People power saves the Wheatsheaf Hotel’s food trucks

A groundswell of community support has forced a local council to backflip on its decision to boot the popular food trucks from the Wheatsheaf Hotel.

The Wheatsheaf Hotel owner Jade Flavell is confident her fight to retain food trucks at the pub is almost over. Picture: Facebook

A community outcry to save food trucks operating out the front of the Wheatsheaf Hotel has helped secure their long-term future.

The Thebarton pub, which has no operating kitchen to cater to patrons, had been notified by West Torrens Council that permits to food trucks at the site would no longer be issued beyond September 30.

It followed eight years of food trucks operating at the site, with council approval.

However a groundswell of community support gathered in the form of a 2400-signature petition, collected in only 17 days, was presented to the council at a meeting on Tuesday night.

The Wheatsheaf Hotel at Thebarton faced losing food trucks but the end of the battle is in sight. Picture: Facebook

Elected members then voted for chief executive Terry Buss to negotiate and finalise an authorisation permit for the Wheatsheaf to facilitate mobile food vendors on Albert Street outside the pub.

Publican Jade Flavell said the initial notification the food trucks could not operate came as a complete blindside, as they were an integral part of the hotel.

“I’ve been the owner of the pub for 18 years and when I bought it with two business partners, there hadn’t been a functioning kitchen here for about 40 years,” Ms Flavell said.

Estimated costs to get the kitchen to a functioning state were $250,000, which Ms Flavell said was a massive ask for a non-pokie, live music venue.

The Wheatsheaf Hotel publican Jade Flavell.

To cater for patrons, local businesses deliver food to the pub but Ms Flavell said food trucks proved a perfect fit for the business.

“I like the food truck culture and supporting small independent businesses,” she said.

“For me, it’s not about food trucks versus food businesses. Restaurants can still deliver food to the pub.”

About 20 different food trucks have operated from the front of the Wheatsheaf across the past eight years, including some that have gone on to establish their own restaurants.

When she found out the trucks could be forced to go by council, Ms Flavell said it was the worst timing, with the pub having gone through two COVID shutdowns last year, and still having COVID restrictions in place.

“The lockdowns and restrictions made for the toughest year of trading in my 30 years in pubs, so to add another level of uncertainty, it definitely wasn’t the best timing,” she said.