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Last July, Vancouver's only food truck pod opened at Hamilton and W Georgia at the QE Theatre with six new trucks serving everything from crêpes and salads to Australian-style pies and gourmet hot dogs. It was hoped that this would be a move towards the Portland-style of grouping food trucks together to create a draw for diners. Alas, the experiment has not worked and the QE pod has been disbanded.
Tavis Olsen of the Fat Duck Truck, one of the pod vendors, emailed us to explain what happened.
Did the closure come from the city or vendors?
The closure of the pod came from the venders. We all felt that it wasn't working. I think that some of us were a little more committed to trying to make it work.
Why do you think it failed?
The idea is good. By that I mean that 5-6 trucks in one spot should be a good draw for people. The few times that all the trucks were there it was good. When it started to slow down truck would try to find busier spots. Then the pod became inconsistent, and what draw we had started to go. There were a few trucks that tried to stick it out and try to come on a regular basis.The problem was there was just not enough foot traffic.
Where are you now and are you still in a pod?
Most of us have found new spots in downtown. There is no formal pod but I know Real Mac and Culver are at Portal park with The Reef truck and I am at Cordova & Howe across from Arturo's. I think being near or grouped with another truck as long as there's diversity and enough foot traffic is a good thing.I will miss the QE pod and all the regulars that stuck with me during last season.
· Fat Duck Truck [Official Site]
· All Previous Food Truck Coverage [EVAN]