Food Cart Fest 2015, Vancouver

My wife and I were jonesing for a) a quick lunch, b) kebab and c) lamb, and chose this place on spec, without looking at reviews.

I wasn't able to make it to the YVR Food Fest this weekend but my parents did go and got me a lovely chicken shishilik for after my shift at work.

Last Friday, my coworkers and I grabbed a quick lunch at one of the food carts on Howe Street near Robson Square.

Food Cart Fest 2015, Vancouver, describes itself as "a gathering of over 20 of the city's top Food Carts." It is located in an unused parking lot and takes place every Sunday from 12:00p.m.-5:00p.m Until today that is. The crowd queuing in the heat wave was admitted at 12:25. The explanation? Their security detail was late. Really?! For a Food Cart Fest? Ridiculous! We were surprised to be charged an admission fee. When I asked what the fee was for I was advised that it was to cover the cost of the Food Carts' rental of the parking lot. That's terribly exploitative. Why should patrons pay the food cart owners' rental fees? Especially when one considers that the rental fees are built into the prices. One can eat at any of these food carts throughout Vancouver and not be charged a cover fee. It is worth noting that there is no such cover charge at the Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver. And for what it's worth the gathering of food carts in Portland doesn't include a cover charge. Once in we noted that about half of the advertised Food Carts were participating, which was another disappointment. Overall, this event is not worth the trip.