Waves carwash is doing its bit in keeping Braddon cool. Photo: Tenele Conway.
It’s hard to think of a Canberra suburb that’s seen more change than Braddon. The once semi-industrial precinct, where 20 years ago you were more likely to get your car serviced than find a good meal, has spent the past two decades evolving into Canberra’s most sought-after food and entertainment mecca.
But as apartment and commercial developments become increasingly upmarket, Braddon risks reaching a point of no return.
The grit and countercultural vibes that make the suburb worth visiting are slowly being devoured by progress, while the bootstrapped businesses Canberrans have embraced risk being squeezed out by rising rents.
It’s an evolution that Adrian Sacco, director of Waves Carwash, has witnessed firsthand with his carwash becoming an unlikely champion for small business with his growing collection of food trucks squeezed in around the spray guns and curtain scrubbers.
“We were originally inspired by the Hamlet that opened up across the road in 2014, which created a lot of momentum for food trucks; they were the pioneers of this, and it was the advent of permanent food trucks in Braddon,” Adrian tells Region.
The Hamlet was Braddon’s OG food truck village. Photo: This is Canberra.
With momentum building and the Hamlet only ever being a temporary food village, in 2018 Adrian started inviting food trucks to the Waves Carwash site on Friday and Saturday nights, with the schedule being publicly available through a Facebook page called Braddon Food Trucks.
“It was an opportunity to do something a little different and give back to the community with some new food options,” Adrian explains.
“The weekend events allowed food vendors to dip their toes in the water and leverage the excitement for food trucks in the area.”
The weekend pop-ups proved to Adrian that the demand from the community was there and, leveraging his background in property development, he could see that they could be utilising the large Waves Carwash corner site more effectively.
“Our site would often become a car park with people illegally parking in the driveway, and that wasn’t ideal for us. When I did my Masters of Property at university, we talked about additional use of the land beyond the existing.”
BanMe owners Minh Tri Nguyen and Kathy Phan in their Braddon store onsite at Waves Carwash. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
This idea jump-started the inclusion of permanent food trucks on the site and, some might say, the rest is history.
Since then Adrian has pushed the site to capacity with the building now surrounded on multiple sides, including on the rear driveway where Moowing Steak and Bella Pizza have most recently set up shop.
Adrian’s pricing structure has formed a stepping stone for businesses to go from operating from a food truck to a bricks and mortar shopfront, some with him and some being able to establish themselves and open elsewhere in Canberra.
“As the suburb gentrified, spaces where we had ancillary motor vehicle tenants like Avis and Budget became available, and we have now filled them with great food options.”
Little Phat Rolls opened at Waves in 2022. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
When Adrian talks about great food options, he’s underselling it. The hub is home to some of the city’s most exciting multicultural eats.
In prime position on the front corner, Yaka on Wheels serves complex Sri Lankan dishes, while long-time resident Tikka Stand specialises in Indian street food and freshly grilled meats. Little Phat Rolls offers Vietnamese soups and bánh mì, as does BanMe in one of the commercial spaces.
PJ’s Kebabs has late-night cravings covered until midnight seven days a week, Bella pumps out 24-hour fermented sourdough pizzas, and right next door, Moowing Steak serves grain-fed ribeye that might just change your expectations of food truck dining.
