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/

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.

A fleet of shiny brand-new food trucks rolled on the streets of Sydney last year. For the last few months they’ve been patrolling the city streets offering up tasty morsels to hungry office workers (like me) as well as helping those late-night drinkers stave off potential hangovers (not me).

But why should those city-slickers have all the fun all the time? It seems only fare that the foodtrucks venture beyond the city limits for awhile so that those of west of George Street can enjoy some of the tasty tasty fun.

During January the fleet of food trucks will hit Parramatta’s Church Street Mall (check out the schedule below).  For the next few weeks us “Westies” will be able to sample the best of roving Mexican street food, sweet treats, Charcoal BBQ, retro jaffles circa the 1980s, freshly made pasta, sliders and wonderful organic meals. Fully sic hey?

Not wanting to miss a minute of the action, The Boy and I ventured up to Church Street to see what was on offer on Friday night. It was such a great night – the council have set up tables + chairs and buskers played some tunes to keep us entertained. There were lots of families with kids out and about – and parents could enjoy a bite to eat whilst their kids played at the nearby playground.  Despite the heat we felt so relaxed and well fed – it was a really great community event.

First stop is the Agape Food Truck - a big red truck of happiness serving up a vast array of fresh, healthy and organic food that is beyond delicious! There was quite a lot of on offer so we narrowed it down to the Organic Prawn and Scallop Po’boy ($12) and the Organic Fish Tacos (2 for $12.00).  Yes, they were as good as they looked. I especially loved the crispy fish on the taco and the tartare sauce was creamy,  luscious and dotted with zesty pieces of dill + capers. These were so good I went back for seconds!

Our dining companions fell in love with the organic spelt pizza from Agape ($10.00) that was laden with  meatballs, tomato, oregano and mozzarella. And of course it’s impossible to pass on Agape’s fat, crunchy handcut chips ($8.00).

Next stop is the cuter than cuter Jafe Jaffles truck – a bright yellow Kombi Van that turns out the crispy, puffy jaffles I remember from childhood. These jaffles are perfectly retro and ooze with melty cheese and other interesting fillings.  We opted for the Goldie Corn ($6.00) – a simple filling of cheese and cream corn. One word …scrumptious!

We’re feeling kinda full by now but we feel that it is our civic duty to visit all three food trucks that in Parramatta on this night.

Tsuru Truck is out last truck for the night and it doesn’t disappoint. The steamed pork belly bun($6.00) is perfection – fat, sticky pork belly that is topped with a sweet sauce and sandwiched in a soft, pillowy steamed bun. There was also a beef bilgogi bun ($6.00) on offer which I think Korean food fans will love.  The Boy cannot go past Chicken Satay when it’s on offer (think these were $6.00) and I have to say these were really great.  The peanut sauce was thick and flavoursome but also had a little something different in it – similar to hoisin sauce…same same but different.

Ooo  what’s this – dessert? Why I don’t mind if I do.  I think the teams from Tsuru + Agape felt sorry for us as we wilted in the stifling summer heat and sent out these lovely desserts for us to try. Tsuru’s dessert was a delicious moist pandan and chocolate cake that we demolished immediately – it was quite a hit with the kids at our table.  Agape’s rich organic chocolate brownie has be tasted to be believed – a rich chocolate brownie smothered in chocolate sauce and almond praline…need I say more?

We are really lucky that Parramatta Council is embracing the food truck phenomenon and inviting them to our ‘hood.  Don’t miss out people – it’s a great initiative and a different way to experience dining in our suburb.

January schedule – trucks will be in Parramatta between 5pm – 9pm on the dates below:

Wednesday 16th – Street Sliders, My Sweet Boutique
Thursday 17th – My Sweet Boutique
Friday 18th – Jafe Jaffles
Saturday 19th – Tsuru, Al Carbon, Urban Pasta
Thursday 24th – Agape
Saturday 26th – Street Sliders, Agape

The trucks can be found outside the Parramatta Town Hall – Church Street Mall, Parramatta.  Make sure you head up on Saturday to see the wonderful Al Carbon truck…it unfolds like a HUGE transformer to reveal a world of marvelous BBQ meats and tacos. Cannot WAIT!

http://www.theadventuresofmisspiggy.com/2013/01/food-trucks-hit-parramatta.html

Patrice Empeigne and his sister Nathalie with their Street Sliders food truck in Prince Alfred Park, Parramatta, where they will promote their mobile burger business. Picture: BOB BARKER

A NEW street-eating craze is about to hit Parramatta with the launch of Street Sliders – a big red truck serving up American-style fast food with a twist.

