Bud the Spud (chip truck)
Bud the Spud is an iconic chip truck in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.[1] In operation since 1977, it is parked outside the Spring Garden Road branch of the Halifax Public Libraries each summer.[2] It is now located around the corner on Grafton Street, north of Spring Garden Road. The edge of the library is marked by a low concrete wall, and it is there that most customers sit and eat their fries. The truck sells hand-cut French fries made from Prince Edward Island potatoes,[3] and sourced from one farmer, David Dawson.[4] It currently offers hot dogs, fish and chips along with fries and drinks.
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The truck was operated by Bud and Nancy True until 2010. The business operates only during the summer months; the Trues spent the rest of the year travelling. In early 2009 the Trues decided to retire and sell the business.[5] Due to the economic downturn, buyers for the business were unable to obtain financing, and the truck is still being operated by the Trues for another summer.[6] It was purchased in 2010 by Glenn Tait.[7] He operated the truck until 2015 when it was purchased by Jody LeBlanc who left his job as an instructor at a career college to run the food truck without any prior experience in the food business.[8]
Food critic Calvin Trillin, who summers in Nova Scotia, praised the truck in the New Yorker writing that "some summers, I would catch myself concocting an unlikely errand in Halifax, an hour and three-quarters from where I live, just to get within striking distance of Bud the Spud."[9]
References
- "'Bud the Spud' credits success to P.E.I. potatoes from Dawson Produce". Charlottetown Guardian. Transcontinental Media. 2009-04-23. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- "French fries free Bill, Bud the Spud". Calgary Herald. 2 December 1981. p. D2. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- "Halifax on a Budget: Food". Up! Magazine. Westjet. 23 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011.
- Daniels, Ruth (31 October 2008). "Bud the Spud Chip Wagon, Halifax". Food Network Canada. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013.
- "Halifax's Bud the Spud moves on". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-04-22. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- McLeod, Paul (2008-08-28). "Bud the Spud back for one more summer". Daily Business Buzz. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- "Glenn Tait owned Bud the Spud chip truck". THE CHRONICLE HERALD. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- Gordon, Will (3 June 2019). "Halifax's Favourite Fries". Halifax Magazine. Advocate Media. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- Trillin, Calvin. "Funny Food." The New Yorker 23 Nov. 2009: 68.