In Vancouver, people hear the music first – “The Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss II – then see a red, white and blue patterned truck pulling up shortly after.
As impossible as it may seem, that can mean only one thing for people from Hong Kong – a Mister Softee truck is in town. Or is it?Although it is not the same beloved ice cream dispenser – renamed Mobile Softee in 2010 – found in Hong Kong, Watt A Truck looks remarkably similar and offers nostalgic soft-serve ice cream.
“We wanted the truck to look like the Hong Kong truck; otherwise, there’s no point,” says co-founder Wayne Poon Wing-tai, 35, who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 2009.
Poon says he and his business partners had considered launching a truck for some time. It took about a year to bring the idea to life and secure the necessary licences.
Watt A Truck made its debut in early May at the Vancouver Hong Kong Fair, an annual weekend event celebrating Hong Kong culture.