbourne and Sydney will be teaming with an Australian-first initiative where migrants riding bicycle-driven carts, serve food from cultures across the world.

Unlike food vans which have become popular in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne the Street Food Australia food cart concept is about social enterprise as much as it is changing the city’s food culture.

The brain child of Helen Bird and Billerwell Daye, it’s about cultivating a better food culture in Brisbane, while supporting disadvantaged migrants who want to start their own businesses within the food industry.

The idea is simple, and if the crowds are anything to go by, people like it.

Over 400 people turned up to a launch of Street Food Australia concept at the Institute of Modern Art and Judith Wrights Centre of Contemporary Art in Brisbane last week, proving the city’s hunger for new initiatives when it comes to food.

“We are seeing the food trucks in Sydney and in Melbourne but we’re not seeing a lot of alternatives because our regulations are so tight.

“So starting to bring in food carts and food bikes is what we’re interested in as an organisation because we think more people will get opportunities to start small businesses because the costs are lower.

“This is part of a movement with people doing pop up events and re-claiming streets in different ways for social purposes,” she says.

The initiative would take on migrant ‘apprentices’ for a period of 2 years teaching them how to run a small business while serving their native foods off the bike on busy Brisbane streets, before they graduate opening space for more of Brisbane’s multicultural community to enter the program.

Earlier in last year Bird and Daye used a popular crowd sourcing website ‘Pozible’ to raise funds for the prototype.

Over $21,000 was raised to fund the initial ‘dumpling bike’ and the hope is soon a fleet of bikes with specially designed kitchens will hit the streets selling unique foods around the city fringe.

“We’ve received a couple of small grants but really its blood sweat and visa cards, [because] we want to grow in a fast, more sustainable way.”

The man placed in charge of the design of bikes themselves Billerwell Daye explains in the Pozible video how the bikes would be self sufficient.

“We have to fit all these systems in a small space. We have cook systems; 12 volt gas and solar power; water systems; shading and packaging; and we also have to adhere to the local council requirements and food regulations.

“The bikes themselves also need to be quite practical for the rider’s ease of transit,” he says.

Bird says although the first bike has been built and should be operational in the next month Street Food Australia is in an ongoing conversation with Brisbane City Council over the rules and regulations of running such an initiative.

“It’s an ongoing challenge, [but] I think Council is recognising in themselves is that they need to be able to move faster when they see a good idea come along, and they’re trying to work out what mechanisms within their policies they can actually tweak to see this roll out in a reasonable space of time,” she says.

The next 12 months will be busy for the organisation as they expand the project in Brisbane, and hopefully to other Australian cities.

“The amount of emails we get from people who want to be vendors is insane. We’ve got people from Colombia, The Philippines, Manilla, all parts of Asia and South America interested,” Bird says.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/02/12/3687783.htm?site=brisbane

Ashlee Smart and her boyfriend Hayden Chooi check out BBQ on Wheels food truck’s offerings at Fork on the Road. Picture: Tricia Watkinson Source: adelaidenow

More than 30 trucks, vans, cycles and other mobile vendors gathered for the Fork on the Road event at The Depot, a new venue built for the Fringe on the site of the old Franklin St bus depot.

People chose from a huge range of food including Argentinian grills, Mexican tacos, Cambodian rolls, sand-wiches and burgers, as well as cakes, churros and other sweets. Drinks included home-made lemonade and a chilled coffee.

The event was an ideal preview for the fare that will be offered during the Fringe and Adelaide Festival, when many of these food trucks will be out and about in the city streets.

The Sneaky Pickle food truck owners Amanda and Jeff Griffiths with regular customer Katie Stevens, 38, of Morphett Vale. Picture: Dean Martin

Our team of reviewers, many contributors to The Advertiser Food Guide, were on the ground to find what is best.

Among our favourites were the Reuben-style corned beef sandwich from Sneaky Pickle, Simon Bryant’s vegetarian offerings and the inspired fruit-based iceblocks from Loca Pops.

Fork on the Road is organised by Joe Noone, a food lover who saw the success of similar festivals in the US.

He is tapping into the huge growth in food trucks since the Adelaide City Council opened the streets to them as part of the Splash Adelaide program.

Making strong use of social media through Twitter and Facebook, he has attracted thousands of people, and a growing number of trucks, to similar events in Hindmarsh and Victoria squares.

Mr Noone believes the food trucks are changing the feel of Adelaide.

“It’s bringing new activity to the city and getting people outside and into squares and different places that they might not normally go,” he said.

“They are breaking the mould of what standard lunches and dinners are.”

Ashlee Smart, 21, and her boyfriend Hayden Chooi, found their lunch at WienerBago.

“Having all the food in one place is really good,” Ashlee said.

“They don’t sell this kind of food in most other food shops.”

“I love hot dogs and a good serve of sauerkraut,” Hayden said.

“I love trying new things to eat and this is a great event to do it.”

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/street-food-revolution-comes-to-adelaide/story-e6frea83-1226573439209

Sydney’s fleet of food trucks has won the respected FBi Radio Remix the City award for creative use of public space.

The moveable feasts scooped the category, which celebrates ‘an event, person or team who’ve creatively used, created or recreated a physical space, location or landmark in this city, making it a creative destination’ in the annual Sydney Music, Arts and Culture (SMAC) Awards.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore congratulated the chefs and truck operators, the food critics, the mobile app developer and City of Sydney staff on a remarkable team effort.

“Sydneysiders have devoured the trucks’ fast, fresh and fun take on street food,” the Lord Mayor said.

“I’m not surprised because the idea for food trucks originally came from the Sydney community.

“We asked people who live, work and visit the city what kind of nightlife they wanted and one consistent response was for better options for eating out late at night.

“This award is really significant for us, because the food trucks are part of our long-term program to improve Sydney’s late-night culture – it really is about rethinking what kind of city we want.”

The food trucks trial emerged from public consultation with Sydneysiders about the city’s late-night culture.

A handful of innovative food businesses were selected to take to the streets, with the City cutting red tape to allow the restaurants on wheels to trade. The City also provided more than a dozen sites to get them started.

The first truck started operating in May last year. There are now eight trucks on the road, serving crowds of hungry diners every day in squares, parks and other spots where good food options were missing in the past.

Not surprisingly, the trucks have been a smash hit. The City’s free smartphone app  ̶  sharing real-time details about truck locations and menus  ̶  has been downloaded more than 28,000 times since it launched in September, and was rated as one of Apple’s hottest apps of 2012.

The Sydney food trucks also won The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide award for innovation last year.

Now in its fifth year, the SMAC Awards recognises the artists, musicians, cultural organisations, venues, promoters and creative people who keep Sydney’s cultural heart beating.

This is the third year the City has won in the Remix the City category. Art & About Sydney took top honours in the category in 2010, while Art & About’s I Heart Kings Cross won the same award in 2009.

Another Art & About feature, the ‘raining house’ installation called I Wish You Hadn’t Asked by James Dive and The Glue Society, was nominated for this year’s award in the Best Arts Event category. The award was won by the Museum of Contemporary Art’s ArtBar Series.