Why does good cheap food here stay a scattered handful instead of ever becoming a scene?
Fell down a rabbit hole on this, want a reality check from people who actually cook or run rooms.
We’ve got real pockets, Somerset, the shawarma obviously, strip malls, some incredible hole-in-the-walls, but it stays a scattered few: the good cheap stuff is either one rent hike from gone, or a truck that vanishes in October. Meanwhile the new “street food” spots open indoors at $18 with a cocktail list.
My amateur read: the indoor prices are mostly rent, and the reason we never get a cheap street-food scene like other cities is our winter kills the outdoor version before it can take root, so nothing ever gathers the cheap stuff into one warm place. It’s clearly not impossible here (the Toronto Asian food courts run all winter indoors and are some of the best value in the country).
So, genuinely: if you tried to run a truly cheap spot in this city, what kills you first, rent, staffing, the licensing setup, or something I’m not seeing?