Letter grades for food carts?

From DNA Info:

A Queens councilwoman wants food trucks and carts to display letter grades, just like city restaurants.

Karen Koslowitz introduced a bill in the City Council Wednesday, which she said would require the city’s Health Department to conduct inspections and give food carts and trucks letter grades of A, B or C.

“You go to a food cart, and you really don’t know its sanitary condition,” Koslowitz said in a statement. “Our current grading system works well for restaurants, and I believe it would be good for the City’s food carts as well.”

Letter grades have been given to restaurants in New York City since 2010.

Astoria smokeout

"Dear Crappy,

It's spring. Are your windows open? I wish mine were. I haven't been able to open the windows in my new apartment in Astoria at 32nd Street and Broadway since I moved in because one of the local souvlaki vendors (and not the "famous" one) fills my street with charcoal smoke every day from lunchtime until 2am. I've submitted complaints to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene each day for two weeks and only get an automated response telling me that all food carts are inspected once a year. DoH, working for you!
Not only do they fill the neighborhood with unbearable smoke (especially for those of us with respiratory conditions), but they block metered parking spaces next to the intersection at Broadway with orange cones to save a parking spot for their disgusting, beat-up and spraypainted black supply van that comes by each day around 4:30pm, just when folks are starting to come home and look for parking.
The smoke, the disregard for local residents, and not to mention the annoying drunks parading around all night eating their souvlaki are driving me crazy. DoH doesn't respond to complaints, the community board doesn't respond to complaints. What's the point of living here if I can't even open my windows?

Attached are photos I took of the smoke and parking cones." - anonymous

Food carts are filthy

From the Daily News:

Funky fruit. Icky ice cream. Putrid pretzels. Toxic tacos.

Those are among hundreds of complaints made by nauseous New York street diners who pulled their heads from the toilet long enough to dial the city’s 311 line.

More than half of the 359 complaints received between June 2011 and June 2014 came from Manhattan, where critics charge the carts operate under lax, to the point of laxative, regulations.

“It’s very loose, the enforcement,” said Daniel Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership. “We’ve been asking the Health Department, and Consumer Affairs, and the police to get together with regulations on appearance and cleanliness.

The complaints relay graphic details of gastric distress: Everything from projectile vomiting to stabbing stomach pains to three days of diarrhea.

They described food handlers working without gloves, workers scooping spilled spices off filthy sidewalks, a bare-chested cook with his body hair wafting onto the grill.

Food vendor damaging street tree

"Hi there-

Wanted to share this pic with you - this is a brand new tree on the corner of gates and st nicholas, right on the brooklyn/queens border.

This food truck sets up every weekend right in front of the tree pit, note all the customers standing in the tree pit and the awning of the truck hitting the tree. A small branch was broken off the tree. It's really too bad as we need these trees. I should also note that there has been an explosion of these food trucks in this area. Note the chairs and small table they have set up.

Love your site-

Jeff - from Ridgewood."

Alcohol & food sold openly in parks by illegal vendors

From A Walk in the Park:

The city is losing millions of dollars in revenue annually from illegal vendors while the Bloomberg administration does little to combat the problem.

In Flushing Meadows Park it's a wild wild west, cat and mouse game as dozens of illegal vendors work openly in the 900 acre park. Women pushing "invisible babies" do brisk business selling alcohol from covered baby carriages, beer is hidden in sewers to avoid detection, while others sell food, ice cream, drinks and snacks and toys.

Licensed vendors say they can not compete. In Flushing Meadows Park alone ice cream truck concessionaires pay the Parks Department up to $ 32,000 annually in addition to Heath Department fees, liability Insurance, and in the case of Mr. Softee - a $ 3000 annual franchise fee, on top of the $ 85,000 - $ 120,000 required to purchase the trucks.

Mean while illegal vendors sell from make-shift home made push carts, baby carriages and bicycles that by-pass permits and insurance.

Legal vendors also note that the Parks Department sets the prices they are allowed to charge while unlicensed ones are not under the same constraints. Some legal ones have been forced to lower prices in order to try and compete.

Critics also point out that park patrons being allowed access to unlimited amounts of alcohal is a concern for getting behind wheel to drive home.
Illegal vendors take away revenue not only from owners but also from the workers who's salaries are often based on a percentage of what they sell.

Some vendors say they are under the constant threat of violence from illegal vendors while the city does little to protect them. They say you are lucky if law enforcement occasionally conduct sweeps and confiscate illegal items but nothing is constant and certainly there is not a permanent uniform presence needed to deter this activity.

Legal vendors say they constantly complain to the Parks Department's revenue division - who oversee the agency's vast array of concessionaires but their concerns fall on deaf ears. They complain that the city refuses to protect them while being told there's nothing they can do because they don't have the resources to address the issues.

There is not a single dedicated Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officer permanently assigned to patrol 900 acres of FMCP, the largest park in Queens.

__________________________________________________________________

I'm sure Holly Leicht of New Yorkers for Parks and Council Member Julissa Ferreras will suggest another conservancy to take care of this...

But seriously folks, it's become much easier and more profitable to do as you please rather than follow the rules in this town. What is the fine for illegal vending even if you were unfortunate enough to get caught?

I urge you to click the link at the top of this post and read the whole story. Illegal gambling, hiding booze in storm drains, legal vendors being harassed and told to vacate the park during the US Open - when they would likely make the most money. It's simply amazing what goes on in our parks. And no one does a damn thing about it.

Push to ban Sunnyside food carts

From DNA Info:

Joe Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, said he asked the DOT on behalf of the board to install barriers that would prevent food carts and street vendors from conducting their business near the 46th Street, 40th Street and 33rd Street stations.

