There is no question that The Oval provides a great opportunity for the people to get outside and be active during the winter months. Now in its third season, The Oval continues to attract more people to the centre of the city to skate, socialize and snack on local food fare. Pastry, that is.
That’s right. You’ll find your food-buying options fairly limited at The Oval. As far as vendors go, there’s Beaver Tails, and…Beaver Tails. If you’re not in the mood for chocolate-covered-maple-sugar-dough-bombs, too bad.
The fact that Beaver Tails is the only food vendor at The Oval is not indicative of a latent connection between ice skating and pastry eating, but rather of the city’s unfamiliarity with how the mobile food industry actually works. In 2012, the city issued a Request for Proposal to the Mobile Food Services, offering local businesses a chance to compete for a coveted spot at The Oval.
I’m co-owner of The Food Wolf, a food truck. After reviewing the RFP for food at The Oval, I was left with the overwhelming impression that it was written with one specific aim in mind—to exclude food trucks, the very businesses it proposes to attract.
Here’s why: For one, the RFP stipulates that prospective vendors would be required to hardwire their trucks’ electrical systems into permanent outlets. Call this a conceptual difference, but this requirement manages to take the mobile out of mobile. Food trucks typically operate on generators, or plug into available onsite outlets (outlets that the city has already paid to install!). That way, we can, quite literally, just roll up and do business.
Secondly, the RFP states that food service at The Oval be open daily from 10:30am-8:30pm, but the nature of the mobile food industry is, yes, mobility. We move around, go where the customers are. This is not only the essence of the business, this is how our businesses survive. If we’re at The Oval each day, all day, we’re not anywhere else. We are no longer a roving restaurant, we’re just a food stand in a parked vehicle. And, on those bitterly cold days when The Oval is only populated by a handful of winter diehards, we’re a food stand losing money by the minute. The Oval closes for daily maintenance for several hours a day. At other times, it’s only open to members of the speed-skating community. In a nutshell, it makes no sense for us to be open all day daily, because the guarantee of a regular, or even sporadic, customer-base, just isn’t there.
After catching the after-dinner crowd at Squiggle Park (Falkland and Gottingen Streets), we’d happily relocate to serve evening skaters at The Oval. The problem is, if we’re one place, we can’t be another. And, the only way we can provide the high-quality food that we do is to ensure that we have a higher sales volume. We want to provide better-quality food to our customers, therefore, we need an infrastructure that supports this. Turning out cheap, shitty food is not our mandate, but unfortunately, the current RFP seems to support only this.
Then there are the additional costs in The Oval’s RFP: criminal background checks for all employees, photographing the truck, passport photos and the administrative costs of preparing a response (to said RFP). The RFP also has an intellectual property clause and insurance requirement to have two million dollars automobile liability. These costs are unnecessary, as food trucks are already covered by the provincial health act and must have a registered, safe and insured motor vehicle, two million dollars general liability and meet all the requirements for our Food Establishment permit (same as restaurants).
There aren’t any food trucks at The Oval because they can’t afford to be there.
It’s no wonder that of the six locally active food trucks, none responded to the city’s “invitation.” To add insult to injury, the RFP states that one of its goals is to “establish a more traditional/canteen service with [the] consideration of providing a more healthy and balanced selection.” Huh. I guess that being able to choose from a selection of locally sourced and ever-changing menu items that food trucks offer doesn’t adhere to the city’s idea of a “healthy and balanced selection.”
This past summer, the city transformed the south side of The Oval into a hard-surface plaza. The area is equipped with power, easy site access and ample space for the safe and convenient placement of mobile food service vehicles. Perhaps it’s not too late in the season for the city to revise the current RFP so that food trucks actually stand a chance of getting a spot in The Oval and doing some viable business. Hopefully, by next year, Oval-users will be able to enjoy some delectable smoked brisket from Nomad Gourmet, or Tin Pan Alley’s incredible take on traditional Belgium fries or a K-dog from Food Wolf, along with, of course, Beaver Tails.
Natalie Chavarie is a start-up entrepreneur, food lover and food truck owner/operator. She actively works on various volunteer community boards, loves to ride a bike to get around and is passionate about the municipality and sparking positive policy change to make this place more bearable/awesome.
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This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2014.
So… What can we do as concerned citizens to change this? Is there someone we can email?
Ahhhh, too bad you had to lower yourself to The Coast’s level by calling out Beaver Tails as “cheap shitty food”. Look, we all know this is the case, but as a business owner saying this in print it comes off as petty. I’d never expect to see any of the gourmet coffee shop owners/roasters calling out Tim Hortons as the swill that we all know it is.
Totally missed this somehow: “only crappy food will be served.”
I’m sure you have endeared yourself to the min.wage peons serving the Tails, and also to those scarfing them up.
Food snobs are the best. Drive your POS over to Hydrostone and just put it up on blocks, ahole.
Thanks for the great article, Natalie. One great, if not obvious, idea for our city staff to consider would be to reach out to those who know and care about subjects that staff is being asked to make decisions on. Perhaps with the intention to better understand how to do their job? We have a similar issue unfolding now at the public library in choosing the vender to permanently occupy two spaces in the new building.
It’s depressing sometimes! But the good news is that the fixes are often simple, just a matter of reaching out to the community and asking what they want. And the people at the Oval want a tasty K-Dog from Food Wolf!
Ooh, looks like FW has a lot of friends. Dislike all you want. I like good food too, but dislike people who are dicks when they’re making a point.
The HRM should offer a spot for one truck and have an online schedule that vendors could access and book times they could be at the oval. There would be a user fee paid by the vendor depending on length of time booked at the oval. Simple…Maybe during certain times or events there could be 2 spots available….issue solved!!!
