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Chinnapannahalli Lake’s woes overflow: Where does the muck stop? In addition, a diversion channel that was to be constructed beneath the walkway by pulling up the existing interlocking tiles has been left half-done, creating a walking hazard and leaving behind a messy slush every time it rains. ​

Civic body washes hands of encroached storm water drain lines BBMP officials took the stance during a meeting with state chief secretary Vijay Bhaskar recently, making it clear that it’s not their job to initiate a crackdown on the encroachers.

By Amrita BoseBengaluru’s food trucks, from souped-up cars to swanky mobile kitchens, are no longer spotted on the streets as frequently as they used to be. Blame lack of regulatory clarity and support from neighbourhoods, and parking woesTowards the end of 2014,discovered a new eating-out experience — food trucks. What started out as a motley group of four to five food trucks dishing out burgers and fries turned into a big surge within a year, with scores of gourmet wagons offering everything from croque-madames, churros and grills to waffles and wood-fired pizzas.It was romantic, exciting, and definitely innovative for Bengaluru city. People began to queue up at these trucks almost every evening; after all, a meal under `250 is always tempting.Soon, the trucks started lining up on popular streets in neighbourhoods including Koramangala, Indiranagar and HSR Layout. Piling us with food at flea markets and music concerts, these guys even got their ownfestival.Truck owners began to invest heavily into prettying up their vehicles, which can cost a pretty penny – a second-hand truck with a basic kitchen set-up can cost approximately `6 lakh and the figure can go up to `40 lakh and beyond,depending on the kind of vehicle you are using (from a car to a truck) and interior specifications such as freezers, fryers, gen sets and more. Social media promotions added the extra buzz. Everyone assumed this was the next big thing in the food business.But in 2017, residents of some neighbourhoods and the BBMP started complaining about trash piles on footpaths, shrinking roadside parking and traffic congestion, blaming it all on the popularity of food trucks. Soon, food trucks began losing their spots on busy streets and their overhead costs shot up. Slowly, the public’s interest in the whole experience started to fizzle out as well.The Bangalore Food Truck Association (BFTA), a nonprofit formed in 2015, has been working towards getting the city’s food truck community organised. BFTA president Varun Sequeira says the association’s membership grew from five food trucks to 48 during the 2015 boom. The number has dropped to 15. An additional five to six trucks operate during only certain events in the city. “They have had several hurdles to cross. Currently, food trucks operate on a hawker’s licence, are GST registered and charge customers 5 per cent tax on the bill. They also operate on a mobile canteen and carts licence, which is not sufficient,” says Sequeira.According to him, mobile canteen licences are issued by the RTO, which doesn’t allow cooking on trucks; only pre-cooked meals can be served. Also, these licences are issued to only new vehicles, not second-hand trucks. There is no official permit for parking. The hawker’s licence, though issued, is of little use because the BBMP doesn’t have designated hawker zones in the city.BFTA has urged the civic body to create a specific licence regime for food trucks, but there has been no progress, says Sequeira. He cites frequent objections from residents and the police as factors behind the low turnout in front of food trucks. Places such as Koramangala and HSR layout were preferred food truck destinations, but you hardly see any operators there now. “Most operators still in the business now park on private properties such as gated communities and IT parks, and at event venues. Rentals are high and sometimes even the turnout at events is low. They are hardly breaking even,” claims Sequeira. Tech parks, though a popular alternative, charge high rentals and they have their own food courts and canteens where you get meals at subsidised rates. “The food truck business picks up only on Friday evenings,” he says.In 2015, the city witnessed the first-ever BLR Food Truck + Music Festival, which was organised in association with Pebble The Jungle Lounge. The festival did well and brought in good business, returning for more editions up to April 2018. However, Sequeira also believes that the festival has lost its appeal. One good news is that despite various challenges, from finding good parking to obtaining permissions, BFTA plans to send over 20 food trucks to The Beantown Backyard Festival, which will be held at the foot of Nandi Hills between October 27 and 28, and will feature