If you live in Bengaluru, you wouldn’t have missed souped-up trucks selling gourmet delicacies from all over the world. These snazzy food trucks are different in that they are often run by professional chefs.
The trend, which has its roots in the US, entered the Garden City two years ago and has really taken off since the Open Streets event on MG Road in February.
“Two years ago, there were only two food trucks in the city,” said Varun Srikanth, owner of Road Kill and president of Bangalore Food Trucks’ Association. “Now, we have 38 registered members in the BFTA.”
Though traditionally food trucks conduct their business on the road in the evening, in Bengaluru IT parks and corporate firms are their bread and butter. They park on a regular basis at office spaces like Manyata Tech Park, RMZ Infinity, Millenia and are often invited to special corporate events. Truckin’ away like never before, they even got the opportunity to cater at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the World T20 and IPL matches.
The culture of grub on wheels is catching on even with educational institutions. Suraj Agarwal’s ‘The Great Indian Bhukkad’ has been parking inside the campus of PES University in Banashankari III stage for a year now. “We have special prices for students like our Chinese combo at Rs 60. We get about 250 customers every day; close to 100 of them are regulars.”
Dayananada Sagar University may go a step ahead and set up an in-house food truck on its campus. Dilip Kumar, marketing and events executor at the university, said, “We want something new and exciting on our campuses, so we are thinking of either buying a truck ourselves or hiring food trucks on a rotation basis. The idea will be discussed in July and hopefully, the plan will be in place by August when the college reopens.”
Food trucks are gaining acceptance among the public too. A customer, Divya Preetham, said, “The service is quick and the food is good. I would prefer a food truck to traditional roadside vendors because of better hygiene.”
Though the food he tried didn’t win him over, Sandeep Sunny, a fresh graduate, said, “I watched the movie ‘The Chef’ which is about a food truck in the US. I loved the concept and it’s good to see them around in Bengaluru too.”
‘Food trucks legal but may affect traffic’
Most of the food trucks in Bengaluru have food licence from the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standard Authority of India), a VAT certificate and permission to run a mobile canteen from the RTO. “Some of us also obtain a hawker’s licence from the BBMP for the particular area we operate in,” said Varun Srikanth of the BFTA. The Bangalore Food Trucks’ Association has been trying to standardise the licence and get designated parking spots. But it has had little success as the BBMP is confused about who should be in charge of food trucks.
On the other hand, authorities are concerned about the effect food truck vending could have on traffic. “Roads are meant for driving and footpaths for walking. These spaces are not meant for commercial activities. Food trucks are nothing but illegal hawking,” said a senior officer who previously headed the traffic police.
Food trucks
Cuisines they serve: American, Chinese, Mexican, West Asian, desserts
Find them at: Indiranagar, HSR Layout, Koramangala, Fraser Town