Great opinion piece Natalie! I never go to the Emera Oval because (in order of importance):
-after growing up skating on the >10km long Rideau Canal every year, it seems a little absurd to skate around in circles over and over again.
-it is usually too crowded
-The music there sucks, I can’t stand listening to blaring country and classic rock
-It is called the “Emera Oval”, a corporation which I detest
-There is no good food to eat there
I hope that Food Wolf and the other vendors get to set up at the Oval next season! Perhaps you could even get the music turned off or changed! Those two changes would double the chances that I would go to the Emera Oval next year.
Food Wolf,one of most classless rants I have read in a while. One of the first things you learn in business is to never put down another regardless of quality of services/offerings. I taught my daughter from age 2 to keek some thoughts to yourself ! If you have a legit complaint with the way the RFP process has failed, don’t call out another business, take your concerns to HRM. Your calling out Beavertails for making “cheap shitting food” makes you look unprofessional. I love food trucks howver I will not frequent such a business as yours.
All I see in this article is someone complaining about the city wanting something specific and them not matching it. If you cant be there when the oval is open then you should be allowed to put in a proposal. I hate when people complain about not given a chance at something. Just because you have a business doesn’t mean you are owed something. Because of this article I will never eat at your food truck, because of the self righteous attitude you have.
Nice to see other people get it, and are nicer about saying so than me.
But, hey Tom, will you be staying in Halifax long or moving back to Upper Canada when the education is complete? What’s it like being the epitome of the stereotypical CFA in Nova Scotia?
Let me get this straight – the city is excluding you from parking at the Oval because you don’t want to be parked at the Oval? Simple solution: don’t.
I tend to have to agree with Cranky on this one. Gourmet food with an obvious gourmet attitude.
“In a nutshell, it makes no sense for us to be open all day daily, because the guarantee of a regular, or even sporadic, customer-base, just isn’t there.”
Well, Beaver Tails can overcome that.
And, Tom MacDonald, you’re an idiot plain and simple.
“after growing up skating on the >10km long Rideau Canal every year, it seems a little absurd to skate around in circles over and over again.”
Do you take this “size matters” attitude in everything you do in life? That must severely limit your options.
“The music there sucks, I can’t stand listening to blaring country and classic rock”
Hmmm, are you a hermit in a tar paper shack? You must not go to restaurants, stores/shops, or hell, any public place.
“It is called the “Emera Oval”, a corporation which I detest”
Ever use a light switch? And guess who is providing the power for you to go online with, yup, evil Emera.
“There is no good food to eat there”
You don’t say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWBV7yKWhWE
seems like the tone of the article leads to only a few understanding the point–the problem could have been solved if the parties involved got together. In a usual manner though, the city makes decisions without understanding what would be the best overall decision if it asked all parties involved. Food trucks, and all smaller business initiatives have to begin with far more red tape, while more corporate style businesses are designed to do so in an easier manner. How come the city always seems to see this after the fact?
A few points:
“the RFP states that food service at The Oval be open daily from 10:30am-8:30pm, but the nature of the mobile food industry is, yes, mobility. We move around, go where the customers are. This is not only the essence of the business, this is how our businesses survive”
Umm yes, and the City is likely making sure that you are where they want you to be. They don’t want skaters at the Oval looking for something to eat, only to have you be off elsewhere because you’ve deemed some other place worthier of your presence that day. They want stability.
“the guarantee of a reliable customer base just isn’t there”. Then why would you want to even submit if you already know in advance you won’t have a strong customer base in that location?
“criminal background checks for all employees, photographing the truck, passport photos and the administrative costs of preparing a response”.
This is no different than the requests for mobile vendors in the downtown core, currently out for tender right now. Check it out. Yet, there are consistent responses to this tender every year. Obviously, someone doesn’t have trouble with providing those things.
No, I’d say you’re just grasping at straws because you don’t like what is asked for. The City is looking for a slightly more permanent food structure, not trucks that come and go at random times, you don’t qualify. That’s business.
I was just reading the RFP document, her complaint about HRM requiring hardwiring is incorrect. She misinterpreted the meaning. Here’s what it said:
“HRM shall provide access to electrical power to each of the food services providers at no charge. HRM is not responsible for any disruption in power.
Vendors are responsible for all electrical hookups to their trailers by a certified electrician. HRM will provide a power source / Electrical enclosure to provide the power source.”
That just means if you require permanent hookups, then you’ll need permits and an electrician, HRM does not provide these. It doesn’t mean that you “have” to hardwire.
No way, “the Man” is keeping them down because he doesn’t dig their cool vibe of obviously superior foodie food.
None of these are big problems (save for the requirement to always be at the oval). I don’t think this was explained very well:
“Turning out cheap, shitty food is not our mandate, but unfortunately, the current RFP seems to support only this.”
To me this wasn’t an attack on Beaver Tails, but a note that the only way to be successful under the rules is to make lots of sales at the Oval. The demographic that goes to the Oval (hint: look at the kind of music they play) wouldn’t generate enough sales for the more unique food trucks to find it profitable to stay there all day.
Park in the lot across the street and advertise it. People with taste (a growing minority in Halifax, thank god) will make the extra step. Food trucks are awesome and welcome to Halifax’s nascent (but still donair-heavy and shitty-chain filled…hey let’s get shitfaced on crap beer and plow down a donair slice, brah!) food scene, but judge your food truck audience by the comments here.
Cranky — have you actually spoken to a local roaster? Chain food sucks. Plain and simple. It’s fine to be a franchisee, but your food is this country’s problem. Deal with it.