Moratorium on Food Truck Licenses while Hot Dog Carts stand Strong

While Vancouver has trumpeted the variety of new food offerings through its food cart program in recent years, roughly a third of food vendors are still just plain hot dog stands—as controversy continues over the expansion of the program.

The City of Vancouver launched the food truck program in 2010—to the chagrin of some restaurant owners—by issuing 17 licenses and has since issued over a hundred to various operators in the downtown core.  A smorgasbord of options can be found in the ‘Other’ category, where, of the 35 food vendors, there is almost no duplication of cuisine to choose from.

While there has been some debate as to the potential impact of expanding the food truck program—the city predicted 130 licenses by 2014—the consequences are still unclear.  

Ian Tostenson, President and CEO of the British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA), says that the issue is still in a grey area and the city is trying to gather more information in order to determine exactly what the impact of food trucks is.

“The city put a moratorium on the licensing of new food trucks until they could figure out what the impact was, both for restaurants and food trucks,” says Tostenson. “The city is talking about expanding the program again, but our position will be, let’s get some facts before we start adding more to the struggle.”

Cindy “Mom” Hamilton, owner of Mom’s Grilled Cheese located at the corner of Howe and Robson Street, says that despite the challenges, it’s a fair and a legitimate food service. “It’s a slog and there’s a lot of competition, but it’s a vibrant culture and it offers a unique service for people on-the-go who don’t have time to sit down and eat.”

Tostenson says that the BCRFA supports local businesses and competition and doesn’t have a problem with food trucks necessarily.

“We never opposed food trucks, we just opposed the continual expansion of it without having an awareness of what the impacts were in the marketplace and to bricks-and-mortar restaurants.”

Across the city, there is no recognizable pattern for the locations of unique food stands or hot dog carts, as the majority and mixture remains in the downtown core.     

A map of food carts in Vancouver displays 'hot hog carts' (red) versus 'everything else' (yellow)

Tostenson points out that most of the complaints they received were coming from restaurants in places where there was a high concentration of food trucks.

“In fairness, I think the city cracked down—if any of the food trucks were encroaching or operating in areas where they shouldn’t be, they put some rules in place,” says Tostenson.

Hamilton, on the other hand, says that it doesn’t matter if you’re a small hot dog cart, a truck or a trailer, you can only operate your food truck in the area designated by your license, and that there are a number of other regulations and requirements that must be adhered to. “Your location is predetermined. Also, you can’t lend your spot to anyone and you have to be there at least three months of the year.”

According to a story in The Huffington Post in August of this year, Vancouver City Councilor George Affleck said in a news release, “The enormous success of our food cart and truck vendors should not be at the expense of brick and mortar business that pay property tax, employ thousands of people, and generate millions of dollars for Vancouver’s economy.” 

Looking back at the last three years, Tostenson says that the food truck business is a tough one. “I’ve noticed that a lot of the food trucks haven’t done as well as they expected.”

Hamilton says that the amount of upkeep and maintenance on a food truck is the biggest challenge by far. “To have brick-and-mortar would be heavenly after doing this for three years, just because you never know if your restaurant is even going to make it to the spot.”

Hamilton points out that, while the city isn’t issuing any more permits at the moment, you can still get a mobile permit which allows you to roam around outside of the downtown core.

“I don’t think I’m stepping on anyone’s toes here. There’s a hot dog stand and a cart and another truck on the same block, but we’re all providing choices. It’s a free enterprise. If you want to own a restaurant, own a restaurant. If you want to have a food truck, then go for it,” says Hamilton.

Mr. and Ms. Lee, owners of Mama Lee’s Korean Express, say that food carts are a great way for people who can’t afford to open a restaurant to share their creations. “If it’s good food, it’s good food. You should be able to share that with people,” says Mr. Lee.

Mr. and Mrs. Lee in their food cart on Granville Street. Photo by: Stuart Gallacher