You would think that if you were a hot dog vendor in Toronto and the city told you they were about to become more lax in their street food regulations, this would spell nothing but good news. And while the changes are good news for new street vendors that want to come in and try something new, it’s not so good for those that have been serving the city through their food carts for many years. And more specifically, for those that have been serving hot dogs.
It was last week that Councillor Cesar Palacio, chair of the food cart and truck operators regulation committee, announced that they were planning on changing the existing rules to street food vendors. The changes would allow street vendors to expand their menus and they come, according to the Councillor, in response to demand for healthier street food fare. But, hot dog vendors that are currently stationed around the city are very skeptical about the claims that people want healthier food options. They instead, see the reason for the new relaxed rules as a way for the city to make more money, as they did with their a la Carte program in 2007.
This program allowed street vendors to sell different kinds of food other than the hot dogs and sausages that passers-by were used to seeing. The entire program consisted of a great deal of micromanagement from the city, who looked over the shoulder of vendors, or made it very difficult for them to get a cart in the first place. Finally in 2009, eight new vendors were allowed to sell a variety of foods including Greek, Thai, and Caribbean. Along with the new choices though, vendors also have to undergo extensive red tape procedures, including getting a truck from the City that’s been approved by the City, and pay many fees for licensing and different permits. A City-approved cart is $30,000, never mind that there are several taxes and fees that come after that. And, vendors are also only allowed to operate in specific locations, also determined by the City. Although 8 new carts were up and running in 2009, only a handful are still operating due to the new fees associated with running a street food cart.
Current hot dog vendors are no doubt incensed because they believe that new street vendors may take away from their own business, and who ever wants to deal with constantly changing laws when they’re just trying to make an honest living. But, what the hot dog vendors seem to be most frustrated with is the fact that they have been doing this their entire lives, and have been successful. They’ve also watched as the City has tried to control and manage something when they have no idea of how it really works, and the vendors have already sat by and watched the City fail with a similar type of program.
In another completely independent project, hot dog vendors were also told that for an extra $1,000 they could also sell other items from their carts such as pre-packaged fruits, nuts, and soup. Of Toronto’s 200 hot dog vendors, not a single one of them paid the additional fee, happy to stick with the hotdog that has made them so successful in the city thus far.
Some Vendors Angry About New Street Food Rules
You would think that if you were a hot dog vendor in Toronto and the city told you they were about to become more lax in their street food regulations, this would spell nothing but good news. And while the changes are good news for new street vendors that want to come in and try something new, it’s not so good for those that have been serving the city through their food carts for many years. And more specifically, for those that have been serving hot dogs.
It was last week that Councillor Cesar Palacio, chair of the food cart and truck operators regulation committee, announced that they were planning on changing the existing rules to street food vendors. The changes would allow street vendors to expand their menus and they come, according to the Councillor, in response to demand for healthier street food fare. But, hot dog vendors that are currently stationed around the city are very skeptical about the claims that people want healthier food options. They instead, see the reason for the new relaxed rules as a way for the city to make more money, as they did with their a la Carte program in 2007.
This program allowed street vendors to sell different kinds of food other than the hot dogs and sausages that passers-by were used to seeing. The entire program consisted of a great deal of micromanagement from the city, who looked over the shoulder of vendors, or made it very difficult for them to get a cart in the first place. Finally in 2009, eight new vendors were allowed to sell a variety of foods including Greek, Thai, and Caribbean. Along with the new choices though, vendors also have to undergo extensive red tape procedures, including getting a truck from the City that’s been approved by the City, and pay many fees for licensing and different permits. A City-approved cart is $30,000, never mind that there are several taxes and fees that come after that. And, vendors are also only allowed to operate in specific locations, also determined by the City. Although 8 new carts were up and running in 2009, only a handful are still operating due to the new fees associated with running a street food cart.
Current hot dog vendors are no doubt incensed because they believe that new street vendors may take away from their own business, and who ever wants to deal with constantly changing laws when they’re just trying to make an honest living. But, what the hot dog vendors seem to be most frustrated with is the fact that they have been doing this their entire lives, and have been successful. They’ve also watched as the City has tried to control and manage something when they have no idea of how it really works, and the vendors have already sat by and watched the City fail with a similar type of program.
In another completely independent project, hot dog vendors were also told that for an extra $1,000 they could also sell other items from their carts such as pre-packaged fruits, nuts, and soup. Of Toronto’s 200 hot dog vendors, not a single one of them paid the additional fee, happy to stick with the hotdog that has made them so successful in the city thus far.