Is downtown Knoxville "mobile concessions friendly"?

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Speculation drives me straight up the wall.

They are permitted but they must keep moving unless they are conducting a transaction.

http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/downlo...dorlicense.pdf

Well, thats some pretty vague wording.

"Seller cannot be stationary, but must remain mobile, except during sales transactions."

What does that even mean? Be constantly on the move, except when you're taking someone's money??

[hiknapster]

I'm sure you'll want to call the city and ask.

[tntim]

I have worked downtown for the past 34 years. From time to time there have been cart vendors but they seem to come and go. The last hot dog vendor was around Market Square a year or so ago.
I’m not sure, but I think that the no standing ordinance applies to novelty vendors like the ones that sell balloons and other trinkets for special events such as parades and festivals. I do remember reading in the paper some time ago that the health department’s health codes make it difficult to operate a portable food cart in Knox County.

[Spectreblofeld]

There's a guy with a hot dog stand that is frequently on the corner in the Old City on weekends (in front of the Urban Bar), on Friday and Saturday nights. Makes good sausage dogs.

Thing is, it's only profitable to do so on weekends, when he can cater to the people filtering out of the clubs/bars late at night. Things are comparatively dead during the weekdays.

Outside of catering to the post-club hungry kids in the Old City, where else would you put a food cart? There are plenty of late-night eateries on the strip (Gus' deli, Krystal, etc) that you'd have to contend with. And during the day, well, you don't have to walk more than five minutes in any direction in downtown Knoxville to find food (how things have changed!).

I live in South Florida now, and I've noticed that almost every Home Depot, Lowe's, etc has a hot dog vendor out front. Brilliant! Hungry contractors on the job that need to eat on the go! I bet those guys are making money hand over fist.

[cookiep2k]

I think that is definitely an untapped market here in Knoxville....*especially* on UT campus. When I went there the cafeterias and snack shops were so busy it was rediculous, I just wanted something good and fast. When the hot dog guy came to campus it was brilliant (and delicious!), but I always wished he could be on other parts of campus as well since UT is so freaking huge.

[tntim]

"Dave's Dog House" a hot dog vendor was on Market Square today at lunch time.

[Barking Spider]

News Sentinel had a piece about the new Petros mobile unit. They talked about health dept regs, permits (each jurisdiction may be different), and getting permission from property owners.

[BeenEverywhere2011]

Are there any other vendors (besides the hot dog guy) on or near the UTK campus?