SURREY — In most political races, being too flakey would likely cost candidates votes, but in the 2014 British Store mayoral pie race, flakiness is nothing but desirable.
Indeed, as the candidates continue to vie for the attention of voters in the rest of the city, the Newton store is running its own political race using pie purchases as a substitute for votes.
The candidates and their pie types are as follows: Vikram Bajwa (steak and Guiness), John Edwards (steak and kidney), Linda Hepner (chicken), Doug McCallum (chicken and mushroom), Barinder Rasode (steak), Grant Rice (steak and vegetable) and John Wolanski (cheese and onion).
Storeowner Andy Bradshaw matched the candidates to the top-selling seven varieties of pies randomly.
“It’s just a bit of fun. We played it around with some of the customers and they thought it sounded like a good idea and we have the light-up board to make it easy to follow,†said storeowner Andy Bradshaw, who moved his business from its long-time New Westminster location to Surrey this past summer. “As soon as they announced who was running we put this up and we’ve been updating it each day.â€
Asked if the impromptu race has influenced any pie buying in the store, Bradshaw joked, “Not as far as I know but Edwards seems to be doing really well. I don’t really know him so it’s possible he could have been coming in and buying his own pies repeatedly.â€
At the time of this writing, Edwards was in the lead with 44 pies sold, while Hepner and McCallum were in second and third, respectively. Rasode was in fourth, and Bajwa, Wolanski and Rice rounded out the race.
“Normally our steak and Guiness (Bajwa) pie is the top one,†said Bradshaw. “We’re also very happy with the cheese and onion pie (Wolanski) sales, which is a vegetarian pie.â€
Bradshaw added that he’s a keen follower of politics and being a new business owner in Surrey, is finding the current race an exciting one to watch.
“I’m from New Westminster and so this is the first time I’ve had reason to pay attention to Surrey politics,†he said. “In New Westminster, it takes 3,500 votes to become a councillor whereas in Surrey it’s more like 35,000. So it makes you realize how vast Surrey is.â€
As for his shop, Bradshaw said business has been good since they opened and he’s looking forward to being a part of Surrey’s growing business sector in Newton.
“I’m shocked at how much shopping there is, the amount of shops, the retail it brings so many people in and we’re right off the main drive,†he said. “Business has been good. We’re really enjoying this.â€
And even if the winner of Bradshaw’s pie race doesn’t get elected in the main election, he said he’ll probably end up making a special pie for his store’s new mayor.
To cast your vote in the 2014 British Store Mayoral Pie Race, visit Bradshaw’s shop at 13369 72 Ave., Surrey. The store also features various British gifts, groceries and other UK items.
Twitter: @QuestionChris