The first Street Sliders in Sydney will be launched in Parramatta at Prince Alfred Park on Saturday, December 15, from 6pm to 9pm.

The truck, which will travel around locations in Parramatta, is based on the food trucks which are popular in New York and Los Angeles. Sliders is the term given to hamburgers transformed into mini-gourmet treats.

Street Sliders in Sydney was founded by brother and sister Patrice and Nathalie Empeigne, who have decided to launch in Parramatta before moving to the Sydney CBD.

“We really want to build a street-eating culture here in Parramatta and let the community experience why food trucks are so popular in cities like New York and LA,” Mr Empeigne said.

He was inspired after meeting international chef, Marc Pavlovic, who loved the food trucks in the US.

Mr Pavlovic, who has 25 years’ experience in leading kitchens in Paris, New York and Sydney, has been appointed Street Sliders executive chef.

Mr Empeigne said Pavlovic’s New York-inspired menu offered “delicious hawker food that is freshly cooked using quality ingredients”.

Ms Empeigne said Street Sliders would be in Prince Alfred Park from 6pm-9pm every Saturday for a few weeks, but would travel to other places throughout the week.

“We will post our locations on our Facebook pages and website,” she said.

SLIDING INTO TOWN

* Street Sliders gourmet hamburgers

* Launch at Prince Alfred Park December 15, 6pm-9pm

* Prices start at $5.50

http://parramatta-advertiser.whereilive.com.au/news/story/street-sliders-food-truck-coming-to-parramatta/

Eat Art Truck dishes up top quality street food in Sydney.

There’s no denying we love our food trucks and Sydney council’s trial of the concept is dispensing some high quality eats for the city’s hungry hordes. But there’s more to operating a mobile food business than meets the eye. Ken Burgin explores some of the management issues.

ICE-CREAM and coffee vans have been around in Australia for decades, and at every street festival there’s a well-organised kebab seller – maybe even one for dagwood dogs! But recently the food truck industry has hit the headlines.

The image is appealing – a life on the road, hungry crowds and all that cash money. But creating a long-term success will be more challenging: every year has fast and slow seasons, hot and cold, sunshine and rain. Are you just swapping a landlord for the parking police?

On the positive side, startup costs for a brick and mortar restaurant range between $100,000 and $5,000,000. Food truck owners quote far lower expenses – a second-hand van with renovations may get you going. Starting is simpler – licensing, staff, equipment and a concept. Once you’re underway, the daily workload is usually simple and predictable.

Mobility allows you to target public events, gatherings and the best locations. Your truck could cover a soccer game in the morning, an outdoor concert in the afternoon, and then head to a busy nightspot to close the evening. Social media is an inexpensive tool for keeping potential customers updated on your travel schedule – much of it can be pushed out from your mobile phone. These are quick-start businesses ideal for quick-start people, and the glamour factor has the media and even local government smiling on these ‘urban food pioneers’.

Sounds good so far, but there are many potential problems – it’s not as simple as finding a used truck with a fridge and a flattop grill. Health and hygiene regulations grow more onerous every year, and food trucks won’t be given a free pass. They get the same regulatory oversight as traditional restaurants. Inspections will be easy to conduct and hygienic issues fairly obvious to customers.

Maintenance challenges
Keeping vehicles clean and washed down will be a challenge without the ready supply of hot water that restaurants enjoy. Food service requires massive amounts of water, but in your truck you will be measuring it carefully. Designing for hygiene will be of major importance – and stainless steel is not cheap.

Initial startup costs are appealing, but after acquiring a truck, food, employees and insurance, you’ll still need a sales permit. Make sure you watch out for council regulations. Is there a cap on active permits in your area, and has that figure already been met?

Competition can be fierce, and nothing will stop competitors from swooping in and stealing your spot after seeing its value.  There will always be parking regulations, and tickets can pile up.

Business dampeners
Weather influences daily trade in any restaurant, but even mild inconveniences like a light rain can drive away mobile food customers so be prepared for bad weather and its effect on your cash flow. You may also have truck problems – taking this on means you now have the joy of maintaining a motor vehicle. Plus security is an issue – lots of cash in a small van late at night.

And relationships with local restaurants may become strained. Some areas designate locations for food trucks that are a certain distance from the nearest restaurant or food outlet – but is it good for your trade? Adequate power supply and backup must always be available, as a simple malfunction could destroy the earning potential of the day and also put your valuable perishable stock in jeopardy. Generators need fuel, and can be expensive to run.

