A new dining option is rolling into Sooke.
T.J. McFaul is the owner and operator of the South Island Lunchbox, a new food truck serving up burgers, beef dips, poutine, wings and more.
McFaul relocated to Sooke from Toronto with his family five years ago, hoping to help take care of his mother-in-law and find some better weather. Before opening the Lunchbox, McFaul had worked as a letter carrier with Canada Post for 20 years.
He began thinking about starting the business after a disappointing night out with his wife. He was served a cold plate of ribs and, after asking for them to be reheated, said they came back from the microwave.
"I was very put off by it," said McFaul.
"When the bill comes, things are expensive. You're paying good money for things and sometimes it's too much, and you get that type of quality and it's like 'oh my goodness.' That was the decision maker. I thought 'I can do this better.'"
When he arrived in Sooke, he was still working with Canada Post. As his hours got longer and, as his mother-in-law and new property required care, he left his position. He noticed there weren’t too many dining options in Sooke but there were food trucks. When his home situation became more settled, he decided to take a crack at it. He found a truck, got his certifications and hit the road.
"I've constantly seen in the summertime the restaurants in town getting heavily inundated with travellers, with tourists, and I can see lineups coming out the door. And I'm just like, well, you know what? There's enough meat on the bone out here to share the wealth, so to speak," said McFaul.
"If we were in Toronto, where we're from, I wouldn't even be attempting this because there's just so much other competition around."
Now his goal is to run a no-frills business with a friendly face – keeping prices low, with tax included on the menu, and tips welcomed but not demanded. McFaul was even willing to remake a poutine when a woman's daughter dropped her dinner after a fall. As a father of older kids himself, he knew what it was like to take a three- and six-year-old out to dinner.
"[Her mom] came back and told me the story, and I was like no problem dear, I'll give her another one. There's no problem. I can replace that," said McFaul.
"I've tried to dial my menu prices in to where I've got a profit margin, but I'm not looking to gouge. I'd rather sell 100 things at a lower price than sell 10 at a higher one," said McFaul.
"It's about return customers and establishing a business model. At the end of the day I want people to be pleased with what I'm doing," he said.
The name South Island Lunchbox takes inspiration from his truck's boxy silhouette.
"We were coming up with names and a lot of the things out here seem to either be, you know, West Coast or South Island, and I thought the South Island Lunchbox was a good idea," said McFaul.
"It's a big steel box with wheels I'm driving."
So far, the Lunchbox has only been open on weekends, making appearances at Slegg Building Materials in Langford and at the Sooke Night Market. McFaul's marketing strategy has been straightforward, mostly relying on Facebook to promote his business, which so far seems to be working.
"It's been wonderful, the turnout has been amazing. Again, coming from a guy that just put the business out there and said, 'Hey this is where I'm at, this is what I'm going to do, come out and give us a try,'" said McFaul, who explained that some locals promoted him even before he had his official page up and running.
Since arriving in Sooke, McFaul and his family have loved the change in climate.
"I heard about this place in Canada where it didn't really snow and I was like why doesn't everybody live there?" he laughed. Although the change in landscape has been a shock.
"There are so many hills on this island. I'm like how does anybody teach their kid to ride bikes?"
Moving forward, McFaul plans on bringing his friendly, simple business to the parking lot outside Castle Liquor Store, where other food trucks have staked a claim. He hopes to operate at least five days a week.
"I'm really dialed in, I'm really focused on this, and this is what I want to do. So I'm throwing everything I can at it and I'm gonna try to be as successful as I can," he said.
"I want to get to be known as a guy that cares, a guy that wants to be part of this community—a guy that wants to really succeed, and provide the best service, the best quality food that I can for my community, and at a great price."
