A month and a half after Surrey launched a food truck pilot program, which includes six Surrey sites where 10 vendors would be given a designated space over the year, residents and foodies alike are wondering where and when they can grab said grub.
Ten mobile vendors were to appear in parking lots of the North Surrey Recreation Centre, Bear Creek Park/Surrey Arts Centre, Newton Wave Pool and City Hall Plaza throughout the day, over a period of one week.
There is no schedule and Surrey’s manager of parks, Owen Croy, says that the vendors can come and go from their designated parking location when it “makes most sense for them from a business perspective.”
The 10 vendors include popular “street meat” staple Japadog, the Surrey-based Hillbilly Dawgz - where specialty meat dogs like crocodile and kangaroo are common fare - and the Tasty Torpedo, a sandwich truck.
“We give them the location, and we set the rules around them having to have their business licence, the fire inspection, the Fraser Health inspection,” Croy said. “They generally set their own hours and it typically is for the lunch trade and for the early supper trade.”
He added that the city has “had some great success in a number of locations.”
“We’re just about to launch next week,” said Chris Davis of Tasty Torpedo, designated for City Centre. The cart has not yet appeared this summer as the company has been busy with prior obligations.
“We’ve been doing private functions since we started,” Davis said, but added that he’s excited to get off the ground in Surrey when they launch the week of August 4. “We’re super happy about Surrey and that’s where we’re invested,” he said. He advised prospective customers to check the Tasty Torpedo’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for updates on the truck’s hours.
Likewise, Darrell McFarlane, owner of Hillbilly Dawgz, who has a 12-foot stand set up at Bear Creek Park on selected days, advises people to check his Twitter feed for updates on when the stand will be serving up quirky, gourmet dogs.
“I think the responsibility of everybody should be to tweet when they’re going to be there - whether it’s on Facebook or your webpage or by tweeting,” he said, adding that working on both social media and a city initiative, rather than a festival, are new experiences for him.
“It’s like anything else; it’s a new program for Surrey and I think it’s great but it’s going to take a little while for people to get, ‘Well, hey, where are you?’... I think it’s so new right now that we’re all just getting our feet wet.”
Hillbilly Dawgz also has a food trailer set up at Surrey Night Market on Fridays and Saturdays.
McFarlane said that despite growing pains that go along with starting up something new, the program has been a positive experience.
“The Surrey parks staff have been very supportive to us,” he said. “It’s all so new with everyone right now that we’re all growing with this thing together.”
Davis agrees with his fellow vendor. “Sukhi (Bahia)’s been doing a fabulous job of getting all together,” Davis said of the city’s business systems coordinator, who worked closely with the vendors in setting up the food cart program.
Bahia could not be reached for comment by deadline. Other participating food vendors are Old Country Pierogi, Fijian Fusion, The Place Next Door Canteen, Hot Grandma’s Kitchen, Taj Tadka, Taj Express and Don’s Smokies.
