Donegall Square in Belfast city centre is to have a new nightly hot food stall operating until 3am.
Belfast City Council’s Licensing Committee at its latest sitting has awarded Mr Patrick McCafferty the grant of a stationary street trading licence to sell hot food and non-alcoholic beverages from a hot food trailer, dubbed 'The PattyWagon.'
The proposed hours of operation are Monday to Sunday from 10pm to 3am.
Mr McCafferty is currently licensed to trade at night and has been trading at the council designated site in Tomb Street since March 2022, selling hot food and non alcoholic beverages.
The council report said: “Mr McCafferty is registered with the Council’s Environmental Health Food Safety and has a five star food hygiene rating.
“If granted the licence for Donegall Square East it would be his intention to surrender the licence for Tomb Street so as to concentrate his efforts on the Donegall Square East pitch.
“He has worked throughout Ireland at a number of locations and at events including the National Trust at the Divis Black Mountain summer solstice event, and the Lammas Fair in Ballycastle.
“He states he uses as much locally sourced products as he can and also uses environmentally friendly packaging. He offers products at affordable prices, through an extensive menu, (not just burgers) with vegan and vegetarian options.
“Whilst trading in Tomb Street, he does a litter pick once an hour and at the end of every night’s trading he makes sure all litter is lifted. This routine would continue if granted the pitch at Donegall Square East.”
Elected members of the Licensing Committee at City Hall had to consider two separate and competing street trading licence applications to trade at the designated site in Donegall Square East at Centra.
The other applicant was Mr Christopher Hamill who applied for a licence to sell hot food and non-alcoholic beverages from a hot food trailer, Monday to Sunday from 10pm to 4am.
Mr Hamill is currently licensed to trade during the day and has been trading at the designated site in Balmoral Road outside “The Range” since December 2018. He also has a five star food hygiene rating.
It was proposed at the Licensing Committee that given the strengths of both applications, the licence would be awarded on a “first come first served” basis, and Mr McCaffertey’s application was duly approved by elected members.