beer, food, camping, concerts, hot air ballooning and more.While some food trucks have shut shop, some have devised new strategies to keep their business afloat and ensure that customers return for a bigger bite. Trucks such as Le Casse Croûte (which offers gourmet French sandwiches) and SWAT (burgers, mac & cheese and fries) have also opened brick-and-mortar outlets with their original menus. They are also serving customers through delivery services such Swiggy andNicolas Grossemy, CEO and co-founder of Le Casse Croûte, which was launched in September 2015, says that the scene for food trucks in the city has definitely changed over the past three years. While the French food truck followed shifts for lunch and dinner, targeting different neighbourhoods initially, it has had to take stock of business and re-strategise because of the current scenario. “A lot of trucks came on board with the aim of only making money, and not to serve good food. There were also civic issues with food trucks dumping their trash on the road and in residential areas. This angered residents and cops got involved,” says Grossemy.Le Casse Croûte has stopped taking up roadside space and pays hefty rentals for good spots at tech parks such as RMZ Ecospace and Brookefield Centennial, where it is assured of high footfall. Other business initiatives include opening a takeaway and a small cafe at their base kitchen in Thippasandra in 2016, and becoming regulars at corporate, private and public events. Grossemy believes that his business has survived because he serves unique food such as gourmet French sandwiches,and hand-cut fries that you don’t get easily in Bengaluru.Siddhanth Sawkar and Gauthami Shankar, co-founders of The Spitfire BBQ Truck, one of the earliest trucks in the city, say their business is also doing well, but unlike most other business owners, they had the insight to expand their portfolio. Spitfire has two food trucks on the road (Bengaluru and Hyderabad) and new ones planned in Chennai, Texas and Sweden. It has also introduced a first-of-its-kind Royal Enfield coffee bar, The Quake Coffee Co. The coffee bike offers cold and hot brews made from single origin beans sourced from South Indian estates along with short eats, bakes and cakes (baked by sister baking unit Sprinkle).Known for their barbecue dishes, Spitfire’s trucks have also stopped taking up roadside parking. Sawkar says that though a few food trucks still operate on Indiranagar’s 6th Main, the hubs have now shifted to Sahakaranagar and Yelahanka.Operating out of tech parks has not always been profitable for Spitfire. “When we parked at Manyata Tech Park, techies, who get free lunch in their office, came to us with demands like ‘cut one hot dog into six pieces so we can share’. You are never going to make money in such situations,” he says. But Sawkar says business at planned events such as the BLR Food Truck Festival has been good. “You can make `80,000 to over `1 lakh at events that draw around 400 people per day,” Sawkar says. Spitfire has strategically partnered with brands such as Audi, Budweiser and Vans for their events and parties.If individual food trucks have been bearing the brunt of being off the road, The Lalit Ashok Hotel’s Tex-Mex food truck has made a mark by serving gourmet food made by expert hospitality chefs and securing ISO 22000 certification that addresses food safety management and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standard Act Authority Certification) compliance. Food handlers at the truck have medical and inoculation certifications. But the truck operates in business parks rather than neighbourhoods.According to Randeep Dev, special commissioner health & solid waste management), the BBMP’s health wing is currently not issuing any licences to food trucks. Truck vendors need to get a licence from FSSAI and an NOC from the police department. “There are some problems with such businesses. When their customers line up or park their vehicles on the road or the footpath, pedestrians don’t get space to walk and the flow of traffic is also disrupted. Improper garbage disposal is another serious concern,” he said.Despite the hurdles and authorities’ reluctance to support the food truck scene, Sequeira says people call him every day to enquire whether they should get into the business or not. “My advice is that don’t invest all your money at once and identify a nice, cop-friendly neighbourhood. Always have a back-up plan and operate yourfood truck during weekends to see whether you can make money out of it or not,” he says.Inspired by the 2014 Hollywood hit Chef, many operators spent up to `15 lakh to kit out their food trucks, but they had to later sell the vehicles because of poor business. Dev says high investment and low recovery of returns are the two main reasons why food trucks have disappeared from Bengaluru’s streets.