At first they were welcomed on our streets, but lately the relationship between trucks and councils in Melbourne and Sydney is becoming strained

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Things started off nicely. When food trucks first rolled up in Australia they were welcomed by local councils. The City of Sydney even went so far as to launch a fleet of especially selected food trucks and produced its own food truck app to help locate them.

But lately the relationship between local government and food trucks has been more strained.

Toasted sandwich from Toasta in Melbourne Photograph: Supplied/Cara Waters

While some councils are still welcoming food trucks, others make it very difficult for them.

Food trucks are banned in Newcastle while the local council drafts a policy, and in Perth a food truck trial is being undertaken which will keep trucks out of the central business district “where established food premises operate”.

Councils are under pressure from more existing food businesses to circumscribe food trucks’ operation.

For Bec Feingold it has been a case of navigating a red tape maze between different councils.

Feimgold got into the food truck business six weeks ago with the launch of her toasted sandwich food truck, Toasta, in Melbourne. She was inspired to start up the truck after spotting a gap in the market for “a food that everyone loves around the clock”.

But she has already run into trouble with the Port Phillip council in Melbourne. Council workers shut her truck down after it operated without a permit.

“We were on private property and the people who own the property asked us to be there,” Feingold said. “[The council] says it is unfair to the local businesses, but they are OK if you pay a hefty fee.”

A classic food truck in Austin, Texas. Photograph: Sandy Carson/Guardian

Feingold has paid about $2,000 to both Maribyrnong and Moreland councils to operate Toasta there. She said both councils have been encouraging but the Maribyrnong council has moved to crack down on the popular Yarraville “food truck jam” at weekends.

Up to 25 trucks congregated at the Yarraville Gardens but the council has now capped the number at 10. The council said that although it supports food trucks, rubbish is a concern.

“Our aim is to work with food truck operators to ensure that rubbish is cleaned up to maintain the cleanliness of our city’s gardens and balance the needs of food trucks, residents, park users and the overall community,” the Maribyrnong council said in a statement.

Ken Burgin, from Profitable Hospitality, said despite all the money the City of Sydney has spent, food trucks in Sydney no longer engage in much street trading and mainly focus on festivals and special events.

“It was a nice idea but it didn’t really work,” he said. “One of the problems is parking is so lethal in the bigger inner city area. It comes back to dark night, no toilets and you’re in the middle of nowhere.”

But the problems aren’t deterring new food truck entrepreneurs. Xavier Verhoeven is one of the creators of the “Where the Truck” website and app which updates hopeful food truck patrons about exactly where to find the trucks each night.

Where The Truck lists 180 food trucks; 80 are in Melbourne and the rest are spread throughout the country. Verhoeven said there is a “consistent stream” of new registrations on the site.

The food truck scene in Sydney seems to have “quietened down a bit” but they are still going strong in Melbourne.

“There was a big push at the start from the City of Sydney trialling the idea, but I think a couple of Melbourne trucks decided it wasn’t worth pursuing up there because it was too strict,” Verhoeven said.

“In Melbourne, support from councils is up and down. The trend is definitely for food trucks to bring people into areas and liven them up, so why wouldn’t councils love the idea?”