More detail, from an older item.
Roderick.
September 8 2016 Melbourne 'Age'.
Window of opportunity for Melbourne food trucks, but there's one small snag.
For the first time, Melbourne's CBD will open its doors to a fleet of food trucks.
But the food truck operators face an uphill battle to win a permit, with only the cream of the crop set to survive a brutal culling process.
Only the best food trucks will make the cut. Photo: Simon Schluter In what surely sets the scene for Australia's latest foodie reality television show, more than 500 food truck operators have already applied for one of just 17 permits.
So how will the lucky operators be chosen? Will there be a taste off? Can the public vote?
More than 500 food trucks are hoping to win a spot in the CBD.
Will MasterChef's Gary Mehigan be rolled in to cull the mediocre from the masterful?
Vendors will be chosen by a panel of five Melbourne City Council staff (at this stage, we know little about their burger-tasting credentials).
However Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said there would be set criteria to decide on the winners.
Lord mayor Robert Doyle wants the food to be 'healthy and fresh'. Photo: Steven Siewert "We want it to be healthy food, we want it to be fresh, we want them to be sustainable businesses," he said.
Food trucks with great presentation and a strong media following will also be given priority.
"We appreciate good food in Australia's culinary capital which is why we will be only accepting 17 of the best food trucks we can identify," Cr Doyle said.
The culling process is set to take a number of months, with food truck sites to open by March next year.
They will be located in front for the National Gallery of Victoria (near where current trucks operate), on Peel Street at the Queen Victoria Market and at three fairly-desolate sites on Flinders Street near the Yarra River.
Five of the food trucks will be permanent, while the other 12 will rotate monthly.
Rent will range between $200- and $1700-a-month depending on the location and Cr Doyle said he was confident the trucks would not affect the profits of established restaurants and cafes.
"We feel like it's a complementary offer and we certainly aren't in the business of driving other businesses out," he said.
Previously, the council has trialled food trucks around the municipality, including Michael Ibrahim's Soul Kitchen espresso bar and wood-fired pizza outlet near the Arts Centre on St Kilda Road.
While Mr Ibrahim is now facing fierce competition for his parking spot, he said when he first started his business 13-years ago there were very few boutique food van operators in Melbourne.
"In 2003, if I said I had a food truck they would have thought it was an ice-cream van or hot dog van," he said.
"I think the quality that we are putting out of the food truck is equal if not better than restaurants."
* Queen St near Queen Victoria Market: one permanent; two rotational; market days only, Tues. & Thurs.-Sun, 9.00-16.00.
* Flinders St at Spencer St (under the viaduct): one permanent; two rotational; Mon.-Fri. 7.00-19.00, Sat. & Sun. 10.00-22.00.
* Rebecca Walk (Flinders St rail underpass): four rotational; Mon.-Wed. 7.00-19.00; Thurs.-Sat. 16.00-22.00.
* Lez Erdi Plaza (Yarra River north bank): one permanent; two rotational; Sun.-Thurs. 7.00-21.00; Fri. & Sat. 7.00-23.00.
* St Kilda Rd outside NGV / Arts Centre: two permanent; two rotational; Sun.-Thurs. 6.00-21.00; Fri. & Sat. 7.00-23.00; may be extended during events.
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www.theage.com.au/victoria/window-of-opp...20160908-grbgd3.html
> Six comments:
* Melbourne food trucks charge more than any city anywhere.
* Try Rome.
* Why not let the market decide rather than some council criteria of goodness?
If the food is bad and the business poorly run they won't survive.
why once again do we have to have someone hold our hands and tell us what is good for us. What if I feel like crap food late at night? Let the public decide what they want!
* so let any old truck use public space to make a profit and compete with rate paying retailers? I would think it is strategically useful to only let those who will make/change the nature of a place (like a park etc) in and not just anyone.
* I am sure there would be some sort of charge regardless to have a food serving permit. But as for just anyone, who are the council to judge those who will make/ change the nature of a place. You can't force people to eat veggo or paleo because it is good for you or it has the wrong vibe for the venue/park. As for the rate paying retailers, maybe some competition will help them to extract digits a bit further and give the people what they want. Not everyone want a sit down dinner, that's why the market decides not the council
* Just another fad for folk to post on their social media and advertise that they just paid an excessive amount to eat like a pauper.
* Mr Doyle is denying Melburnians the right to discretionary spending in their consumer behaviour by limiting food truck licenses to those peddling Council's approved product? This is rampant authoritarianism from a man who appears to delight in being annoying. Let the market decide and raise truckloads of City revenue from as many players as prepared to risk their arms subject to OHS and Health Regulations is surely a better strategy?
* I agree see above! Also having been to a few places around the US where food trucks have been for a while, they offer a wide variety of food and it all tastes good. Not all of it is healthy or council approved.