Why aren't there hot dog carts in chi? (Chicago, Ava: inspectors, restaurant)

[chet everett]

I just spent the better part of a week in NYC and I think it is much better to have the range of affordable places to eat in Chicago that actually have an functional lavatory and some modicum of sanitation. This is not the third world. People should have a place to sit down and eat their food where they won't be assaulted by the stink of rotting garbage and poorly maintained sewers... Despite efforts to make NYC cleaner, it is still much smellier than Chicago and the odds of seeing rats scurrying about is still far higher than sane people should tolerate in the 21st century.

The various "Halal" carts that crowd the busy street corners in NYC are hardly the epitome of worldly cuisine. Plenty of EXCELLENT places in Chicago and the 'burbs that have shwarma or falafel that far exceeds the stuff served in NYC.

Similarly the various SIT DOWN spots in Chicago or the 'burbs that serve up Asian cuisines are superior to the majority of stand-up / carry out spots in NYC.

The relative costs of real estate in NYC and the crush of immigrants probably motivates folks to try to make a buck with a cart there, but here the less tightly packed situation lends itself to an experience, that given out extremes of weather, just is far more pleasant.

It ought not require an advanced degree in Urban Planning to understand how and why NYC has a far more extensive system of subways than Chicago (or any other US city...) to get people around and folks that prefer that mode of transit really ought to focus on living / working in NYC rather than trying to force their preference upon Chicago. Similarly, rather than moaning about the "lack of food carts" it makes sense to instead PRAISE the wide range of affordable independent quick service restaurants that serve up tasty ethnic food in well run little spots along the various thoroughfares and strip malls that dot our region. It would be better is folks actually patronized more of these places and fewer of the homogenous chains that seem to be driving out the locals!

It also strikes me when I come back from a trip to Hawaii that I don't hear anyone complaining about why there are not more spots creatively incorporating Spam into every dish or dozens of different variations on "poke" because sane people understand that Spam is actually a fairly nasty excuse for more perishable pork products and "poke" has a shelf life of just shy of a fruit fly attention span. Thus the kinds of foods that local get accustomed to really do "belong" in the sort of setting that locals face. It is nice that there are food trucks that do roam the temperature reaches of Hawaii and serve local food but again that is something that is does not NEED to be part of the "scene" in Chicago!

[PerseusVeil]

Originally Posted by jman07

NYC has hot dog carts all over. Why doesn't Chicago?

Because they're illegal.
Why Doesn't Chicago Have Its Own Food Carts?: Chicagoist
Food carts face rough path in Chicago - tribunedigital-chicagotribune

The video in the Chicagoist link talks about it, and the city has arrested vendors in the past for selling from carts, including some of the ones in Little Village.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by PerseusVeil

Because they're illegal.
Why Doesn't Chicago Have Its Own Food Carts?: Chicagoist
Food carts face rough path in Chicago - tribunedigital-chicagotribune

The video in the Chicagoist link talks about it, and the city has arrested vendors in the past for selling from carts, including some of the ones in Little Village.

Yea, I remember seeing a female cop kick a guy out trying to sell tamales outside a high school in Brighton Park. She didn't arrest him, just got him to leave the area.

Outside the "Puerto Rican" carnival, out the entrance, are all these Mexican vendors, but the cops there relocate them from getting too close and too crowded.

As for random food vendors, this just shows the disparity of cops willing to enforce a law like that, even by neighborhood.

[NealIRC]

Some of the article touched a little bit about the restaurant industry wanting the city to ban them as it hurts their business.

Geez.

Makes you wonder if the restaurant industry put a lot of money or lawyers to get the change.

[Arne Bjornson]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

Some of the article touched a little bit about the restaurant industry wanting the city to ban them as it hurts their business.

Geez.

Makes you wonder if the restaurant industry put a lot of money or lawyers to get the change.

Same thing in NYC, and pretty much any city besides Portland, Oregon.

[eating while walking]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I just spent the better part of a week in NYC and I think it is much better to have the range of affordable places to eat in Chicago that actually have an functional lavatory and some modicum of sanitation. This is not the third world. People should have a place to sit down and eat their food where they won't be assaulted by the stink of rotting garbage and poorly maintained sewers... Despite efforts to make NYC cleaner, it is still much smellier than Chicago and the odds of seeing rats scurrying about is still far higher than sane people should tolerate in the 21st century.

The various "Halal" carts that crowd the busy street corners in NYC are hardly the epitome of worldly cuisine. Plenty of EXCELLENT places in Chicago and the 'burbs that have shwarma or falafel that far exceeds the stuff served in NYC.

Similarly the various SIT DOWN spots in Chicago or the 'burbs that serve up Asian cuisines are superior to the majority of stand-up / carry out spots in NYC.

The relative costs of real estate in NYC and the crush of immigrants probably motivates folks to try to make a buck with a cart there, but here the less tightly packed situation lends itself to an experience, that given out extremes of weather, just is far more pleasant.

