Down but not out, Sydney’s food trucks are adapting to survive

They are part of what makes a city’s food scene buzz but Sydney’s food trucks are in a fight for survival. It’s time to get out and support our city’s street specialists. SEE THE LIST

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They’re not feeding the festival crowds they’re used to, but in their Punchbowl driveway, Nawaf and Sarah Refai’s food truck is still buzzing.

The couple behind 2 Smokin Arabs, known for their smoked wagyu briskets and American barbecue, even have a cosy fire in their front yard where 10 socially-distanced customers can wait, as they serve about 100 people a night.

Food trucks have taken a massive hit during COVID-19, with event and festival cancellations wiping out their revenue streams. But Sydney operators are adapting to survive.

Nawaf Refai and his wife Sarah run the 2 Smokin Arabs food truck in the driveway of their Punchbowl home, where the Abraham family are collecting dinner. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

For the Refais, it’s meant long days prepping, smoking and barbecuing to trade in their driveway four nights a week after the NSW Government threw them a lifeline.

“With the state government taking all the red tape away, we can operate anywhere with the (land) owner’s consent,” Mr Refai said.

“So that made it a lot easier for us to provide for our family, pay our rent and we don’t have to rely on government funding.”

It’s not the trade the Refais were expecting — cancellations ranging from the Australian Grand Prix to the Haldon St Festival in Lakemba sent a massive chunk of their income “down the gurgler”.

“But when we started working from home and had one location, it got a lot better. So as a food truck, we are up about 30 to 40 per cent,” Mr Refai said.

“All my neighbours come and eat, we give our neighbours discounts, we have an old fellow across the road, he’s a pensioner, so we send food over to him.”

Nawaf and Sarah of 2 Smokin Arabs are known for the smoked wagyu brisket, burgers, ribs and have neighbours lining up. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

In-and-out in five minutes: Kat and Tom from their Pasticceria Caruso Food truck at the Bella Vista drive through. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Down the road at the Bella Vista Hotel, another 10 food trucks are back in business thanks to an unusual drive through in the pub grounds.

As fast as Maccas or KFC, the Bella Vista Food Truck Drive Through takes orders and payments via an app, with staff from the shuttered pub working as food runners to get customers in and out in around five minutes.

Customers are met by food runners at the Bella Vista Food truck Drive on Friday night. Picture: Gaye Gerard

With ten trucks on site, drive-through customers can pick from a wide range of cuisine and order from as many trucks as they like. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Now in its fourth week, the drive-through has been welcomed by locals with its mix of food, cocktails and desserts giving them a taste of a festival from a safe distance.

“On a Friday and Saturday night, we’re doing about 300 cars,” said Bella Vista chief executive chef Sam Youngs.

“All these food trucks are owner-operators, they all had their events cancelled, they had all their product in their freezers, they had staff lined up, just the Easter Show (cancellation) alone really wiped them out.

“These are operators that were really hurting so that was the main goal, getting some of these trucks working and getting our staff working.

“It was just about generating something out of nothing in a bad situation.”

Masked food runners wait to collect an order from Tim Rofenstrauss at the Burger Head Food Truck in Bella Vista. Picture: Gaye Gerard

For Cesar Koynig, who runs the Latin Corner food truck, the pandemic has had an unexpected silver lining after COVID-19 forced him to shut his kitchen at 12 Taps restaurant in Glebe.

Food Trucks Australia founder Ray Khouri, who has been lobbying councils to find sites for about 100 trucks in NSW, hooked Mr Koynig up to a site at Mascot and business is booming.

“We were lucky enough to find there was a large Latina population there because we do South American food, and it’s worked out a lot better than it was before,” he said.

“We’re actually turning over more of a profit now than we did at the restaurant.”

The Latin Corner food truck has been embraced by the community in Mascot, where it’s fiesta atmosphere has been cheering the community.

While Latin Corner found its niche, success remains patchy for others, and Agape Organics food truck owner Simon Lawson said many will struggle to survive.

“A lot of the food trucks in Sydney were relying on events, and without events – and some guys I work with are event producers, they’re saying events are not going to come back until summer 2021 … the future is really scary.”

It’s also highly competitive because “every person is doing takeaway”, he said, and turning to deliveries like Uber Eats isn’t profitable for their small businesses.

Agape Organics Food Truck sells organic healthy foods, from gourmet spelt pizzas to tacos as well as delicious restaurant-quality dishes.

Sydney’s food truck scene in filled with variety such as the Cachai Comida food truck, which sells Latino street food with American flair.

A chef and restaurateur, Mr Lawson continues running his truck from it’s Botany warehouse driveway but is planning to move sideways into a bricks and mortar store.

“It’s been really amazing connecting with the local community,” he said. “The one thing I love is it’s not like being in a restaurant kitchen. You actually get to talk to people.

“But I think it's going to be tough. A lot of trucks have closed.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Check out the Pop Up Eats app to find out where a food truck is near you, or visit Food Trucks Australia’s Facebook page.