He also asked the agency to beautify these areas and improve the "pedestrian experience" including adding green space, art work and more lighting, he said.

A DOT spokeswoman said in an e-mail that the department looked at the location and determined that barriers were not appropriate for this area. But Conley is holding out hope for other improvements.

According to Conley, street vendors other than the food carts have been coming to Sunnyside in the afternoon to hawk goods such as DVDs, usually on 46th Street between Queens Boulevard and Greenpoint Avenue — on small tables or sheets directly on the street.

“It just looks terrible,” he said.

A few days ago, Conley called police, who made the street vendors leave, he said.

One of the fruit stands located directly under the elevated 46th Street station has become particularly contentious with a vendor who has two big carts that "look like a store," locals say.

Letter grades for food carts

From the NY Post:

A Queens lawmaker has drafted a bill that would mandate posted letter health grades for street-meat sellers.

State Sen. José Peralta (D-Queens) is introducing a measure this week that would require local health departments to come up with a letter-based scale similar to the city’s current restaurant-grading system, following a Post report on the worst of the wurst violators.

“Consumers should know if what they are eating meets certain safety standards,” he said. “If they have an ‘A,’ you’ll eat there. If they have a ‘C,’ maybe not.”

At present, patrons have no way of knowing whether the dirty-water dog they’re about to digest actually deserves the sobriquet. The city Health Department does not publish online inspection results, let alone grades.

Right, but we learned recently that the ones who get bad grades can get them changed to good grades after a hearing. So grading doesn't really tell us anything about the sanitation standards of the vendor.

Unexpected nudity at Flushing food cart

Time to clean the cart!

"This food cart located at 253-06 Hillside Avenue in Bellerose Queens has been at this location 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 6 months.

Where is the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene? Why aren’t they enforcing the NYC sanitary codes? Food carts are required to be cleaned at an approved commissary or depot.

If they have been enforcing the laws, why is the cart still on the street 7 days a week, 24 hours a day?" - anonymous

Food carts double as bedrooms

From the NY Post:

Food vendors looking to guard their spots and avoid pricey storage fees have taken to sleeping inside their carts, with workers snoring where grilled lamb is later cooked for unsuspecting patrons.

"That's crazy!" exclaimed Jennifer Suarez, 36, an Astoria street-food devotee. "You shouldn't sleep where you serve food."

The city Department of Health requires that food vendors clear the streets after closing, then go to a commissary where the carts are washed and stored. But The Post found food wagons loitering on trendy streets around SoHo and Union Square at all hours of the night:

* At least four carts were spotted empty and abandoned, blocking the sidewalks for no apparent reason.

* A worker hiding in a gray hoodie was conked out next to the hot-dog buns and napkins in a halal food cart at West Broadway and Broome Street, directly between Cipriani Downtown and a Ralph Lauren store.

* On the same block, a dozing, cherub-faced worker was on full display in the "Little Cupcake Lover" wagon at Broadway and Houston. Once sleepy time ended, the bustling cart sold trays of dainty red-velvet and Nutella-mint cupcakes.

We gave up $30M for this?

Does something look wrong here? You wanna know what this is all about?

(Hint: It's just evidence of more Bloombergian malfeasance.)

Ever have a Vietnamese taco?

"Hello! My name is Misa Chien, and I am the co-owner of Nom Nom Truck. We are currently traveling across the country alongside the Food Network with our food truck, and NYC is our final stop! We are filming the largest Food Network show of the year, and we would love for you to spread the word!

Nom Nom Truck is a female-owned business, and our co-owner and chef Jen cooks up delicious Vietnamese fusion dishes such as our Lemongrass Chicken taco (just featured in Saveur Magazine for the best tacos in LA!), our Carne Asada Vietnamese sandwich, and our Honey Grilled Pork Banh Mi (just featured in Sunset Magazine!). We are also happy to say that we were just voted best restaurants in LA by Travel and Leisure Magazine!

Our goal is to create delicious and fresh food that will make NYC say NOM! (Nom means when you eat something and it's so delicious you have to make a noise - nom nom!)

We will be serving in the Astoria area of Queens this afternoon (~2 PM)."

And this wasn't part of the letter, but they are in a competition and need to make $500 in Queens in order to move onto the next round. They don't know exactly where they will be yet, but "near the beer garden" is a sure thing.

(Don't worry, this is the only pro-taco truck post you will ever see here.)

Culinary safari down vibrant, diverse Roosevelt Ave

From the Times Ledger:

Food lovers from throughout Queens descended upon about 30 street carts on Roosevelt Avenue Sunday, munching on everything from pumpkin quesadillas to an Ecuadorian shrimp dish during a 2-mile walk planned by Woodside resident Jeff Orlick meant to peak people’s awareness of the tasty eats in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona.

About 20 people participated in Orlick’s first Roosevelt Avenue food crawl, which lasted from about 1 p.m. to after 3 p.m. Sunday. Those embarking on their palate adventure began the tour armed with a map drawn by Orlick, a helpful piece of artwork that mentioned other non-food related places he believed should be checked out — including a cart full of Mexican jewelry and a bookstore.

The map also depicts the Warren Street taco carts — “the mecca of Ecuadorian food carts,” according to Orlick — and crawl participants said his map aptly described the street carts on Warren Street in Elmhurst as “proof God exists.”

If your idea of fun is traipsing around under the el looking for taco trucks and eating your finds on the sidewalk, then you have some serious issues.

Food cart vendor fraud rampant

City Readies for Food Cart Crackdown
NBCNewYork.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.