Bud the Spud on Spring Garden Road

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] The edge of the old 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] It currently offers French fries, fish and chips, hot dogs, poutine, and drinks.

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.[4] 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.[5] It was purchased in 2010 by Glenn Tait.[6] 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.[7]

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."[8]

References

  1. ^ "'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.
  2. ^ "French fries free Bill, Bud the Spud". Calgary Herald. 2 December 1981. p. D2. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Halifax on a Budget: Food". Up! Magazine. Westjet. 23 August 2010. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Halifax's Bud the Spud moves on". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-04-22. Archived from the original on 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Glenn Tait owned Bud the Spud chip truck". THE CHRONICLE HERALD. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Trillin, Calvin. "Funny Food." The New Yorker 23 Nov. 2009: 68.


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