Greek n’ Go, a family-run food truck business that has become a staple in Victoria since opening in December 2022, has been hit by a wave of vandalism in recent months, leaving the owners with nearly $32,000 in damages.
The business, run by Eirini Sypsa-Kaya and her husband, Vedat, along with several family members, operates three food trucks across the region.
Eirini said the string of incidents has made them feel like they're being deliberately targeted, rather than experiencing random misfortune.
“This has not been set to just one location,” Eirini told Victoria News. “It has happened across all of our food trucks. They target specific things that make us unable to work.”
According to the couple, the vandalism has ranged from stolen tablets to damaged locks and destroyed equipment.
In one incident, Eirini said a locked generator was tampered with and rendered unusable, an act that carried an estimated $22,000 repair bill.
On other occasions, she said electricity cords have been removed or cut, resulting in thousands of dollars of spoiled food. One of the most recent cases she described involved a professionally made power cord being sliced through, forcing the family to throw out $5,000 worth of inventory.
“This cord is heavy duty, very expensive, and really difficult to cut,” Eirini explained. “You need special equipment for that.”
She also told Victoria News that a large rock was hurled at one of their trucks.
In total, the business has calculated $31,945 in damages so far.
Greek n’ Go says they have reported each incident to police in Victoria and Central Saanich, and have security camera footage documenting the acts.
In an emailed statement, the Victoria Police Department said they don't believe that the truck is being specifically targeted.
"We’ve received two reports of incidents involving a food truck in the 1500-block of Cook Street — one in June and another in August. Based on the timing and nature of the reports, there’s no indication that the food truck was specifically targeted," VicPD said.
Meanwhile, Greek n’ Go says insurance has provided little relief thus far.
Each claim requires a $1,000 deductible, with coverage capped at 80 per cent. According to Eirini, just replacing locks has cost them close to $900 out of pocket.
Eirini said the ordeal has shaken the family, which relies on the business not only to support themselves but also their staff of six to seven employees.
"We have lost our sleep,” she said. “It is really stressful. Imagine someone coming to your house and trying to take everything daily. But we still have to wake up and go back to work.”
The family said they have always received strong community support, which has been a source of encouragement during the recent hardships.
“We are really happy because since we posted about this, so many people have reached out,” Eirini said. “We had many walk-ins, and people told us they are behind us.”
The family has now launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising $7,500 to help offset repair costs. They said it was not easy to ask for financial help, but felt the circumstances left them with no choice.
“If we don’t ask for help now, during our most difficult time, then when?” Eirini said. “This is the only time we really need the community to support us, because we do have evidence and people can see what is going on.”
Despite the setbacks, she said the family has no plans to abandon their trucks or change locations.
“This business gives bread to our table and to our employees,” she said. “We will keep going.”