It ought not require an advanced degree in Urban Planning to understand how and why NYC has a far more extensive system of subways than Chicago (or any other US city...) to get people around and folks that prefer that mode of transit really ought to focus on living / working in NYC rather than trying to force their preference upon Chicago. Similarly, rather than moaning about the "lack of food carts" it makes sense to instead PRAISE the wide range of affordable independent quick service restaurants that serve up tasty ethnic food in well run little spots along the various thoroughfares and strip malls that dot our region. It would be better is folks actually patronized more of these places and fewer of the homogenous chains that seem to be driving out the locals!

It also strikes me when I come back from a trip to Hawaii that I don't hear anyone complaining about why there are not more spots creatively incorporating Spam into every dish or dozens of different variations on "poke" because sane people understand that Spam is actually a fairly nasty excuse for more perishable pork products and "poke" has a shelf life of just shy of a fruit fly attention span. Thus the kinds of foods that local get accustomed to really do "belong" in the sort of setting that locals face. It is nice that there are food trucks that do roam the temperature reaches of Hawaii and serve local food but again that is something that is does not NEED to be part of the "scene" in Chicago!

I disagree. I love street food. Ordering from a cart and watching the street life go by as you eat is the best part of travelling, and it would be great if Chicago had that kind of street market/cart scene here. Trash disposal doesn’t have to be a problem, as long as there are legal and financial incentives for vendors to police their own work areas. And I think you are fooling yourself if you think that commercial kitchens are any cleaner, on average, than the average street cart. Everything on a cart is open, and you can see what the cook is doing at all times. Carts also specialize in only one or a few items, simplifying process flow and making it easier to follow safety procedures. Contrast that to a restaurant kitchen which is hidden from view and puts out a wide variety of dishes involving many different ingredients, all of which have individual food safety requirements.

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by eating while walking

I disagree. I love street food. Ordering from a cart and watching the street life go by as you eat is the best part of travelling, and it would be great if Chicago had that kind of street market/cart scene here.

Chicago has a different streetlife than NYC, though, and it might just be that there isn't a market for street vendors.

For one, NYC has sky high rents, Chicago has relatively cheap rents. This means that the immigrant entrepreneur can get a "bricks and mortar" location much easier in Chicago.

For another, NYC is very oriented to the street. Everyone and everything is out on the street. Chicago is much more car oriented, with practically every building with off-street parking, and Chicago has alleys. When you exit a building in NYC you exit to the street. There's no other exit. When you do the same in Chicago it is more often than not to a parking facility, or to the alley. There are multiple exits.

You can be 10 miles out from Manhattan, in random areas like Bay Ridge, or Flushing, and the crowds are bigger than basically anywhere in Chicago outside of downtown rush hour and Mich. Ave. on weekends. So you have just massive pedestrian numbers for Western world standards in NYC, and that makes street vending more feasible.

[steeps]

Originally Posted by eating while walking

I disagree. I love street food. Ordering from a cart and watching the street life go by as you eat is the best part of travelling, and it would be great if Chicago had that kind of street market/cart scene here. Trash disposal doesn’t have to be a problem, as long as there are legal and financial incentives for vendors to police their own work areas. And I think you are fooling yourself if you think that commercial kitchens are any cleaner, on average, than the average street cart. Everything on a cart is open, and you can see what the cook is doing at all times. Carts also specialize in only one or a few items, simplifying process flow and making it easier to follow safety procedures. Contrast that to a restaurant kitchen which is hidden from view and puts out a wide variety of dishes involving many different ingredients, all of which have individual food safety requirements.

I kinda agree with Chet.. OMG. . The food cart be Shed Aquarium is nice and I got a great Chicago Dog there. I think the City has it there? Not sure. But there are no other food places nearby?

As for the rest of downtown. Seems there are plenty and in neighborhoods. A Hot dog joint. Downtown has concession at Millennium Park to sit and eat outdoors and some outdoor café/restaurants. Now along the River-Walk. But I could see a couple allowed say by the Plaza between the Tribune Tower and River and Daley Plaza and Dirksen Federal plaza.
After all you.... could become a US citizen there, come out, have a Chicago dog to celebrate...

When I'm in town I like to hit a Pub on Lower Rush St. Have a BREW with a Chicago Dog they bring over to you from next door.



By Shed Aquarium

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by jman07

NYC has hot dog carts all over. Why doesn't Chicago?

Chicago dogs are too good for street vendors. NYC has carts because theyre crap dogs, thats why. Much easier to sell an already-crappy dog, versus trying to sell a good dog on the street that compares to what you can get at, say, Portillos or Gene n Judes.

I bought a dog from a "Chicago hot dog" cart here in AZ. I had to apologize to those around me who thought thats what our hot dogs were really like. It was gross. I wanted to call the guy out as an imposter, but he was old, and I woulda felt bad. False advertising!!! hahahaha

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Chicago dogs are too good for street vendors. NYC has carts because theyre crap dogs, thats why. Much easier to sell an already-crappy dog, versus trying to sell a good dog on the street that compares to what you can get at, say, Portillos or Gene n Judes.

I think when the OP wrote "hot dog carts" he was using it as a euphemism for street vending. Probably 95%+ of street vendors in NYC aren't selling hot dogs.