On Friday, January 10, University of Toronto St. George students braved the cold weather to take part in Food Truck Friday, an event organized by UeaT, University of Toronto’s Food Services. Food Truck Friday takes place at St. George Street and Willcocks Street every Friday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. According to Philip Cox, the marketing and communications manager of UeaT, the event was created in response to student feedback to diversify the food offerings on campus.
Food Truck Friday this semester will be smaller than it has been in the past. While Food Truck Friday events last year often hosted more than six trucks, with customer turnout in the thousands, the first Food Truck Friday of 2014 had only two trucks: Smokes Poutinerie and BeaverTails. Next week, on Friday January 17, Caplansky’s — a food truck specializing in hand-made modern Jewish cuisine — will be added to the list as well. Cox says that, on average, students should expect two trucks each week, with occasional exceptions for special events.
For a food truck to be considered for participation in the event, it must be fully insured, have a valid municipal license, and current certification from Toronto Public Health. Toronto’s licensing laws are unusually strict. The cost of a license here is $400, and each employee requires an additional $300 license. In Vancouver, by comparison, operators require a $50 business license, and a $290 permit per truck.
The high cost of licensing and the related low number of food trucks is unfortunate for students — many of whom complain about the poor selection of food on campus. Alice Gao, a third-year biology student who attended the first Food Truck Friday of the year said, “I’m happy to see Food Truck Friday return, but I remember going to one in September of last year that was much better. It’s good to see more options on campus but I think that we’re really missing out on a great event in place of one that’s just okay.”
Student and staff demand dictate which food trucks will return from week to week. Cox describes the process as “largely trial and error; some trucks have been more successful than others.”
Food Services began Food Truck Friday as a means to diversify the range of food offered on campus in response to student feedback. Other Food Services initiatives include the local food challenge, which encourages campus chefs to use Ontario-grown food, and veggie Mondays, which encourage students to embrace a vegetarian lifestyle for one day a week. Food Services is responsible for overseeing all of the food providers on campus.
How much money should a student count on spending when they visit the truck?
Smoke’s Poutinerie: $4 – $10
BeaverTails: $1.33 – $6.19
Caplansky’s Delicatessen: $8 – $15
Best-Selling Item:
Smoke’s Poutinerie: Chipotle Pulled Pork Poutine
BeaverTails: Classic cinnamon and sugar pastry
Caplansky’s Delicatessen: Smoked Meat Sandwich
