Lucky's Truck

Hone your Google map skills and iron them bibs! Our city is revisiting the 1947 bylaw that restricts street food vendors to federal-provincial property and festivals. The food trucks are revving up their engines, busting out choice produce and servin’ up some fresh street food. If all goes well, there will be a lot more people staggering around clutching at recyclable take-out ware, licked clean in fits of tuck truck euphoria.

Food trucks like Lucky’s and Pas d’cochon dans mon salon are setting the bar high… Montreal appears to be well on her way to joining the ranks of cities with vibrant and unique street food scenes. For a taste of what’s to come and what’s already been brought:

Lucky’s Truck

Since May 2012, the good people at Lucky’s have been serving up delicious sandwiches and gourmet poutines with epicurean zeal. From market fresh produce, Lucky’s concocts a menu reflecting the seasons. For a taste of summer, try their lobster sandwich with homemade mayo, fresh basil, and lime! If seafood isn’t your thing, the rest of the menu reads like a BBQ’ers dream. We got a hankering for their pulled pork and spiced rum BBQ sandwich…

Pas d’cochon dans mon salon

Brought to you by four expert cuisiniers from La salle à manger, Pas d’cochon dans mon salon invites you to experience the rapture of their fare. Working from whole animals to ensure quality and inimitable freshness, they use as much of the beast as they possibly can, alongside the best seasonal Quebec produce. Enjoy slow food BBQ (smoked meat, pork, grilled fish), or lighter nosh like oysters, beef Carpaccio, and tartar of the day.

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1. Have you started dreaming and scheming for a tastier future without the old bylaw, or do you have doubts that significant change will come for Montreal’s nascent street food scene?

- Valérie Impala (Lucky’s Truck) -

As the proud owner of a food truck, I’m definitely hoping to see a change in regulations: for my business, but also to meet the growing demand for street food. Montreal is a culinary city with a voracious appetite for good cuisine. You see food trucks in most other major cities, so why not here? Though I still hold some reservations, I get the feeling that change is coming. I think the city is starting to show its best sides and street food has a place in that flourishing. One thing’s certain - the demand is there. We see it each time we hit the streets with the Lucky’s truck, and especially at Food Truck events such as at 1st Fridays at Parc Olympique!

- Julien Hébert (Pas d’cochon dans mon salon) -

Doubts? None whatsoever! We can't find one good reason not to have street food in Montreal. We truly believe that street eats can be introduced in a really positive way to Montreal and Montrealers. As for whether we’ve started dreaming yet, the answer is yes!! We are dreamers, and if we weren't we wouldn’t have started this company in the first place!

2. What do you make of the arguments for the old bylaw that claim street vendors pose a competitive threat to established eateries and fall-short on hygiene?

- V.I. -

If we return to 1947 and the original context in which these laws were drawn up, then sure, they make sense. However, I don’t think they are still valid. For one, food trucks are subject to the same rules and regulations as restaurants. We have to obtain the same license in order to operate and our production kitchens have to comply with the same regulatory standards. As for competition, I think food trucks are responding to a different demand, occupying space where restaurants can’t open their doors, I’m thinking of parks, large public spaces, etc. We have no desire to set up shop right in front of the entrances to existing restaurants. That wouldn’t be good for anyone! Not for us or for local, established businesses!

- J.H. -

With MAPAQ* already in place, the hygiene protocol for food trucks is exactly the same as it is for restaurants. My feeling is that if it’s good enough for the one, then it's good enough for the other. As for the competition argument, we live in a capitalist liberal society where competition is supposed to be a good thing. It's supposed to deliver the best products at the best prices, so I don’t see why it should be any different for the restaurant business. In any event, you’re not ever going to see a good and popular restaurant close just because there's a food truck 3 blocks away. As for the not-so-good and not-so-popular restaurants, do we want to keep them that badly?

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