The nature of a mobile business requires a much larger focus on promotion and keeping customers aware of your current travel plans. You’ll need to develop awareness for every single location you frequent and be actively using Facebook and Twitter, You need to love these mediums, as they’re the lifeline to your customers. Tweeting while you cook and wipe the grease off your phone? Are you ready for that?

Also think about your height, and that of your staff. If you’re tall, a van will not be an easy space to work. This may also limit who you can recruit.

Toilets and personal supplies must be on hand or readily available – do your staff fancy a late night dash to the public toilets?

Your mobile truck may look like the place where the food is produced, but depending on local laws, you may be required to prepare the food elsewhere, in a commercial kitchen or commissary. If not, you still face the strong possibility of needing a second truck for cooking your food, or even just delivering to the main vehicle.

High volume needs plenty of storage and the extra vehicles and premises you may need will mean extra costs.

Finally, what happens when it’s time to sell? Restaurants and cafes can sell for a good price if they have a good long-term lease, good figures and they’re easy to run.  You may have good profits, but the lease is as long as your vehicle registration, the work is hard and the cashflow uncertain. The pool of buyers for businesses like these is small.

There’s money to be made in these types of businesses but the glamour image needs close inspection.

Read Danielle Bowling’s feature here, where she talks to three different food truck operators about what their days involve.

http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/management/food-truck-trials-and-tribulations

The Boys behind the Eart Art Truck

One of the many theories behind the recent spurt of restaurant closures in Sydney is that diners are moving away from the fine dining scene, instead preferring a more casual, relaxed atmosphere but still with the same top quality food.

Well it doesn’t get more casual than ordering from the side of a truck and eating in a park or on your way back to the office. But this mobile dining style seems to be the type of experience Australians are growing hungry for.

Rafael Rashid operates two food trucks in Melbourne – Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck – and says peoples’ demand for the street food experience has been growing over recent years.

Beatbox Kitchen hit the road in 2009 and serves up burgers and fries at music festivals and various Melbourne locations seven days a week.

In February of last year Rashid launched Taco Truck which, as its name suggests, sells the Mexican favourite.

And while it might seem like a low-stress, low-maintenance business model, that’s not necessarily the case, says Rashid. The hardest part of the job is debunking the myth that street food is low quality, and perfecting the right balance of freshness and speed.

“That’s the biggest challenge,” he says. “Probably where you feel it the most is at places like music festivals where if you stand for a great food product and you have to pay high rent at some of these music festivals, you feel like there’s going to be a trade off, which is traditionally why music festivals have really poor food. Because people need to sell a lot of it to make their business viable.

“So it’s sort of the same in the street. It’s how are you going to build a great business if you can’t deliver a great product? You’re talking about a real balancing act. It comes down to asking ‘have I built the right menu?’ and ‘am I able to sell enough of this great menu to make it a viable business?’.”

There’s much more to operating a food truck than just driving from venue to venue dishing out simple but tasty meals. It’s just like any other foodservice business, says Rashid, and there are serious costs involved too. “We operated without a fixed address for nearly two years,” he says. “Now we have a warehouse with a prep kitchen and it allows us to get out a lot more often than we could have when we just had the truck.

“Having a fixed address is good, but that’s going to take rent as well. I think it’s a bit of a myth that everyone thinks you don’t have rent. Our permits are as much as the rate payers’. Yes, we don’t have fixed rent on the street but we do have a fixed warehouse…and you can’t really operate without a fixed address because suppliers can’t deliver to a truck. They need somewhere to go. Plus we have all our grease traps set up there so all our waste comes back and goes through there. It’s quite a set up.”

Sydney’s street food scene isn’t quite as established as Melbourne’s, but that is changing with the City of Sydney’s food truck trial now under way which will see ten operators roaming the streets as part of the 12 month test run.

Eat Art Truck is one of the food truck concepts that made the cut and operator Stuart McGill, ex-Tetsuya’s, hopes his concept will push the boundaries of what people consider to be street food.

“We don’t call it high-end street food, but it is street food that we consider to be a lot more accessible and we use some of the best produce and techniques, like you’d fine in a normal restaurant,” McGill says. “We’re themed around a barbecue, so we like that style of cooking. It lends itself well to the kind of street food that we want to do. I guess you could look at it as trying to push the envelope a bit as far as what people think street food is and what they can get out of the side of a truck.”

