Bird-Free Bites: Food Cart’s Clever Scheme Keeps Seagulls at Bay

A food truck owner introduced an interesting scheme to protect customers from seagulls and help the birds, too. Hawkins BBQ is a popular food truck enterprise on the Isle of Man, that faces regular complaints about gulls stealing food from their customers, BBC reported.

They have launched a £1 ($1.32) daily insurance policy for customers to help them with these attacks. It will guarantee replacement for their food in case a gull snatches it.

The decision was made after reports of these attacks increased in coastal pop-ups, BBC reported. Co-owner, Charlotte Smith, shared that the objective behind the decision was to give customers mental peace so they could enjoy their food. 

Smith added, that every week her company had been receiving two to three complaints of gulls attacking her customers' food, BBC reported.

The policy was introduced in August, and it remains to be seen, how the customers will react to the scheme. The inspiration behind this scheme came from a Scottish trader, who was also facing similar problems in their business. 

The scheme will also benefit the gulls, as the money raised from the policy will be donated to Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT), BBC reported. The organization described the whole thing as "innovative and amusing."

Herring Gulls have seen a population decline and are on the conservation concern lists, BBC reported. MWT chief executive Leigh Morris states that the reason the gulls have resorted to attacking customers' food is because of a lack of natural foods in their habitat.

Involving the MWT organization was a no-brainer for Smith because, despite the discomfort her customers were facing, she did want to look out for these beautiful birds, BBC reported.

"We don’t want to fight them, we want to live with them," she said.  "As much as they sometimes terrorize customers, they are part of our culture and we need to do our part and keep that ecosystem going," the co-owner added.