Food trucks get OK to return to city streets
Owners say it’s an ideal way to eat out during COVID-19 crisis
Better late than never.
That’s the reaction of food-truck owners to news that the city of Montreal is finally giving the OK for the trucks to sell meals on the streets of at least three boroughs this summer. The food trucks will be coming to the downtown Ville-marie borough, Rosemont— La-petite-patrie and Hochelaga-maisonneuve, beginning June 29 in Ville-marie and in early July in the other two boroughs.
At a council meeting of the Ville-marie borough Tuesday morning, the vote passed to bring the food trucks back. The same motion is expected to be adopted at council meetings in Rosemont Thursday and Hochelaga July 6.
Downtown, there will be food trucks at Dorchester Square, Place du Canada, Place d’armes, the corner of Queen and Wellington Sts. in Old Montreal, Gare Viger, on Victoria beside the Mccord Museum, and below the Jacques Cartier Bridge near Parthenais St.
The Quebec Food Truck Association has been trying for months to convince the city to set up a plan for the trucks this summer, with the truck owners arguing this is an ideal way to sell food during the COVID-19 crisis. They argue it’s a good way to eat safely outside the home. You don’t have to go inside, you can buy food from the truck and then take it elsewhere nearby, and it’s ideal for the newly rejuvenated park culture that has sprung up here during the pandemic.
But until a month ago, city officials weren’t even returning the calls of food-truck owners.
“I think it’s good that they’re letting the trucks into the city,” said Annie Clavette, who owns Le Gras Dur and three other food trucks. “We see that even though restaurants are opening, people are not so thrilled about going inside restaurants. But they waited so long and that didn’t help us because we lost the month of May and June.”
Robert Beaudry, Projet Montréal councillor for the Ville-marie borough, said the city couldn’t move any quicker because they were following the guidelines of the public health department and they also wanted to wait for restaurants to reopen. Restaurants were back in business as of Monday.
The food-truck owners would also love to be able to set up shop in some of the big parks in Montreal, like Mount Royal, Lafontaine and Laurier. But Beaudry said that is out of the question.
“There’s a risk of commercializing our parks and there are loads of other places outside the parks that can be used for food trucks,” Beaudry
said. “There’s already a lot of pressure on the parks and there’s a risk of increasing that pressure with the food trucks.”
There are more Montrealers than ever in the parks as people gradually come out of their COVID-19 confinement and yet are reluctant to congregate in indoor public places. Gaëlle Cerf, owner of the Grumman ’78 truck and restaurant and vice-president of the Quebec Food Truck Association, said it would be a public service this summer to allow the trucks to set up in the parks.
“It’s so a no-brainer,” Cerf said. “I don’t know if it’s a lack of vision or a lack of leadership. But it’s a missed opportunity.”
The food-truck folks are excited about developing more business in residential areas of Rosemont and Hochelaga because there are going to be a lot fewer people working downtown this summer.
“All of the festivals have been cancelled and most people are not going away on summer vacation, so this is a good way to bring a bit of a festival atmosphere to the city,” said Geneviève Casaubon, co-owner of the Baluchon food truck, which serves coffees, pastries, grilled cheese and salads. “People are going to be out enjoying the good weather. It’s a great summer activity that people can enjoy while also following the social distancing rules because it’s outside and it’s takeout food.”
It’s a great summer activity that people can enjoy while also following the social distancing rules.