This is a few weeks late, but
Brian and I went to The Rotary Club of Whitby’s Food Truck Frenzy on Saturday
May 10th. It was held in the parking lot of the Abilities Center
with proceeds benefiting: Joanne’s House
Youth Shelter, Feed the Need Durham, T.A.M.I Coalition, and the Abilities Center. It was a two-day event
– on Saturday and Sunday, running from 11am-9pm, and included 15 food trucks, a
few local wineries and breweries, and live music.
The food trucks included were
from all over the GTA. The ones that participated were – Bestia, Busters Sea Cove, Dobro Jesti, Frankie Fettuccini, Gorilla
Cheese, Grillin Like a Villain, Hollywood Cone, Luchador Streetery, Mr. Corn,
Pancho’s Bakery, Randy’s Roti, Smokes Poutine, Stuttering Johns and Tiny Tom’s Donuts.
Ever since completing the
event management program at Niagara College, I have a tendency to look at
events from that viewpoint and sometimes notice things that the average
attendee wouldn’t. For a first time event, I think they did a great job. Was
everything perfect? No… but things rarely ever are. The hardest thing about a
new event, is knowing what to plan for – in terms of the number of attendees,
potential problems, etc. That’s why the longer an event runs, the smoother
things tend to go as they have previous experience to draw upon when planning.
15 food trucks was a good
turn out in terms of the space provided by the parking lot. I think that
anymore would have led to it being too crowded The parking lot is a decent
size, but its not huge. However, that being said, 15 trucks weren’t enough
based on the massive amounts of people that showed up. Brian and I got there
around 11:30am on the Saturday – only 30 minutes after they opened – and there
were already lines for each truck. The lines were mostly reasonable at this
point, but by the time we left around 2:30, they had skyrocketed. The more
popular trucks had at least an hour line, if not more (I heard a few people say
they were in line for almost 2 hours!) – and the less popular ones were at
least 30+ minutes (those ones tended to be the deserts like Tiny Tom’s Donuts
or Hollywood Cone). I definitely think that the event underestimated the amount
of interest and attendees.
When you go to an event like
that, you expect lines and I personally didn’t have a problem waiting. But
others around us felt differently. Many only tried one truck and ordered all
their food from it, rather then getting a chance to try a few different trucks
and their options. Some people just left, and on their way out cautioned others
not to bother coming in. For the families with small children that attended, I
could definitely see why it was frustrating. It was one of the first warm days
(I got a bit burnt from being outside), very crowded, and long waits for food.
If I had small children, I don’t think it would be an event I would take them
too.
But since it was just Brian
and I, and benefited some great causes, we made the best of it. We split up,
each of us taking a different truck and them meeting back in a certain area to
share. While it meant we didn’t get to spend much time together, it did mean we
were able to sample a variety of options.
Hands down my favorite was Busters Sea Cove. The shrimp tacos were
amazing, and left me wanting more. The shrimps were lightly battered and had
some sort of spice to them. If I could only have picked one truck, that would
have been it! I think a lot of people felt that way, because it had one of the
longest lines. It was our first stop, and even after only 30 minutes of being
open, we waited an hour.
Frankie Fettuccini was one of the places Brian went to, and the wait time multiplied
since the truck ran out of certain food/items. Apparently, they had to send
their staff across the road for more oil, and by the time Brian was served they
had taken a few things off their menu. Running out of items was happened to a
few of the trucks in the time that we were there – so I definitely think the
organizers and trucks had under estimated the attendance and the demand. Brian ordered their rice balls, and their
bacon mac and cheese. Both were okay, but I actually preferred the rice balls
from Dobro Jesti, as they were
stuffed with goat’s cheese. I thought it was a unique take on a traditional
Italian rice ball.
One place we both loved was Bestia – a food truck that had an
on-board wood burning pizza oven. The pizza was delicious – perfectly cooked,
and great tasting cheese and sauce. That line was also pretty long, but the pizza
was worth it! We finished our feast with a dozen of Tiny Tom’s Donut’s – something I love getting at the CNE.
There were other trucks we
would have liked to try, but we had more then enough food just sharing one item
from each truck. Plus, Brian was getting a little impatient with the lines,
which were continuing to grow.
Price wise, I thought it was
reasonable for the event and food being served. For what you are getting (the
size of the items) it was definitely more on the pricy side. I think we spent
between $55.00-$65.00 in total. It is something we would do all the time?
Probably not. But again, for a once-a-year event that benefits charity, it was
worth it.
I am glad we went, and would
definitely go back again. I just hope that the organizers take this years experience
and learn from it. Perhaps by moving to a larger location, including more
trucks, or figuring out a way to combat the lines. This year maybe wasn’t as family
friendly as they had hoped, but going forward I definitely think there are ways
they can improve what was a great first time event.
Part of the reason their
event was so successful, was an excellent job of marketing it! Having lived in
Durham almost all my life, I can attest to the fact that the region has lots of
events throughout the year. But one of the biggest problems is learning about
these events. So many times I have read about an event after the fact, either
in the local newspapers or online, and regretted not knowing about it sooner.
The organizers of the Food Truck Frenzy, did a remarkable job getting the word
out well in advance – though the papers and social media. I think that played a
huge role in the swarms of people that attended. Plus, they did an awesome job manning the
twitter feed during the event. Social Media is a big deal these days, so its
awesome to see it being utilized effectively.
If this event returns next
year, I recommend checking it out!
http://www.foodfrenzywhitby.ca/index.html
http://www.foodfrenzywhitby.ca/index.html
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