Goodah Gastrotruck and the Case for Food Trucks in London, Ontario

-

Goodah Gastrotruck and the Case for Food Trucks in London, Ontario

 

BY BRYAN LAVERY


Last June, London City Council agreed to get public feedback on proposed pilot program to allow new-style food trucks. The current bylaw is outdated, because it was drafted to deal with catering trucks, hotdog carts and ice cream vendors which are mostly confined to private parking lots and special events.
City staff revised their initial food truck proposal and a much less restrictive pilot project was proposed. There was no set date for the report back from staff, but they were instructed to look into possible locations, menu selection guidelines and a creative approval proposal process. Bylaw Enforcement Manager, Orest Katolyk, told the committee the likelihood is food trucks won’t hit the streets in London until spring 2014.

Although the pilot project process is still in its preliminary stages, the possibility of permitting food trucks and other mobile food vendor vehicles as: gourmet food trailers, mobile market food trucks and ethnic- catering-type food trucks looks like a done deal.
In the meantime, The Goodah Gastrotruck is leasing space in a private lot because it’s illegal to operate on city streets. Since December 9th, lineups have formed in the cold for Goodah’s hot gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, and occasionally beef and four bean chili smothered with cheddar and served with grilled sour dough and a side of sour cream. The gastrotruck is located in a parking lot on Queens Avenue west of Clarence Street. You can expect to see the truck parked in the same spot every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter.





Modern food trucks serve a diverse variety of healthy options and cultural foods in other cities. They are positioned to incubate new businesses and become an alternative launching pad, for healthy, creative food. There is, of course, a big difference between the greasy-spoon chip wagon and the food truck that serves healthy gourmet or ethnic street foods.
We like food trucks because they stimulate culinary innovation and diversity, draw culinary tourists, provide employment, and contribute revenue to the city. They help stimulate community, and are destined to become an important part of the social and culinary fabric of the city.
Local proponents of food trucks have concrete short-term goals. Their principal goal is to introduce the growing food truck industry to London in a thoughtful and articulate way, by creating guidelines and following best practices, so the current restaurant culture can continue to be successful and not feel undermined or threatened by food trucks.
Food trucks have their detractors in the restaurant community. Recently, Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) got in on the act. They have been involved in discussions with various Southern Ontario municipalities, including London, on the wave of Food Trucks gearing to set up operations. The argument against food trucks is that they're stealing the business of more established bricks-and-mortar- restaurants.

In any event, food trucks continue to have their champions and continue to ride a wave of popularity in part due to Food Network Shows and the ability to leverage social media and engage community. It is true that food trucks have some advantages over a traditional eat-in restaurant. Mobility and the ability to travel to where the customers are is a definite plus. Generally speaking, food trucks have lower overhead, compared to a restaurant, and require less staff. However, a food truck is still a labour-intensive business that requires a lot of work and attention. Entrepreneurial food truck owners often put in long days and have comparable difficulties to restaurateurs, such as slow seasons, unpredictable weather, sluggish economy, red-tape and bureaucracy.
Food trucks are subject to standardized health and safety regulations and inspections. In some cities they are required to adhere by distance restrictions; a buffer zone separating them from existing restaurants. Let’s hope to see some positive resolution in the upcoming months.

 http://www.betterlondon.ca/food_trucks_now

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Ann McColl's Kitchen Shop

-
Image
Ann McColl Lindsay and David Lindsay: A Brief History of a Road Less Traveled Hospitality and the culinary arts have always gone hand in hand. In London, Ontario, we have a history of exceptional restaurateurs, chefs and culinary retailers. Among the latter are Ann McColl Lindsay and David Lindsay, the former proprietors of the legendary Ann McColl’s Kitchen Shop, one of Canada’s finest cookware shops. Ann and David met, married and taught school in Windsor, Ontario from 1961 to 1968. They resigned their positions, sold their red brick bungalow, and embarked on a year-long food pilgrimage across Europe while camping in a Volkswagen van. Travelling in the van with a gas burner allowed them to truly enjoy the local terroir. The first six months of their trip , which ended at the French border, is described in Ann’s memoir Hungry Hearts – A Food Odyssey across Britain and Spain . The second volume, Hearts Forever Young, includes their travels in France, Italy, Austria...
Read more

Homage to Toronto's Yorkville Landmarks the Coffee Mill and Le Trou Normand

-
Image
Homage to Toronto's Yorkville Landmarks the Coffee Mill  and  Le Trou Normand U p until just a few months ago, Le Trou Normand remained the oldest operating fine dining restaurant in Yorkville. Coincidentally, The Coffee Mill a venerated European-style cafe which recently celebrated 51 years in business closed earlier this month. Martha von Heczey’s Coffee Mill opened in May, 1963, in the now-demolished Lothian Mews, on Bloor Street. In 1973 , von Herczey  moved two blocks north to a mini-mall with Yorkville Avenue on one side, Cumberland Street on the other. There was a secluded terrace with an expandable awning in the event of rain. The Coffee Mill was practically right across the street from Le Trou Normand and it was one of my Yorkville haunts for over 30 years. Ms. von Heczey’s late husband Laci, a well-known wrestling champion, liked to wander around Yorkville with a tame cheetah on a leash.    Interestingly, in 19...
Read more

Thaifoon - London’s Premiere Upscale Go-To Thai Restaurant

-
Image
Manisay Visouvath and Fouzan (Rafael) Beg are the proprietors of Thaifoon, downtown London’s upmarket Thai restaurant. The restaurant remains a family affair. Visouvath is the youngest sister of Eddy and Alex Phimprhrachanh’s mother, Arounvaty, who is the head chef at Thaifoon and the matriarch of a Thai food dynasty in the city. Several of Arounvaty’s sisters have opened successful Thai restaurants in the city after being mentored in the kitchen by her.   Visouvath was born in the Southeast Asian country and came to Canada with her parents in 1980. Rafael is from Hyderabad India.  (Hyderabadi cuisine comprises a broad repertoire of rice, grains and meat dishes and the skilled use of various spices –  Indian cuisine has a longer, slower burn, rather than the sharper, built-up spiciness of Thai cuisine .)  Thaifoon’s with-it and tasteful take on the ancient Thai culture, with a décor that honours the past while embracing modernit...
Read more