McGill says Eat Art Truck has been very well received with favourites off the menu already establishing themselves with customers – including pulled pork in a bun with barbecue sauce; shichimi wings (Japanese pepper seasoned chicken wings); and beef ssam, a Korean-style lettuce wrap with twice cooked beef.

Despite its popularity, McGill agrees with Rashid that the costs of operating a food truck aren’t to be dismissed. “We use a prep kitchen, and then we’ve got wage costs for myself and for the other guys who have very good credentials,” he says. “The labour cost is what kills us, it’s definitely our biggest expense. I definitely wouldn’t say it’s a cash cow or that we don’t have expenses. We have a 15 kVA generator we have to fill with premium petrol and that takes a tank every three hours. Running costs aren’t minimal.”

There are usually two chefs working in Eat Art – in a five metre by three metre space – at any given time, in a basic kitchen which comprises two combi ovens, a chargrill, a deep fryer and a touch screen point of sale system. Decking out the truck was no simple feat either.

“It’s essentially like a commercial kitchen, just on the back of a truck,” McGill says. “We had to abide by the same standards and build it to the criteria that any other restaurant would have to abide by. So we had to think about exhaust fans and things like that. We have to obviously have hot running water and we have to deal with waste water, all those sorts of things that you wouldn’t automatically think of, but of course they’re a crucial part to you operating in a normal manner.”

Stephanie Raco and her partner Rode Vella operate another of Sydney’s trial trucks, the Mexican Cantina Mobil, after previously operating a restaurant in Manly for nine years.

“The truck took my partner longer to fit out than the 120-seat restaurant we used to have,” says Raco. “It’s like building a kitchen inside a boat or something – just the amount of curves and tight spaces, and certainly trying to generate enough power to enable all the equipment that you require, even if you are [only] keeping food at a safe, consistent heat. That was really challenging.”

No cooking is actually done on the truck, but rather in an off-premise kitchen. The ingredients are simply kept fresh and/or warm and compiled on the road, making the truck’s bain maries, freezer, microwave and underbench fridges of utmost importance. Food safety, after all, is a big concern for street food vendors.

“It’s just a matter of educating the staff about the four hour danger zone,” says Raco. “We bring back-up bain maries, and gastronomes if we are doing a long trading period, so we’re able to put fresh ones in. We have a fantastic hot box that is able to keep food at the appropriate   temperature for many, many hours.

“Other than that it’s just normal hygiene. We have our handwashing sink as opposed to our cleaning, sanitising sink. It really isn’t that dissimilar from the normal expectations within a restaurant. “We obviously can’t wash onboard, we don’t have those types of facilities for crockery and utensils and things like that, so there is a tub where anything dirty goes and we just have to make sure we’ve got back up, back up, back up of spoons and tongs. So it’s a lot of fresh use rather than washing and re-using.”

Before being accepted as part of the City of Sydney’s trial, Cantina Mobil was already cruising around the city’s beaches, with a permit from Warringah Council. With the concept so warmly received wherever the truck has parked, Raco and Vella now have plans to build a fleet of Cantinas to roam all over Sydney.

Raco says people are enthusiastic about the quality offering. “Parking down at Customs House [at Sydney's Circular Quay] we’ve got McDonald’s to one side of us and Hungry Jacks to the other side of us,” she says. “And people are so grateful that there’s this late night offering that takes them out of those questionable fast food chains that have dominated for so long and not really given us much by the way of great flavours. People are excited on so many levels.”

http://ezymagazines.com/the-business-of-street-food/

New food movement … Eat Art Truck. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

The City of Sydney receives the award for innovation for its Sydney Food Trucks initiative. The award acknowledges the exciting new dimension mobile diners bring to city street dining and the farsightedness of council for spearheading their introduction. To date, two trucks are operational, with more tipped to take the road next month.

Good Food Guide co-editor Joanna Savill says the initiative adds life to Sydney’s nightlife, putting good, casual food when and where it’s needed.

‘‘What I love is this is a concept that really fits Sydney,’’  Savill says. ‘‘It happens in other good food cities like Los Angeles and, in a way, it was long overdue. But the biggest hurdle with any transformation of our city is regulation and legislation and it took the city council to shepherd this initiative through the maze of red tape and make it happen.’’

City council operates 12 food truck stops in the city, with vans rotating every three hours through prominent, high-traffic sites including the Customs House forecourt, Martin Place and Pitt Street Mall, as well as parks on the edge of the central business district. Truck owners  negotiated a separate lunch stop at north Barangaroo. Council is now seeking state government permission to allow food trucks to park along designated roads in fringe city centre suburbs such as Glebe and Surry Hills.

