‘They don’t answer, they refuse’: Food truck owner seeks accountability from seller after persistent issues

A food truck owner in Casselman, Ont. says they’ve experienced several issues since buying it last year. CTV’s Katie Griffin reports.

A food truck owner in Casselman is speaking out after experiencing several issues since buying it last year, saying the company she bought it from is skirting responsibility.

“What I would like to see is for them to take some accountability and responsibility and pay me for what I had to buy that you promised was going to be installed,” said Risa Daigle who operates Smash N’ Grab on Lafleche Boulevard with her daughters.

Daigle bought the used truck with an all-new kitchen from Food Truck Canada in Georgetown, Ont. in April 2025 for $60,000.

Almost immediately after getting the truck back to Casselman, rain seeped in through the roof during a storm. Daigle says both deep fryers failed within weeks of picking up the truck.

“When I went to their shop to pick up the second fryer, one of their employees told me the fryers that they gave me, there’s a history of them being defective, and he didn’t know why they were installed in my truck,” Daigle said.

Then earlier this year, when they went to open, Daigle said water came pouring through the electrical box. The flat-top grill has uneven heat distribution forcing them to sometimes stop serving their signature burgers, and the gas lines have had to be recalibrated.

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“There’s always growing pains in a new business, but it’s been one thing after the other, and it’s very frustrating,” said Jessica Savage.

The fire suppression system also unexpectedly went off, possibly because heat sensors were set to a lower temperature than needed for the food truck.

“We just ran out and just watched this white foam fall over everything,” said Stephanie Dion. “It destroyed our floors, it destroyed our product, everything, and our loss of sales. And it’s been one thing after another.”

In October 2025, the Casselman Fire Department issued inspection orders flagging issues including the truck not having a grease drip tray beneath the exhaust system, no certification markings, labels or listings on grease filters, and a missing Class K portable fire extinguisher—something the company lists as included in the kitchen package.

“This an undertaking that I took on for my daughters to kind of secure their future,” Daigle said. “I sent them an email and I just said, please do the right thing and I said, I’m giving you an opportunity to make it right and they don’t answer, they refuse.”

When asked for an interview or written response to the allegations, Food Truck Canada first said, “Sorry we are not interested.” Then, in a follow-up, the company wrote, “We are the most reviewed Food Truck manufacturer in Canada, with several locations across Canada. We have way more positive reviews than negative one. We Just don’t think it would be fair to focus on the 5 Negative ones instead of the 90 Positive ones. We know that There’s one person leading this charge against us, and trying to rally others. but we pray that God bless her in her business.”

Other food truck owners have reported similar issues with the same company.

“He said that what we paid for is what we get and told us pretty much to go on our own way and figure it out,” said Haleigh Wright who operates Lez Eats, a food trailer based in Creemore and at events across the province.

Wright reports the propane tank is secured by only one bolt, a poor caulking job, loose counters and equipment not properly mounted among other issues.

She said a piece of metal flew off the top of the trailer on the highway the day it was picked up, adding “the first day that we went driving, I lost nearly lost my fryer because it wasn’t hooked in properly.”

In Casselman, customers are keeping those behind Smash n’ Grab going.

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“I think it’s great. I wish it was open all year round,” said Fred who was picking up lunch earlier this month.

“We don’t want to be like, oh, maybe we’re going to open this day, maybe not. We want to be here for the community,” said Dion.

Daigle said she’s speaking out to warn others.

“So, I didn’t do enough of my due diligence because I trusted them. I trusted what they advertised and I trusted what they said to me and so that’s on me. But it doesn’t mean it’s okay.”

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) said the vehicle met all requirements of the Mobile Food Service Equipment Code in June 2025.

“TSSA has not conducted any further inspections of this food truck since that time. However, to ensure these vehicles continue to operate safely, all food trucks in Ontario are required to undergo an annual inspection by a TSSA‑certified technician,” the TSSA said in a statement.