Everyone is talking about street food. Mary Portas sees it as a way to reinvigorate the British high street. Boris Johnson (through his street food pilot scheme announced last month) sees it as a way of creating new jobs and driving community spirit in London. The street food awards celebrate a new culture of eating everything sweet and savoury on the hoof. Looks like the future's bright for the mobile food truck. But is it?
There's no mistake that street food has revolutionised the way we eat. Brands like Meat Liquor have fast expanded from street stalls into thriving business empires and ‘starting out in street food’ is a growing trend. Even Waitrose has its own street food range. There's no denying that the public want quality, tasty, value for money food on-the-go made by authentic small producers using sustainably sourced ingredients. It's just that we might be expecting too much…
As street food gains in popularity, more traders come on the scene. More demand means more stalls. But whilst environmental health are controlling hygiene standards, who’s controlling quality standards? With increased supply, can we feel assured that the food we are eating is genuinely sourced from a small farmer rather than the local wholesaler? And do we really know that the person cooking our food is the person who set up the business in the first place?
…If the quality goes down, will that be the end of our brief love affair with street food?
Street food traders work hard. To get a pitch in the first place, they have to undergo lengthy negotiations with the council or apply for a pitch in a market – the best of which have waiting lists for more than a year. Once they have a pitch, they are looking at £100 a day rent – at least. Realistically, how many people can make a living selling 50 dishes a day at £5 each when they are being charged such high rental fees? One wonders whether some vendors are forced to reduce their cost of goods and labour in order to survive.
However, regeneration could be an answer. Brixton’s Granville Arcade is a perfect example where SpaceMakers took over an almost derelict site and negotiated low or zero rates for new traders. The food element was an enormous success to the point that private equity firms no longer look to the West End for new concepts, but go to Brixton instead.
Street food poses a massive opportunity to drive a new generation of food entrepreneurs, create jobs and aid economic recovery, but we're making it very hard for them. Whether through regeneration or other means, it is vital that the country supports small food businesses if street food is to go the distance and prove to be more than just a flash in the pan.
