Renting a commercial space in Bariloche is an almost impossible mission. Many found a job niche in food truck sales that not only increased since the pandemic but also diversified production.
Today you can find cars at the entrance to Bariloche, on Juan Marcos Herman avenue, on Bustillo and Pioneros avenues, at the entrance to Villa Los Coihues, at Llao Llao and at the kilometer 8 crossroads.
“Picadas Argentinas” is the venture of Daniel Valansi and Daniel Andreani. Every day of the week, from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., they sell aubergines, marinades, sweets, honey, olives, dulce de leche, raisins and “energetic” mixes.
They define it as “a federal car” because they bring products from various parts of the country.
Valansi is an electrician, but he decided to venture into sales two years ago, at the end of the pandemic. His partner is a painter.
“I come from Buenos Aires where it is full of seekers who sell everything. I started selling hoses, but when the summer ended, wondering how I could continue, I got the contact of cheese producers. That’s how I started contacting producers from San Luis, Chubut, La Pampa, Córdoba, Mendoza”, comments Valansi and adds: “I make a direct purchase in quantities. For this reason, I have the best prices: I sell for half of what the center sells. That’s why people come back.”
At first, he sold cheeses in his truck until pressure from the municipality began to get him to set up a car. “I did it and today I pay a more than important fee. For this reason, before we were about 10 or 12 and now there are only a few left. Until 2022 I paid 30 thousand pesos; now it went to 60 thousand ”, he explains.
In two years, he achieved “a nice clientele” on the waterfront, in front of the Las Victorias neighborhood, the entrance to the city, with many Bariloche residents and tourists.
“By working all day with my partner and I we make it work, but it takes a lot of sacrifice. We come even if there is wind, rain or snow. At Christmas, New Year. We are always there”, says Valansi.
In the summer of 2022, Verónica Tignanelli began selling hamburgers, but she admits that it was not very profitable for her. Later, she tried selling cleaning supplies and since November, she has been selling regional products (chocolates, scarves, clay and flagstone pots and pots from Jujuy). Her car is also located in front of the Las Victorias neighborhood.
“How’s it going? It’s not crazy but I can keep up. There are months that it goes better; others worse. Tourists who leave by plane do not buy much because of their excess weight; but many come from Chile or from the Valley,” says the 49-year-old woman.
He does not work every day because the rain ruins the material in the pots and pots.
“I wanted to find an area that did not have so much competition. The truth is that today starting a business is impossible and entering the job market is impossible. You have to find a way around it, ”she admits.
the time to produce.- “Full today?” asks a woman who approaches the food truck located on Juan Marcos Herman avenue, a few meters from Pasaje Gutiérrez. “And yes, with this day people go out,” Paola Cid replies as she cooks two hamburgers.
The woman does not stop. In just five minutes, three other customers join in looking for a milanesa sandwich, burgers and cones of fries. “We started with my son in August 2022 due to a matter of necessity. Until then, she was a housewife. My idea was to put a chulengo on the street, but a friend of my son lent us the car”, admits the woman who prefers to work at night because, according to her, it is “when she moves the most”. But in recent weeks, as the numbers do not close, it began to open earlier.
Food trucks in Bariloche: a full day job and a lot of sacrifice
The vendors’ stories are similar, working long hours in front of the public and behind the scenes in production.
For six months, Maximiliano Liberati has been offering hamburgers, milanesas, bondiola, with potato bread and bills in his food truck located on Juan Marcos Herman avenue, right in front of the police station. A strategic place to avoid bad times, he admits.
“They don’t let you use power so we have a generator that doesn’t work for many hours. We bought a solar panel but we are still paying for it and it is expensive”, he indicates.
Entrepreneurship, he acknowledges, works. In fact, he explains, today he employs three people. “The goal is to never close. We work from 7 to 2 in the morning. We are the only ones and that is the key for it to work ”, she remarks.
Valentina Han waits patiently in her car located on Provincial Route 82, a few meters from the entrance to Villa Los Coihues.
He says that with his retirement he did not reach 10 days of the month. He, too, could not continue with the sewing work due to the state of his bones. “This saved my life. I was able to catch up and today I have a decent life. My dignity is at work, ”he is proud.
This Paraguayan immigrant began selling chipá with the trunk of her car open at the crossroads of Pioneros Avenue, until she managed to set up her home kitchen. Today she offers puddings, scones, fried cakes, sweets and sandwiches “for the workers”, she clarifies.
“The equation is cheap, fresh and rich. I do everything. They lent me this car that I reformed. If the municipality lets us work, we can pay the canon ”, comments this 69-year-old woman who begins to produce her delicacies at 5 in the morning. “I don’t even have time to get old,” she jokes.
Food trucks in Bariloche: municipal regulations and a rising projection
When Sebastián Rodríguez assumed the Bariloche Inspection Secretariat, one of his objectives was the ordering of street carts since during the pandemic, there were no controls due to the complex economic situation.
“In 2021, when trade and tourism were reactivated, we set out to regularize food trucks without authorization,” explained the municipal official.
In 2018 there were 19 enabled cars; the following year that number grew to 40. During 2020, due to the pandemic, only 17 remained. In 2021 it was reactivated and rose to 25. And with the start of controls, that number rose to 51 in 2022.
During the first three months of the year another 20 were enabled.
“The projection for this year is to reach 90 or 100. The objective is to put Juan Herman avenue in order but we have to wait for several works to finish (the rainwater and the cistern to supply irrigation),” said the secretary of Inspection
To comment on this note you must have your digital access.
Subscribe to add your opinion!
Subscribe