Gourmet Syndicate owners (left to right) Jason Apple, Don Lentendre, and Jory Simkin hope to secure one of 17 street vendor licenses for their pan-Asian Roaming Dragon truck in the July 9 lottery.

Credit: Doug Shanks

NEWS: Street food diversity now a game of chance

When the City of Vancouver recently announced the launch of a long-anticipated pilot project that aims to bring greater variety to the types of food sold by street vendors, it didn’t take long for entrepreneurs and self-described foodies to whip themselves into a frenzy.

While budget-conscious gourmands entertain fantasies of downtown streets filled with carts and trucks selling inexpensive world cuisine (traditionally only hot dogs could be sold from sidewalk operations), it’s been a race to the finish line for would-be vendors, who had just 10 days to ready their applications after the call went out on June 20. As of June 28, only 40 individuals had applied for 17 available locations, said City spokeswoman Wendy Stewart. But as of 9am on June 30 — deadline day — that number had skyrocketed to between 300 and 400. “It’s terrific. People are really embracing it,” said Stewart, citing long lines of applicants outside the City’s engineering office as the cut-off approached.

For applicants who managed to get their affairs in order — providing proof of insurance and menu details, securing a commercial kitchen to store food, and much more — beating the clock was no small feat. And the nail-biting is far from over.

Tomorrow morning (July 9), those who have satisfied application criteria will have to submit to the laws of chance, as the 17 successful candidates will be chosen by a lottery. “We’ve done a lottery for many years for street-vending locations, purely to be fair,” said Grant Woff, Vancouver’s acting manager of streets administration, explaining that the pilot program will be running under the City’s existing bylaws. Woff acknowledged the lottery system could lead to duplication of the kinds of food on offer, but maintained the process is the most democratic approach.

Jason Apple of Gourmet Syndicate, a Vancouver-based company that offers turnkey operations for street vendors, said he’s been inundated with people interested in entering the lottery. However, with the City requiring applicants to be operational by July 31, meaning a cart or truck has to be secured and approved by City engineers, those new to the food-service industry may be left out. “It’s prohibitive in the sense that you pretty much have to have an existing business already,” said Apple. “Even though it’s fairly democratic and they’re saying just put your name in the lottery and here you go, it’s a lot to do between having your name pulled and [being ready to operate by] July 31.”

That’s what kept Rafael Cuello from applying, even though his Hastings Street restaurant, La Taqueria, is founded on the principles of Mexican street food. “We don’t want to jump into the game just to be in the game,” he said, explaining his primary concern is ensuring the quality of his product. With rates for a curbside spot to accommodate a truck (Cuello’s preference), roughly 10 times that of a sidewalk space for a cart, Cuello said it may make more sense for him to secure a lease for a second permanent location rather than jump into the street-food fray at this early juncture. “We’re going to take things slowly but surely,” he said, adding that despite his decision, he remains an ardent supporter of the City’s move to diversify its street-food scene.

Ernesto Gomez, co-owner of Lebanese eatery Nuba, has thrown his hat in the ring. With a food truck and a commercial kitchen already in hand, he said he likes his chances for the lottery. But even if he doesn’t land a spot, he’s just happy Vancouver is taking this step. “I think it’s a great way of having the corners of our city come alive,” he said.

Apple couldn’t agree more. He’ll also be among those jockeying for a place for his pan-Asian outfit, Roaming Dragon, which has already experienced success through setting up at the Richmond Summer Night Market. Apple admitted he’ll probably have a few butterflies come the morning of July 9, because to him, street food is more than just lunch, it’s a lifestyle. “It’s not just a lottery; the implications are bigger than that... I started my first street-food business at 14, and I’ve been chasing the high ever since.”