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

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.

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.

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.”

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”.

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.”

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.