Food trucks should make a return to KPU
Variety is the spice of life, and we need spice on campus
Back when the Farmer’s Market was at the Langley campus, there was always one or two food trucks present. These added to the lively atmosphere of the market, and combined with the vendors, they brought a lot of positive attention to Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The Surrey campus also brought in food trucks on a weekly basis and even hosted a winter market on the campus in 2019.
KPU is a unique university in that it has a strong, diverse community and multicultural roots. This is something to take pride in, and the local communities should be brought onto the campuses.
Having rotating food trucks come to campus would be a major bonus for students and campus life. With classes moving steadily back in-person, now is the perfect time to start setting up contacts for the fall semester.
The program could be for new trucks each week, giving students a chance to try different meals as they come. This would offer a welcome break from the staples offered at the Grassroots cafe and the campus cafeteria, at which most students have tried all the selections of remote interest to them of what is even offered.
Research by the Cleveland Clinic found eating a variety of foods is the healthier option for your body, providing a wider array of macronutrients that you might miss out on by sticking to the same foods.
Eating at food trucks is a great way to support the local community businesses too, so bringing those trucks to the campus would be an even bigger venue to support. Supporting local business is important, and food trucks are about as local as it can get. This kind of support is a relatively passive way to encourage entrepreneurship, and maybe we could even get some KPU students or alumni operating those trucks.
Food trucks in general, are great with their fast service, affordability, and they usually have a signature “thing” that they do better than anyone else. Whether it’s a unique take on a hotdog or a special signature sauce they will take to the grave, there is always something unique at each truck — no two gyro wraps will be the same.
They can bring the community together by congregating students in areas other than classrooms and the cafeteria, which would help with the ghost town feeling that clouds the campus for much of the day. Food trucks are also included in KPU’s 2050 plan as a recommendation for plaza design.
Having food trucks come to campus would bring a nice variety to what can otherwise be a monotonous routine. Especially during final exams, having a new and unique food can bring a spot of brightness to the slog of studying and completing final assignments.
A variety of foods would be ideal. I would personally like to see proper tacos, pulled pork of any variety, and donairs. It would really emphasize the multiculturalism of the Lower Mainland and Canada as a whole.
I really want to see the return of food trucks on campus, both at the Surrey and Langley campuses. Richmond and Cloverdale could benefit as well by having trucks come by, as those campuses have unique programs offered only at those locations.
Let’s be honest here, the cafeteria could also use some competition.
