FIVE food vendors came up against the officialdom of Oxford City Council as they made their cases to take over two vacant, late night burger van spots.

The street food vendors staked their claims to the two spots outside Christ Church College on St Aldates, and on the High in a series of Dragon’s Den style pitches to the city council’s general purposes licensing subcommittee.

They also faced questions from the councillors on the committee, who asked if they were tough enough to handle late night drunken customers on the pitches, which are available for opening hours between 6.30pm and 3am.

But the vendors had to leave the meeting without finding out who won the battle of the vans.

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Before announcing the verdict the committee wanted more time to consider each application.

Committee chairman Colin Cook said the committee had a difficult choice as each of the vendors were ‘suitable’ for the two pitches.

Several of the vendors came prepared with presentations on laptops and booklets of info about their plans.

But they were prevented from giving these out if they provided new information beyond what they had said in their applications.

According to the council’s legal officer Daniel Smith, giving out the extra information could have given them an extra competitive edge and would have been unfair.

The competitors

Philip Fulcher of Street Snack Oxford told the committee his pitch for selling healthy Mexican style food was based around his experience of fitness.

He said he hoped to employ between two and four people in his van.

Oxford Mail:

A design drawing for Philip Fulcher's van. Picture: via Oxford City Council.

Sonia Cortez Mercato said she would be cooking the Latin American food which she had grown up eating in Colombia, including empanadas and fried plantain.

Mrs Mercato said both her and her partner had experience of working with food, with her partner having worked as a pizza chef for nine years.

Oxford Mail:

Sonia Cortez Mercado and her partner pitched a food van selling Latin American cuisine. Picture: Oxford Mail.

Karen Odulate said she wanted to introduce Oxford to a Dutch version of fish and chips called Kibbeling which was lighter than the British style.

She added she would be using an electric powered van when her business got off the ground and would source her fish from Dutch suppliers.

Oxford Mail:

Kibbeling being cooked. Picture: Pixabay.

Mohammed Mahmood was unable to attend the meeting because he had self isolated with fears his flu-like symptoms were Coronavirus.

Instead, his friend Mr Chowdry told the meeting what Mr Mahmood, a former fast food outlet manager, planned to do after being given a brief overview of his plans over the phone.

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He said his friend wanted to give late night workers somewhere to buy a coffee or meals, and also providing vegan alternatives.

Mr Chowdry said: “The reason why he has gone for more of a vegan focused van is because I think two months ago he took on a 40-day vegan challenge and what he struggled with was the option for vegan fast food.”

New Zealander Jane Bridgman said her business Racing Camel Gourmet would provide a mix of food centred around Middle Eastern cuisine.

She added she had come into the idea of late-night catering as it would allow her and her husband’s schedules to match up.

While most other applicants told the committee they would deal with late night troublesome customers by being polite, Ms Bridgman said she would be ‘firm’ with them.

The five vendors were told to expect a written response from the committee within five working days.