Two of the 10 trial participants, Cantina Mobil and Eat Art Truck, are on the road, a further three have lodged their paperwork and the council expects the rest to be trading next month. The trucks specialise in freshly cooked food from Eat Art Truck’s Japanese- and Korean-influenced barbecue treats to Chinese and Italian favourites and slow-cooked Mexican fare.

While the rollout has been slower than expected, Savill has sampled the fare of Cantina Mobil and Eat Art Truck and is pleased with the quality and diversity of food styles.

‘‘No one’s tried to be too fancy, and each of the trucks have worked with their strengths as a food business,’’ Savill says.

Once the public becomes educated about food truck culture and becomes used to tracking the trucks’ movements via social media, Savill predicts the movement will explode. A smartphone app has been developed to track truck locations and scheduled stop-offs.

‘‘It’s underground but give it a year and this [venture] will take off.’’

Until recently, eating a greasy kebab at 3 am was synonymous with a night out in Sydney – for the simple reason that not much else existed in the late-night food scene.

However, recent community feedback on how to make the city’s nightlife more dynamic prompted Lord Mayor Clover Moore (who also passed the small bars and restaurant bill that supports an alternative culture to bars with poker machines and televised sports) to bring the growing international food truck movement to Sydney’s hungry night owls.

Now, instead of flocking to less-than-healthy kebab shops, Sydneysiders will soon have 10 mobile eateries to choose from each night: Cantina Mobil, Bite Size Delights, Agape Organic, Tsuru, Taco Truck, Al Carbon, Burger Theory, Eat Art Truck, Let’s Do Yum Cha and Veggie Patch.

The food trucks are currently racing to get up and running, having already undergone a rigorous testing process that included a presentation of their business plan, a proposed theme and menu, and a cook-off.

Equipped with kitchens and chefs, the trucks will pop up at 13 designated spots around the city in the coming weeks, with possible locations including Belmore Park near Central Station, the Customs House Forecourt at Circular Quay, and nearby inner city suburbs like Pyrmont and Annandale.

The trucks, which will serve everything from pastizzi to organic pizza to modern Australian cuisine, will run both day and evening, with several proposing to operate until 2 or 3 am.

Interested individuals can keep tabs on the food truck progress on TimeOut Sydney.

http://www.ehospitalitytimes.com/?p=42084

Mayor Clover Moore

The City of Sydney is advertising the Development Applications it has submitted to Council for consent to operate gourmet food trucks at Customs House (2 Trucks) and Pitt Street Mall near King Street (1 Truck).

Residents and local businesses are invited to make submissions about the proposed locations and conditions of consent the City of Sydney is seeking for the first 12 month trial of the 10 gourmet food trucks that have been chosen by the City of Sydney to tempt Sydneysiders taste buds on Sydney’s streets late at night.

The gourmet food truck initative, announced by Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore, comes on the back of the success of similar late night food trucks in other cities, such as Santa Monica in Los Angeles and London.

Related article

Food trucks hit the streets as Sydney follows Santa Monica’s example

http://www.streetcorner.com.au/news/show…

Extract from Development Application for Pitt Street Mall

The proposal seeks consent to operate a maximum of one gourmet food truck at Pitt St Mall, near the King St intersection. The Plan of Management will guide the use, operation and management of the food truck to ensure any adverse impacts are appropriately managed. The proposed food truck is a new form of mobile food vending where hot food is prepared and served at specific times and designated locations. The food truck is proposed to trade for 3 to 4 hour intervals between the hours of 7:00pm to 2:00am, 7 days a week with no overnight stays. This proposal seeks consent for a 12 month time-limited period after which the consent will lapse

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Devel…

Extract for DA – Customs House

5030 Alfred Street Sydney NSW 2000

The proposal seeks consent to operate a maximum of two gourmet food trucks at Alfred St (Customs House Forecourt). The Plan of Management will guide the use, operation and management of the food truck to ensure any adverse impacts are appropriately managed .The proposed food truck is a new form of mobile food vending where hot food is prepared and served at specific times and designated locations. The food truck is proposed to trade for 3 to 4 hour intervals between the hours of 9:00pm to 2:00am, 7 days a week with no overnight stays. This proposal seeks consent for a 12 month time-limited period after which the consent will lapse.

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Devel…