Saskatoon's first food truck arrives downtown

Saskatoon's first roving food truck has set up shop along 22nd Street East.

The "Disco Dog" truck got its licence from the city last week. Its mailing address is listed as 906 Central Avenue, the same location as Venice House restaurant.

So far, it's the only licenced mobile food truck in Saskatoon.

"Actually the city made it you know fairly easy to do," said Chuck Prongua, the truck's operator and co-founder. "You know it's new to them, it's a brand new thing. We were patient, they were patient with us. It's a learning process. But we made it happen and we're glad to be here."

Up until this year, food trucks were not permitted to park on public streets in Saskatoon, or at metered parking spots.

"This is the first on-street mobile food truck in Saskatoon," said Darryl Dawson, who works in the City of Saskatoon's planning and development branch. "We've had food trucks operating at special events or on private property but this is the first one operating under council's new policy."

After pressure from consumers and some city councillors, officials spent several months studying the way food trucks operate in different cities. In May, council passed new legislation allowing mobile food trucks onto Saskatoon's streets, providing they maintain a 30 metre distance to avoid competing with any other eatery.

For years, hot dog vendors have offered the only street food consistently available in downtown Saskatoon, and outside bars.

Prongua defended the decision to sell more hot dogs, telling CBC consumers will notice a difference at his truck.

"Yeah our hot dogs aren't just hot dogs though. If you take a look at our menu, they're specialty hot dogs. I'd like to call them gourmet dogs. If you look at our menu we have eight different types," he said.