The Success of Food Cart Deregulation
Back on the 16th, Spencer Ackerman blogged about the Fojol Bros. food cart and on the 17th Amelia at Gradually Greener mentioned the SweetFlo mobile fro-yo cart. I haven’t been to either, but people seem to like both. And I have been enjoying the Korean cart on K Street west of 15th.
The point I would like to make about this is that if it seems like there’s been a recent explosion of food cart activity in DC, you’re not mistaken. And it’s not a coincidence either. The city loosened food cart regulations last summer and DC has been reaping the benefits ever since. Back in the day, whining about the paucity of good food carts used to be a staple DC whine. And while I wouldn’t say that the situation today is excellent, we’ve definitely bent the curve in the right direction. With the new wave of carts succeeding, and a giant recession destroying the economy of every US metro area except DC and Houston, we should expect to see more cart entrepreneurs coming to town bringing more competition and more pressure for quality.
The moral of the story is something that I like to emphasize—local government and politics matters more than you realize. If something about the place you live seems to suck, there’s probably a reason and a solution.
22 Responses to “The Success of Food Cart Deregulation”
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July 22nd, 2009 at 4:08 pm
The Korean cart on K completely pales in comparison to the one right behind it on L, either at 13th or 14th, I can’t quite remember. I really can’t emphasize enough how much better that one is versus the one on K.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Deregulation from government controls is good says Yglesias.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Um, not all “government controls” are good, and some of them were good at one time but are now archaic. I don’t know about these food carts but I can imagine that in some places the Chamber of Commerce gets together and lobbies for restrictions on activity by competitors who are unlikely to pay dues to their organization.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Does this make up for all the stolen bicycles?
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Yes, there’s usually a wonderful solution, but getting your local government to adopt it is another thing. The more local, the worse the government, as a general rule.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
The more local, the worse the government, as a general rule.
I wonder what the founders thought about this.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I wonder what the founders thought about this.
“The smaller the society, the fewer probably will be the distinct parties and interests composing it; the fewer the distinct parties and interests, the more frequently will a majority be found of the same party; and the smaller the number of individuals composing a majority, and the smaller the compass within which they are placed, the more easily will they concert and execute their plans of oppression. Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other.”
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
The consensus throughout our office regarding the K versus L Street Korean carts is the same as Drew reports (comment #1), that the L Street one is much better. The L Street cart is between 13th and 14th, just off 14th Street.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:36 pm
@ 6 “I wonder what the founders thought about this”
I’m not sure the founders were thinking much at all, they were too busy compromising to think.
As for food carts, I wish the Feds would pass a National Statute allowing more food carts, then I too could enjoy a little “street Korean” where I live.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Should Obama take up Food Cart System reform and have the CBO look at his various schemes for the public food cart option?
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
“Deregulation from government controls is good says Yglesias.”
One might think, if one were inclined to care more about the quality of outcomes than adherence to lazy ideological assumptions, that Yglesias is saying that some regulations are counterproductive. Likewise, in other posts, he is saying that deregulation can sometimes be counterproductive.
One might even get the crazy notion that good governance depends on being able to tell the difference.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Food carts are all the rage in SF now…there’s a cupcake company that Twitter’s its location, a creme brulee cart, foods stands on loading docks, not to mention the ubiquitous taco trucks.
Viva street food!
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
@10 Mattyoung: “Should Obama take up Food Cart System reform and have the CBO look at his various schemes for the public food cart option?”
Danger! The little c conservative CBO always guesses high. CBO estimates for Food Cart System reform would probably come in at $1.6 trillion. FCSR would never see the floor.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm
The moral of the story is something that I like to emphasize—local government and politics matters more than you realize. If something about the place you live seems to suck, there’s probably a reason and a solution.
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Is this the same MY who told us yesterday that autonomous local governments – I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant by his awkward phrase “strong federalism” – are killing the country? What’s that phrase of Emerson’s: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds”
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Many a taco truck in fellow thriving metro Houston
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Campesino, are you drunk or something? Sober people don’t normally take two restatatements of the same principle and declare them incompatible. Are you a bot pattern-matching on the words or something?
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I think Campesino is referring to Matt’s comment about the cesspool that is state government, which is certainly not “local government”. But trolls rarely let facts get in the way of an opportunity to insult.
IMO local government is by far the most responsive and efficient, with state government on the opposite end. The fed sits somewhere in between and oscillates between 100% dysfunction during GOP control and embarrassingly mediocre performance under Dem control.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm
These foods sound fattening. Bad for public health! I propose reregulating in the form of punitive taxes. You know, to raise money for health care. the fact that the taxes will almost certainly cure MY of his wrongheaded food choices is icing on the cake. Or… soy milk in the organic shredded wheat.
The convenience of food carts is too tempting. So we also ought to lace punitive taxes on operators.
Or does this reasoning only apply to things other people like?
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Nothin beats the carts in Philly.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
It’s has always struck me as unfair that Chinese families can support themselves making noodles and selling them on the street, yet it’s so hard to do that here. Would definitely love to see it made easier, and have thriving food carts.
And jungle gyms at the bus stops.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I’m glad you posted on this. The Downtown DC BID established a Vending Demonstration Program, back in 2003, which I ran until the end of 2007. That program was the catalyst for the changes we see on the street today. I’m happy there is more variety in vending now, but the real story way more complicated. While our program made On the Fly “legal”, (and Gabe Klein had the vision and financial backing to make it work), we got nothing but pushback from DCRA, (where vending enforcement originates) and little help from DOH (where the food-handling standards are set). There was also precious little help from the vending community itself (with a couple of major exceptions), which seemed odd, because (we thought) relaxed and rational regulations should have been in every vendor’s self-interest. That turned out not to be the case. In short, the hot dog vending cartel did all it could to prevent competition, the regulatory agency did all it could to prevent change, and the oversight agency (DOH) took a pass. And nobody could touch the white trucks on the Mall. It took successful alternative models (e.g. On the Fly) to prod the regulatory agencies into making changes.
Is local government more responsive than the federal government when it comes to changing paradigms? My experience, in trying to change the vending law, is that they run pretty much exactly the same.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 pm
On the Fly guy – you’re too expensive, and your food is mediocre. Improve.