Friday, August 30, 2019 3 Brooklin Town Crier A Special BTC Feature How to train your teenager By Richard Bercuson Question: You want your teenagers to learn responsibility and money management skills. Do you: a - Give them a weekly allowance and hope for the best? b - Show them how to shop for bargains, no matter the price? c - Buy a chip truck and get them to run it? Answer: For Bill Dashper, the answer was an easy decision. He picked c. Dashper, himself an independent businessman who does network cabling, bought a chip truck last November from a local fellow who'd had it stashed at the Ultramar gas station on Winchester Rd., west of Baldwin. He named it The Tragically CHIP Wagon to honour his favourite band. In fact, when you visit it - and this place deserves a visit - you'll hear only Hip music on the outside speakers. If you examine the background to the menu closely, you'll see a poster of Hip concerts Dashper attended, including the momentous final one on Aug. 20, 2016. "It got to a point where my daughter (Isabelle) kept asking for money for clothes and such," he recalls as this writer awaits his own fries order. "'This is crazy. She needs a job,' I thought." Taking the leap So he took the leap. He brought the wagon up to speed on fire and safety codes and taught Isabelle, now 16, how to cook fries, poutine, hot dogs and burgers (he'd done some small order cooking as a youth at a golf course). What he hadn't counted on was just how much extra work there was for him. "That was one of the challenges," he says. "How quickly things run out. I've made more trips to Costco in the last two months than in my life, and I've been a member since 2001. Some weeks, it's three or four visits for ketchup or napkins or fresh lettuce. The margins in this business are razor thin." And potatoes. Bags and bags of potatoes. Aside from Isabelle, he has two sons, Jack, 14, and Fletcher, 12, who are obviously CHIP-sters in waiting. While Isabelle handles most of the workload, Dad hired additional help for other shifts. In fact, the biggest chunk of expenses lies in staffing. He's occasionally had to step in to fill shifts. Developing skills "I told my kids they'll have a big leg up on their friends because they'll have developed all these great skills." The two boys can't yet do the cooking but it seems Fletcher has natural people skills "at the window," as the industry calls it. Meanwhile, Isabelle admits she's learned a number of new things. One is to only use stuff when absolutely necessary. She's become fastidious about waste. The other is to ensure health code and safety procedures are followed assiduously. And here's a bonus: she's been in French immersion her entire school life, first at Brooklin Village and now at Donald Wilson Secondary. If you care to order in French, or at least practice it, she's more than able to converse. Oil changes Bill Dashper says the one thing they've addressed that might have caused an issue was to change the oil every Saturday morning to ensure freshness. So if you order on a Friday, he explains, your fries may have a slightly darker hue as the oil reaches the end of its lifespan. They're still good though (as this writer will attest to the requested extra crispy). The Tragically CHIP Wagon accepts cash or debit and will stay put through the fall. Bill is pondering how to keep it open through the winter as well as researching a way to text ahead for your order to avoid the wait. On the horizon of course is the massive construction to take place on the land behind the Ultramar which, he figures, could prove to be very lucrative. By that time, Jack and Fletcher will be able to join their sister in the new family venture. WolfPack Golf Tourney Seeking More Sponsors (from Wolfpack Golf Support Letter) Over the past ten years, through the tireless efforts of the Wolfpack organizing committee, this event has raised over $220,000 in support of cancer care and other areas of need at Lakeridge Health. This year, all funds raised will again be directed towards the purchase of high priority equipment needs at the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre. This group's continued support of the Cancer Centre not only allows it to continue to make a difference in the delivery of exemplary treatment and care to patients but also gives hope, courage and strength to those families whose loved ones are affected by cancer. We urge you to get involved with this charity event and invite you to take part by registering a team, sponsoring or offering gifts for the raffle and/or silent auction. We look forward to your continued support of Lakeridge Health. Visit: www.WolfpackGolfTourney.com Sponsorship levels: · Premiere $5,000 · Platinum $2,500 · Gold $1,500 · Silver $350 · Bronze $225