Portland commissioners put the city’s nationally known food carts on notice during a council meeting Wednesday.
The council was debating dumpsters that block city sidewalks, when commissioner Nick Fish noted that food carts put lots of things on sidewalks.
Nick Fish: “They’re all over the place. There’s seating and tables, and other things – including garbage receptacles – in the right of way, on the sidewalk. There are structures being built adjacent to them, there’s storage in the back and the front.”
Fish said he wasn’t sure what the rules were for food carts.
Commissioner Randy Leonard told Fish that administrators at the Development Services Bureau are going to crack down.
The city has regulated the food carts as vehicles, allowing owners to station them in parking lots. That works as long as the owners just serve up their soup and call it good.
The trouble started, according to the city officials, when cart owners began building decks for customers to eat on
and roofs to shield them from wind and rain without getting permits. “There has been a proliferation of these structures. I was blown away,” said Mike Liefeld, enforcement manager at the Bureau of Development Services. The code allows awnings but only if they are anchored to the cart. Once those awnings turned into decks built on top of the parking lot, the owners pushed beyond legal limits, Leonard said. “By taking that approach, they threaten the very existence of food carts,” Leonard said. He later added: “Some people say food carts are so popular in Portland that you can’t get rid of them. That’s not true.”Those illegal structures could open the door to more complaints, which can lead to more visits from inspectors. Once inspectors show up, they typically note other code violations, such as chairs or garbage cans illegally parked in the sidewalk. If those problems aren’t fixed, the city could shut down the carts entirely.
Food Carts have been the subject of more and more complaints over the past few years, and this can’t be a surprise to many. With so many factors involved – safety, tourism, jobs and brick-and-mortar restaurants, it is sure to bring loud debate. Food cart owners, you’d better get organized.
This sounds like this is going to be a big story for 2011.
What do you think? Should food carts be held to a higher standard than they are currently?
resopmok says
I’m sure I’ll get hated on for being a naysayer, but the food cart market is really starting to become oversaturated anyway. It’s hard to say where each person gets the $10k or so they need to open one, but cart pods with 15, even 20 or more carts in one place is simply not feasible to support on the local economic scale, unless we had population density approaching that of NYC. We will see many of these places close up during the winter and eventually cart pods will start disappearing again as people realize it is simply a waste of their money to get started, unless they have found a really unique idea _and_ a really excellent location.
We simply don’t have the population density and weather to support this fad for very long and as sad as it is, many food carts will not last beyond the next year or so. This sort of action on the part of the city may help to speed things along, but remember it is a business owner’s responsibility to obtain all necessary permits, pay fees, taxes, etc. in order to remain in compliance. So poo-poo me if you want, but if people aren’t doing their due diligence, they have no one but themselves to blame when their business fails.
And it’s not that they should be held to higher standards, they should be held to the existing standards which is what it sounds like the city wants to do. Brick-and-mortar business must abide by building and health code regulations (and many of them OLCC regs as well), why should we have lower expectations for food carts?
Brian Mars says
And we can get rid of Randy Leonard pretty easily as well.
Should carts follow building/sanitation regulations? Absolutely. The city council should address the issue, fine the people breaking the law and move on. Leonard’s antagonistic attitude towards one of Portland’s unique attractions is unnecessary.
As for overcrowding, let the market decide who thrives and who withers, not petty politicians.
Rarian Rakista says
NYC has 2 story dining establishments that can serve 500 people at once during the day and dozens of diners at night to serve the late night crowd, we have bars and food carts past 7pm down town. Unless we see some competition for Roxy’s we are going to be stuck with food carts for a long while.
Katrina says
I work in the industry, on the supply side, and every day, I help at least three people who are “starting carts.” I think it’s great that there are so many people trying this route, but I think regulation is highly important. I don’t think Leonard (or his staff)is being unreasonable with suggesting regulations for basic building code violations and I don’t get why people want to vilify him as they do, and I don’t think he’s being antagonistic. I have seen some gross things go on in food carts, with regard to improper sanitation and food handling (which I’m sure happens all the time in restaurants, but just where I can’t see it) so I DO have concerns on that level…I don’t see what the big deal is to not want to get salmonella (which I had this summer from and it was pretty much the sickest I’ve ever been in my life.) or have some poorly built structure collapse.
Susan Porter says
The proliferation of food carts has been one more successful star in Portland’s crown. Cities throughout the U.S. are emulating them, including NYC. The Food Network even has a special show regarding food carts. The food is diverse and most importantly, accessible to everyone. it also provides opportunity for cooks or chefs of all levels to try aspiring to their dreams.
If the city has nothing better to do than niggle away about how an awning is attached to protect the workers from rain (does the city council realize that it rains in PDX?), then go for it. But the idea of threatening the existence of food carts because people want a table on a side walk of a garbage can to throw away the wrappings …omg! The argument that food carts take business away fro restaurants … has anyone ever heard of competition, capitalism, free enterprise or supply and demand?? Obviously, the food cart trend is filling a need for an appetizing variety of inexpensive, tasty,and accessible food. These same customers are either not the ones who want a full-on, sit down restaurant meal, including tip … and maybe surly service and a long wait. Many of us eat lunch on-the-go and we’re not interested in traditional fast food. And for dinner, food carts are a viable option to many of us; in fact, it would be nice if some stayed open later.
Instead of threatening their existence and whining about awnings and alternative eating experiences, just come out with a reasonable “cart code” for them to follow. One thing for sure is that at least customers can see inside the carts and witness the cleanliness, as opposed to restaurants that have kitchens behind closed doors.
Louise says
Food “carts” have gone from charming and quaint to a disgusting conglomeration of tacky wagons and sheds. It’s about time the city addresses the issue.
January Wythe says
Until a few months ago, I was a resident of downtown Portland. The amount of waste from the food carts outside my apartment was absurd. The city trash bins would overflow and become covered in food waste and containers. It makes me happy that something is being done about this. It amazes me that such a green city would tolerate this. We talk about banning plastic bags, but disposal napkins, plates, utensils and food containers are totally acceptable.
In terms of sanitation, I can search MCHD’s database and view most recent health inspections for any brick and mortar busniess, but not for carts. Not sure why. Maybe because the business license name, biling address is different.
It has to be said that some cart pods are very responsible and take steps to curtail littering and such. The North Station pod on Killingsworth comes to mind.
Barry S. King says
A business can be clean, safe, hygienic, and sophisticated regardless of whether it is portable, fixed or anywhere in between. Architecturally speaking, both food carts and fixed restaurants can be beautiful or atrocious. Fantastic food can come from a cart. Lousy food has been known to make its way from behind the double doors. Of course the opposite is true.
Trash cans overflow every day in fast food restaurants and it never makes the headlines. A trash can overflows near a food cart and…..all I can say is get a tamper for about $12 (the kind for gravel and soil compaction). Otherwise get another can.
On the subject of awnings and decks…Keep it safe. The forces of wind and snow load can collapse structures not designed properly. Oh, and keep it beautiful too.
pdxyogi says
Well said, Barry. But I take exception to the fast food. Burgerville composts and recycles everything!