Forget the food trucks, bring back the Dux de Lux, its founder says

Saturday, 5 October 2024

Unfair but innovative, threatening but doomed - the city is divided over the Christchurch Arts Centre’s proposal to create a food truck market.

Even mayor Phil Mauger applauds the Arts Centre Trust for thinking outside of the box - though Dux founder Richard Sinke is convinced efforts should be focused on restoring the old beer garden.

However, a final decision could be several weeks away, depending on whether the Christchurch City Council decides to publicly notify it.

The Arts Centre Trust wants to launch a food truck market for up to 25 operators, who could run for up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

Their vision has angered other central city business owners, who say food trucks are unfair competition because they’re cheaper to run.

The employees and owners of almost 70 businesses - through the central city business association - petitioned the Christchurch City Council earlier this week, demanding the Trust’s proposal was either rejected, or that its public funding was cut.

A reader poll on The Press website showed opinions were divided, but were marginally in favour of restricting food truck numbers at the Arts Centre.

However, Dux founder Richard Sinke said bringing back the Dux de Lux (the last historic earthquake damaged building the trust has left to restore) would have “a much bigger impact” than wheeling in food trucks.

“It would save a whole lot of hassle… there’s enough food trucks,” he said.

He said seven days a week was too many when “it’s only going to feed tourists” and said operators will struggle.

There has been little progress to restore the old Dux despite passionate campaigning by Sinke and Mauger, who said in July that the trust had rebuffed the council’s interest in buying it off them.

Arts Centre director Philip Aldridge has said external interest in the building was high, but the trust intended to restore it themselves. It just needed to find the money to do it.

But the trust’s coffers aren’t in the best shape. After a popular public campaign, the Arts Centre secured $5.5 million in public funding in the council’s recent 10 year plan.

It came with an order for the trust to think outside the box - beyond just cultural and arts programming - to generate more revenue. With that in mind, Mauger told The Press, “I applaud them… I take my hat off to them” for the food truck proposal.

“But if it’s [the food trucks] there permanently, I think we’re looking down the track of a few problems,” he said.

He believed - as was the concern of petitioning business owners - the proposal would be unfair on investors who had developed properties and businesses in permanent sites, which were more expensive to run.

Jack Halliday, on behalf of urbanist group Greater Ōtautahi, said the petition was a shocking display of anti-competitive behaviour.

There was evidence food trucks increased a city’s vibrancy and activity, he said, and they should be embraced, not demonised.

However, he didn’t think the petition should be ignored either. He said the council should review its ratings policies to level the playing field with brick-and-mortar businesses.

Richard Peebles, co-owner of Riverside Market and Little High Eatery, told councillors on Wednesday businesses were facing growing costs and might devolve into a cheaper food truck model.

Dimitris Merentitis, owner-operator of Dimitris Greek Food, which operates from both the Arts Centre and Riverside Market, said he didn’t agree with either side of the argument.

“They worry too much,” he said of his Riverside peers who did sign the petition.

He doesn’t think the Arts Centre’s plan is a threat. Not just because Riverside Market was hugely successful - with thousands of people through the doors every day - but because he’d operated from the Arts Centre for almost 40 years.

He said he’d seen plenty of food trucks “come and go” and didn’t think there was enough demand to keep two dozen of them in business.

And if the trust’s proposal does get consent, he said he had told the Arts Centre he’d need to “walk away forever” because of a requirement (which was subject to change) for businesses operating fewer than four days a week to store their trucks off site.

Merentitis, 67, said this was impossible for him - he was already overworked.

He only opened his Arts Centre truck on weekends out of love and because it was peaceful - a chance for him to relax on the weekend, he said.

The truck might cost him half as much to operate than his Riverside shop did, but he said he was in business because of his passion for food and making people happy, not maximising profits.

If it was for profit, he said he would have accepted offers from the busy suburban malls who had been knocking on his door for years.

Arts Centre director Philip Aldridge said the final conditions of the consent - including the four day rule - weren’t confirmed because the process was ongoing.

“We understand Dimitri’s concern, but at present this is hypothetical,” Aldridge said.

Food truck operators will be able to adjust their operating hours based on demand, he said, and while the Arts Centre lost a few operators during the winter season they were hopeful for a successful summer.

The controversy over the Arts Centre plans has prompted council staff to get an independent commissioner involved to make a final decision.

It is usually up to council staff to make a call. They have 20 working days to consider resource consent applications, or up to 50 if they decide to notify it (seek limited or full public feedback), which could include a hearing.

John Higgins, council’s head of strategy, planning and regulatory services, said the council hasn’t ruled out notification, nor has a commissioner been appointed yet.

A commissioner wasn’t likely to start getting involved until October 14 at the earliest, he said.

He said the trust’s application was on hold while council consults its legal team about the interpretation of certain parts of the district plan.

Under the district plan, the council allows food trucks to operate on a site without resource consent for up to 10 hours a week.