City Readies for Food Cart CrackdownNBCNewYork.com
More than 500 street food vendors are about to lose their permits after undercover investigators found widespread fraud among operating documents. The City Health Department said it is reviewing "a list of possible illegal permits," the New York Post reported.
The Department of Investigations revealed last week that some city permits costing no more than $200 were being hawked for up to $15,000, and that six people had been busted, the paper said.
Health officials became suspicious about three years ago, when workers at the department's Maspeth, Queens, facility began noticing that an unusually high number of carts were being brought in for inspection by the same small group of vendors and middlemen.
Investigators also discovered that unscrupulous vendors were pulling another scam -- using clean carts as stand-ins for those that couldn't pass inspection, the paper said.
Hot dog vendors can make between $100 and $200 dollars per day and often have to shell out about $4000 for a two year permit.
13 comments:
More insanity. God forbid that vendors have to keep clean carts and God forbid that small operators be able to eak out a living without paying extortion.
I wonder if this sudden action has anything to do with white-collar people with "high-end" carts and trucks (sweets truck, for example) that are coming around now and complaining about harassment from the old-timers.
The newbies were complaining about harassment and the 'black market' many carts were operating within.
That got in the news not a week ago, and now this comes out.
Frankly, I am surprised this investigation did not happen much sooner. The astronomic growth of halal carts is truly suprising, considering the long waiting list for a vending license.
At this point, halal carts far outnumber hot dog carts in Manhattan.
Halal carts rock, can't find humus like that in any stores.
Fa-la-la-la-laaa
Fa-la-la-la-laaa
Falafal!
Halal "meat" is transported in vehicles with no refrigeration.
Falafal is meatless.
Fa-la-la-la-laaa
Fa-la-la-la-laaa
Falafal!
Has anyone seen Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, when he hits up New York City???
In the 80's when I worked in the theater, I often walked by two side street storefronts along 45th st bet 9-10th ave which housed the Busy Bee carts.
One bare light bulb hung in the middle of the room and the walls were caked with grime (really black)from waist level down.
You would be disinclined to eat from one of these carts ever again if you had seen the conditions in which they were serviced and stored. I can only imagine what the vermin problem in the apts above must have been.
I watched a cart vendor try to overcharge two tourists in Central Park. There's a sign on the carts that says call 311 if you suspect overcharging. I called 311 and was told you can't report a cart because it doesn't have an address.
WHY DON"T MANY CARTS POST THEIR PRICES??? So they can make them up and rip off tourists....
Report the to NYC Consumer Affairs Dept--311
You are what you eat!
They make more than $100 to $200 a day. I had worked in several places at or around Central Park back in '97-'98. The lowest daily take was around $500. During concerts and/or on holidays it could go up to $3000.
Once I had this gyro wrap from a cart which is located on 6th avenue and 53 rd street. While the guy preparing the food, other man next to him was chating with the other people and me who are waiting for their foods. I asked who is he and he said he is the owner and later I relaised he was the one who collecting money from the customers. He said half joke half serious, he has 2 more carts like this. I did not know same person can hold more than one licence. I think those cart should be only licence holder operated and should be checked for this condition as well as health conditions. Because black market for the people years and years waiting to get their licence and pink market for the people who wants to make money from curently available leases. I heard that on Steinway, you can buy those leases from any cart garage with out waiting the city listings. How legel this process is?
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