The first three of 16 food trucks will hit the road on Friday – in a manner of speaking, as space-starved Hong Kong’s maiden foray into the mobile commercial kitchen business means the vehicles will be rooted at designated locations rather than cruising around the city. Eight trucks will gradually start operating in the coming weeks, while the remaining five, which are still waiting for their licences, are scheduled to commence by early March. The 16 operators approved by the government will take turns to rotate between eight designated locations, beginning a two-year pilot scheme first proposed in the 2015-16 budget. Already, some operators are concerned about challenging business prospects. Book Brothers, known for its American-style barbecue meat in steamed bread, will be among the first three operators cooking from around 11.30am to 7.30pm at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai. The operator, which runs seven food trucks in the United States, said the set-up in Hong Kong was less flexible. “We can park anywhere in the US as long as the truck is not blocking the road … but here in Hong Kong we can’t park around,” said Raymond Wong Wai-man, general manager of Atlantic Sunrise Food, which will operate the Book Brothers truck.
