STREET FOOD – CHALLENGE & INNOVATION

Street food has always been part of the gastronomic culture in many countries. In Quebec, since the 1950s, it was relegated to a rather poor expression and left as a renegade on the roadside throughout the province. However, since 2013, a new version of "street food" has emerged in the streets of Montreal.

 

After 2 years of pilot project, a regulation took birth in 2015 and has positioned Montreal as a new creative player in the dissemination of gastronomy and which is now a cultural component. Many cities, subsequently, opened their doors to street cuisine with varied prototypes, more or less adapted to the reality of the restaurant world, but with a certain interest: that of promoting local gastronomy.

 

For mobile kitchens, looking for new products, new ideas and new ways of showcasing their food are all important tools to distinguish themselves from a multitude of restaurants. It’s a tough industry for the common man to understand. Many initiatives will fail and burn every year, and the financial results of several restaurants suggest that it is difficult to obtain what was expected. Fortunately, behind many food trucks, there are inspired and hardworking cooks and chefs who won’t allow the many pitfalls to stop them.

 

FOOD TRUCK, A USEFUL TOOL

In the restaurant business, the food truck becomes a great way of exporting talent otherwise relegated to fixed kitchens. For many companies, owning a truck-kitchen becomes a way of reaching customers who would otherwise be inaccessible.

 

Through catering services, it is now possible to go directly to customers to make them appreciate an experience that is close to a restaurant. On festival sites, setting up a food truck also becomes a great tool to showcase its cuisine and concept to an audience that otherwise would have only had access to "tried and true" restaurants close by. The food truck becomes a real extraordinary satellite promotion for otherwise unreachable customers.

 

When a restaurateur holds a licence to sell in the public domain, a food truck instantly becomes an extension of the restaurant to which it is affiliated. Positioned on a street corner, it offers "signature" dishes adapted to customers who wish to satisfy a previously impossible need to be filled. A food truck can also become an emblem for an already existing restaurant (80% of ARRQ members are fixed restaurateurs).

 

THE CITY DYNAMIC

Building a food truck is easy; however, positioning it in strategic locations is not an easy task. Most Quebec cities prohibit selling in the public domain. Over the past years, we have seen regulations develop that allow selling food in the public domain in some municipalities. Often inspired by the city of Montreal, policies vary from city to city.

 

In general, permits are allocated to restaurant owners or owners of storefront, production kitchens in various municipalities. It is important to be well informed about the regulations of each city, since the regulations are municipal and not provincial.

 

PERMITS – A STORMY SUBJECT

For the right to operate a food truck, just obtain a general preparation permit from MAPAQ. This process is pretty simple; just fill out an application on its website:

 

http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/Formulaires/presdetstaf.pdf.

 

The difficulty lies in finding out where selling is permitted. In the public domain, each municipality has its own regulations. Since 2011, the Association des restaurateurs de rue du Québec (ARRQ) has been playing an important role in discussions with cities. The mandate of the ARRQ is positioned in 2 ways. On the one hand, it plays the role of a lobbyist at many political levels to put forward street food. Its other interest is to promote street food by creating events to promote it. ARRQ members, after having been endorsed by a Selection Committee, may participate in unique and innovative events giving them the opportunity to assert their originality and their know-how.

 

This applies especially to the First Fridays event (already in its 6th year), which features all ARRQ members. This gathering takes place 6 times per year, from May to October, at the Montreal Olympic Park and reaches more than 20,000 people every Friday.

 

This initiative, established in Montreal so far, has helped ARRQ members become better known, by highlighting a new way of making food for the public. The food trucks are also in demand for many projects, both public and private, and the ARRQ oversees reserving the food trucks for more than 300 events every year.

 

STREET CUISINE – A CULTURAL DRIVER

The utility of a food truck, in addition to being a great tool for an already established restaurant, is also a means of extraordinary expression for many cooks. Despite so many regulations, owning a mobile kitchen is also a chance to express one’s freedom. Once installed, the chef must adapt his menu and innovate according to the place where it is located. The menu must satisfy diversified customers whenever its service window is open. The possibilities are endless.

 

The food truck as an extension of a restaurant is an inexhaustible source of ideas to satisfy eager customers who love novelty and who are ready to experiment.

 

A DIFFICULT STRUGGLE, BUT SO REWARDING

The business model of the food truck is special; it belongs to personality types distinct from those in the kitchen and restaurant as we know them. It’s a mixture of restaurant service and classic cuisine. Operators of food trucks are comfortable with the public, by being creative. With easy smiles, they take pleasure in welcoming customers while knowing that the food they serve them will be fulfilling and delicious. There is no room for error, you can’t re-cook a dish, so everything must be perfect the first time. Guests return to the window to express themselves and gratification is instant. It’s the long-awaited time when finally, a cook or chef directly receives the appreciation he has long deserved.