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Old Aberdeen cafes ‘will miss out’ as university plots food truck to cash in cruise ship bonanza

Aberdeen University is seeking a street traders licence to set up the van at King's College.

Cruise ship tourists admiring Old Aberdeen earlier this year.
Cruise ship tourists admiring Old Aberdeen earlier this year. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

University bosses want to cash in on Old Aberdeen’s cruise ship boom by rolling out their own food truck in front of historic King’s College.

Since the opening of the new south harbour earlier this year, thousands of well-off passengers have come streaming into the city from luxury liners.

Old Aberdeen has become a “must-see” part of the itinerary for many of those tourists, eager to admire its architecture.

One German visitor told us the picturesque area was “better than Edinburgh”, while the St Machar Bar has seen takings soar as a result of the arrangement with holiday firms.

The front page of the Pres and Journal on Friday, September 22, hailed the impact of cruise visitors. Image: Michael McCosh/DC Thomson

But there are now fears that Aberdeen University could be about to take a bite out of local traders’ profits…

Campus management are seeking a street traders licence in the hopes of parking up their own food truck “at times of expected heavy footfall”.

What does Aberdeen University want to do?

A spokeswoman for the university told us about the plans for its “vintage food truck”, which belonged to the French postal service in a past life.

The Aberdeen University food truck
The university needs the council’s permission to operate the truck on High Street. Image: Aberdeen University

She said it would “provide catering services at times of expected heavy footfall on campus, including tours for cruise ship visitors”.

The spokeswoman added: “This is in response to feedback from visitors that a greater provision of hot food and drink would be a welcome addition, particularly following the decision of Starbucks to close its campus outlet.

“The vintage food van has been used successfully at a range of university events over a number of years where feedback has been positive.

“It will be driven to the location and removed at the end of each day it is in use.”

The Aberdeen University food truck would be located outside Kings College
The food truck would be positioned outside King’s College Image: Colin Rennie/DC Thomson.

What do locals think about Aberdeen University food truck plan?

Old Aberdeen Community Council is opposed to the plans, with members worried about the likes of the St Machar Bar and Kilau and Shelter coffee shops.

During a recent meeting, group chairman David Craik told the university’s head of projects, Paul Gormley, that it “wasn’t required”.

German tourists exploring the King’s College Quad. Image: Denny Andonova/DC Thomson

Mr Craik said: “We don’t believe it’s fair on the local businesses, we don’t think it should go ahead.

“These coach trips sometimes bring in 100 people at a time, this would be taking customers from these traders.

“There’s plenty of provision for people catching a coffee in Old Aberdeen, and it’s planned for such a sensitive area…

“It’s slightly surprising.”

Thirsty cruise ship passengers popping into the St Machar Bar this summer. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Do you think the university is right to roll out its food truck? Let us know in our comments section below


Mr Gormley said the location had been chosen due to the “amount of footfall”, with the university seeking to “encourage even more people to the campus”.

Read more on Old Aberdeen’s cruise ship boom:

The manager of the St Machar Bar told us about his “busiest summer yet” as a result of the visitors.

And impressed passengers told us the historic area was “better than Edinburgh” when we accompanied them on a tour.

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