Food trucks in Helsinki?

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FaultyWalnut
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Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by FaultyWalnut » Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:46 pm

Is it legal to sell food from foodtrucks, or mobile vending kiosks, in Helsinki... or in any towns in Finland? For example at universities?



Food trucks in Helsinki?

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rinso
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by rinso » Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:22 am

FaultyWalnut wrote:
Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:46 pm
Is it legal to sell food from foodtrucks, or mobile vending kiosks, in Helsinki... or in any towns in Finland?
Yes.
But you'll need to jump through a lot of legal hoops before you get permission.
For example at universities?
You probably will not get permission from the property owner.

FaultyWalnut
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by FaultyWalnut » Fri Jan 18, 2019 8:09 am

Ah, so there are food trucks? Have you seen them in other cities, like Tampere or Vaasa or Turku, as well?

What is more common, large food trucks, or small, mobile kiosks? What kind of food do they sell?

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rinso
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by rinso » Fri Jan 18, 2019 8:50 am

Use google, you'll get more information than you'll ever get here.

heretostay
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by heretostay » Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:07 pm


FaultyWalnut
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by FaultyWalnut » Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:48 am

Are the food trucks popular?

One of the laws I read said you have to stay in the area you are assigned, and it implied that they assign areas so that there is only one food truck per assigned area. (This is INSANE unless the food truck culture there is primitive, i.e., the food they sell is not good.)

Here's a photo of food trucks in Dallas, Texas: https://goo.gl/images/qjXCEn
Image

The Public Works Department's "Starting Guide: Food Trucks," January 3, 2017: https://www.hel.fi/static/hkr/luvat/ket ... hje_en.pdf

Can you get Mexican, Caribbean, Barbecue, Vietnamese, Japanese food, from the food trucks?

Can you order special hot cocoa, or bulletproof coffee, from a food truck?

FinnGuyHelsinki
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by FinnGuyHelsinki » Sat Jan 19, 2019 5:48 am

FaultyWalnut wrote:
Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:48 am
Are the food trucks popular?
Not to the extent that it would be a viable business on its own (just look outside).

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rinso
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by rinso » Sat Jan 19, 2019 6:54 am

Can you get Mexican, Caribbean, Barbecue, Vietnamese, Japanese food, from the food trucks?

Can you order special hot cocoa, or bulletproof coffee, from a food truck?
Anything that is outside the Finnish food culture will struggle to get decent sales.

heretostay
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by heretostay » Sun Jan 20, 2019 7:50 am

FaultyWalnut wrote:
Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:48 am
Are the food trucks popular?


Can you get Mexican, Caribbean, Barbecue, Vietnamese, Japanese food, from the food trucks?

Can you order special hot cocoa, or bulletproof coffee, from a food truck?
Food trucks are not popular here. Food on the go is not really very big in Finnish culture. In all my years here I remember seeing one food truck ever. Ice cream is incredibly popular and is sold from mobile kiosks often in summer.

Those foods are typically associated with sit down or buffet restaurants. Buffets are extremely popular here especially at lunch time. Outdoor markets have food tents which might also sell these things.

Coffee shops tend to serve the standard array. Some have special coffee of the month but stuff like bulletproof coffee, I have not seen. I saw some instant butter coffee packets at R kioksi coffee station once.

I assume you are asking because you have a business idea. If so, I think you should spend some time here and get to know the local food culture first.

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wolf80
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by wolf80 » Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:26 pm

FaultyWalnut wrote:
Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:48 am
Can you get Mexican, Caribbean, Barbecue, Vietnamese, Japanese food, from the food trucks?

Can you order special hot cocoa, or bulletproof coffee, from a food truck?
You are asking the wrong questions. You automatically assume that Finns would be interested in these foods. Also, Finnland has more a restaurant culture and not a food truck culture. For lounas (lunch), people want to be able to sit down! And who eats from a food truck in the evening? Maybe after a few beers too many, but then you want a hot sausage, and not sushi!

You don't know the customer base, you don't know the market. Better put in some real research, or forget the idea.

Upphew
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Re: Food trucks in Helsinki?

Post by Upphew » Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:02 am

FaultyWalnut wrote:
Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:48 am
Are the food trucks popular?

One of the laws I read said you have to stay in the area you are assigned, and it implied that they assign areas so that there is only one food truck per assigned area. (This is INSANE unless the food truck culture there is primitive, i.e., the food they sell is not good.)

Here's a photo of food trucks in Dallas, Texas: https://goo.gl/images/qjXCEn
Image

The Public Works Department's "Starting Guide: Food Trucks," January 3, 2017: https://www.hel.fi/static/hkr/luvat/ket ... hje_en.pdf

Can you get Mexican, Caribbean, Barbecue, Vietnamese, Japanese food, from the food trucks?

Can you order special hot cocoa, or bulletproof coffee, from a food truck?
Where would you park your food truck? I hope you have your own snowplow. Dallas pictures applies only in few months here. Even if the food was awesome, where would I eat it? Sitting in the snow, freezing my ass off? Hauling the hot food to my work place and microwaving it? Have you considered buying also food snow mobile. And roofing for spring and autumn so you don't have to eat in rain. Maybe some terrace for the spring too, as the melting snow isn't so fun to stand in.
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