Food truck operator says he was sidelined by City of Vancouver during World Cup

A Vancouver food truck owner says he’s been sidelined from his regular spot on the Granville Strip during the FIFA pedestrian zone.

Days before the World Cup, the operator of Mr. Arancino says the city told him he would have to move his truck to Robson Street, east of Granville Street.

He opened at that location for one day before he said the city asked him to relocate again, as police were extending the barricade zone.

Yannick Cudennec, owner of Mr. Arancino, says they have been operating in Vancouver for the past 10 years, with the last eight years in Vancouver.

“It’s just a thoroughfare for people walking between Robson Plaza and Granville, but nobody stops, there’s no seating here, there’s no knowledge that we’re actually in this location so our attempt to operate here, on Thursday, during the FIFA Canada game, which we were prepped for a huge day, we came out, tons of food and we barely scraped $300 together over a whole eight-hour day,” he told Global News.

Cudennec said the lack of support has been heartbreaking. He said he’s a small business and he feels like he is being pushed aside by FIFA.

In a statement to Global News, the City of Vancouver said that there is limited space within the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone and the city must maintain six metres on the street for emergency access.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.

“Due to safety standards of the closure design of the Granville Pedestrian Zone, street vendors are unable to safely enter and exit the closure area each day with their vending unit and towing vehicle,” the city said.

“As a result, several permitted street vendors whose regular locations are inside or adjacent to Granville Street Pedestrian Zone, including Mr. Arancino, have been temporarily relocated to alternate locations in the downtown core, and where feasible, as close to Granville Street as possible.

“Mr. Arancino has been temporarily moved to 700 Robson St, adjacent to the Granville Pedestrian Zone and nearby to Robson Square, while we continue to explore other available options in the Downtown core. Due to the need to maintain safe access through the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone, the City is not able to relocate any vendors to locations within the Pedestrian Zone.”

Cudennec said his food truck is currently parked because it’s not worth setting up near Robson Square.

“We’re very much subjugated and relegated to a side street and it’s just very unfair,” he said.

“FIFA was really going to be that boost that we needed and up until about a week before, we expected to be right here every day.”