It’s the height of festival season in Ottawa and for Jade Racicot, owner of Golden Fries, that also means it’s the height of food truck season.
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It’s the height of festival season in Ottawa and for Jade Racicot, owner of Golden Fries, that also means it’s the height of food truck season.
When she started Golden Fries, Racicot said she was one of only a few women running a food truck in the city. Nowadays, that’s not the case.
“When I started, it was definitely predominantly male-dominated,” she said. “Over the years as the food truck industry has grown in Ottawa, I’ve definitely seen more women owners. It’s a great camaraderie we have. It can be difficult at times but we’re getting through it together.”
Racicot joined the industry in 2009, only a year or so before food trucks exploded in popularity. At the time, she operated one of the few trucks on the scene in Ottawa.
“I was only 20 years old and I wanted to start my own business,” she said. “But obviously my funds were very limited. So I came across a used chip wagon on Used Ottawa and I decided to kind of just go for it.”
Since then, Golden Fries has expanded rapidly and become a food truck staple in the city. A permanent location runs seasonally in Orléans, but Golden Fries trailers can also be found across Ottawa at festivals and events from spring to fall every year.
Still, the food truck business isn’t always easy, Racicot said.
“When the pandemic first happened and everything closed down, we were really worried about what the future held for us, given we were a mostly events-based business,” she said. “With our Orléans location, the Orléans community really supported us. We were quite busy through the entire pandemic just there and when everything reopened and we were back at festivals, they continued to support us.”
A lot has changed since she entered the food truck scene, Racicot said.
Originally thought to be a passing fad, more than a decade and a half later food trucks have persisted and Ottawa has been one of many cities to see continued growth in the industry.
While you might think the local food truck boom would lead to competitive concerns, Racicot said it’s become a tight-knit community instead.
“I think it’s a common misconception that people in the same industry are competing against each other all the time,” she said. “We’re actually pretty much all friends. We all get along, we all help each other out. If we’re at a festival and the food truck next to me runs out of forks, I don’t mind lending them some of mine. If I run out of napkins, they don’t mind lending me some. We all help each other out.”
Racicot said food trucks have become more broadly accepted by customers. In the past decade, she said food trucks have become a legitimate catering option for private events and a more accessible option for some people due to lower prices. As a result, Golden Fries trucks have popped up at plenty of corporate events, birthday parties and weddings.
The continued popularity of food trucks has led to innovation.
“I think everyone’s starting to think outside the box,” Racicot said. “Many years ago, food trucks were pretty much just poutine, fries, hot dogs and hamburgers. But these days, there’s all different types of cuisine. I’ve seen Asian fusion and Filipino food trucks do really well. Rather than just having fries and poutine, they’re adding a spin on it. Maybe there’s Asian fusion poutine or pad thai poutine. They all seem to be really well received.”
And, according to Racicot, Ottawa isn’t a bad place to run a food truck.
“It’s great for us,” she said. “There’s a ton of summer festivals and events that we get invited to, way more than we could ever attend. Ten years ago, it would be rare for us to get invited to a school, let’s say. But these days we get so many many invites in June we would never be able to attend them all. Definitely, Ottawa is very receptive to food trucks now. It’s a very popular option.”
Earlier this week, Golden Fries was named one of more than a dozen Canadian eateries to receive a $10,000 Made By Women grant from DoorDash Canada and Monday Girl. The grant recognizes women-owned restaurants for their support of local communities who intend to use the funds to continue growing their business.
At Golden Fries, Racicot said the funds will be used to upgrade some of their equipment.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “We’re very thankful for that opportunity.”
