Picture this. Last Thursday of the month. The laneway behind 300 West is lit up — a row of food trucks parked up, aromas drifting out onto Heretaunga Street West, people from the neighbourhood grabbing a feed and hanging around until dusk. That's WestSide Food Truckers at 300 Laneway. Launching 25 June 2026.
10 trucks confirmed. 300 West Laneway. Last Thursday of every month from 25 June. Wear a hat, unlock deals from every truck.
View the WestSide Food Truckers page →We've got the space. We've got the foot traffic. We've got the vibe. Now we need to know if the food truck community is ready to back it.
The Setup
300 West has a large laneway with room for 6–8ish food trucks, flanked by a cluster of WestSide shops and businesses. There's natural foot traffic from the street... parking nearby... and existing customers from the surrounding precinct who are already here on Friday afternoons.
The format is simple: last Thursday of every month, 5 to 7pm. Enough time for the after-work crowd to stop in, grab something good, and stick around. Not a festival... just a regular rhythm that people can count on.
Why 300 Laneway?
The laneway at 300 West is one of those crazily underutilised spaces that's actually got everything going for it. It's sheltered, accessible, and backs on to carparking — comfortably fitting a row of trucks with room for people to move around and eat without feeling cramped.
Heretaunga Street West has been building momentum — WAMJam sessions, the Special Art Zone, new businesses opening up, music shop, surf shop, art gallery with both slow and fast fashion. A monthly Food Truck Friday fits right into that energy. WestSide was always the destination on Fridays — so locals can easily put it back in their calendar and food truck operators can plan their month around it.
The nearby shops stay open. People grab food, wander, come back. Operators get a consistent, organised venue with an existing audience. Everyone wins.
Hastings city population 49,800 (June 2025). At peak harvest season — Feb to April — an estimated 4,000–5,000 RSE workers from Pacific nations are based in Hawke's Bay, many living and spending locally in Hastings. That's a hungry crowd looking for good food on a Friday evening.
Not a one-off.
A regular rhythm.
Twelve Fridays a year.
Who We're Looking For
- A licensed food truck operator based in or near Hawke's Bay
- A mobile food business with a self-contained setup — power and water independence ideal
- An operator who can commit to a regular first-Friday schedule
- Any cuisine — the more variety across the lineup, the better
- A new operator — we want to support emerging food truck businesses too
The Honest Part
We're not going to pretend this is all locked in... because well, it isn't yet. Food Truck Friday at 300 Laneway is subject to council approval and permitting. There are hoops to jump through: resource consent considerations, food safety sign-offs, traffic management if required. We're working through all of that with the guys with the clipboards and pens.
Here's the thing: the first step is proving there's genuine interest from operators. Council and landowners want to see demand before they green-light something new. An RFI — Request for Interest — gives us all that initial confidence. It's not a commitment from you. It's a signal that the food truck community is keen, and that signal is what we need to move this forward.
This is a Request for Interest only — not a confirmed event or a contract. Registering your interest does not obligate you to participate. Final confirmation of spots and conditions will come once council approvals are in place. We'll keep everyone who registers updated every step of the way.
How It Works From Here
- Step 1 — RFI: We collect interest from food truck operators via the form below
- Step 2 — Council pathway: We take the interest list to council and landowners to progress approvals and permitting
- Step 3 — Operator selection: Once approved, we confirm a lineup — variety of cuisine, fair allocation of spots
- Step 4 — Launch: First Food Truck Friday at 300 Laneway goes live
We'll communicate honestly with everyone who puts their hand up — no radio silence, no stringing people along. If it doesn't get over the line, you'll hear from us.
Get Your Name Down
If you run a food truck — or know someone who does — now is the time. Fill in the form below. It takes two minutes and puts you on the list. The more operators who register, the stronger the case we take to council.
This is how community-led things actually happen — not by waiting for permission, but by showing up first.