To the editor:
Re: "New street food vendors roll into downtown," April 4.
As often happens with these trendy new ideas that take over the city, there is a dark side to them and that applies to these upscale food carts that are invading our neighbourhoods.
Simply put, these new food outlets are competing directly with storefront food outlets that have much higher leasing and operating costs. I have witnessed several "mom and pop" operations close their doors over the past decade due to ever escalating overhead, not the least of which is exorbitant rents. Food carts, which aren't subject to the same financial burden, will compete unfairly with businesses that have been operating for years and contributing to Vancouver's tax base. So before we saturate our take-out food market with these mobile kitchens, looking at the long term impact on the restaurant business may be in order.
Charles Leduc, Vancouver
