Food trucks are all the rage in major cities throughout Canada and the United States, and now they’re coming to Camosun College. These trucks tend to be stocked with a mobile kitchen, which usually contains a deep fryer and all the ingredients needed to satisfy hungry patrons wherever these drivable diners desire. And now, thanks largely in part to Donna Burger, Aramark’s on-campus director of food and catering, Camosun will now be partaking in the food-truck trend.
Burger posted ads on Craigslist and 15 companies applied to be Camosun’s provider of food trucks. So far only two have made the cut: The Pig BBQ Joint, a restaurant that specializes in pork and barbecued meats, and Puerto Vallarta Amigos, an authentic Mexican restaurant. Despite these vendors being found via Craigslist, Burger assures that all food being sold has gone through rigorous inspections and investigations.
“They needed to tell us where they were buying their supplies from and what was in their recipes,” says Burger. “But more than anything it was where they buy their products from in order to make their recipes. It needed to meet Aramark’s very strict standards. It needed to be federally approved. We needed to be able to trace proteins, not only to the supplier, but also to where the supplier got them. They had to show us a year’s worth of health inspections.”
The hope behind the program is to work with the foundation already laid down by current menu options in the cafeterias while building a variety of options for students.
“I was looking for things that would complement our food services on each campus,” says Burger. “So I wasn’t looking for a hot-dog vendor. I wasn’t looking for anybody who sells hamburgers. I was looking for somebody who complements some of the things that we do. I think we do great food here, but because of various limitations, such as staffing limitations and, more than anything, equipment limitations, we can’t offer the diversity the college is looking for,” says Burger.
Arun Lagah, a second-year Criminal Justice student, is looking forward to the implementation of the food trucks on campus.
“It would be a change up from the cafeteria, which would be nice,” says Lagah.
While some students are excited about the food trucks, no idea is without downfalls. According to first-year university transfer student Stephanie Dowdall, healthy options should have been more of a priority when selecting the vendors.
“I feel there is enough pressure on us as students to spend money on things we don’t necessarily need anyways,” says Dowdall. “By having food that is not even healthy so easily accessible we’re probably more likely to spend money on that than things we actually need.”
As far as income generation, the college will be making money off of the roaming restaurants, assures Burger. The trucks will be stopping once a week at both Lansdowne and Interurban campuses, with a more structured schedule to come as soon the success of the trucks is determined.