In the past year there has been an explosion in the number of food carts in Queens and the other outerboroughs. These carts are nothing new in Manhattan, but in Queens they are beginning to ruffle some feathers.
Some restaurant owners and fast-food businesses complain the competition is unfair. They note that the mobile food vendors don’t pay rent or mortgages. And these carts are not required to post letter grades from the city Department of Health.
The Health Department says the carts are inspected and “can be located anywhere, but must be placed according to health code regulations.”
Before the restaurant owners didn’t care much about the vendors selling soggy hotdogs because their fare didn’t taste good. It was fast and a little more. But the new wave of halal food carts has changed everything.
Halal is cuisine made in accordance with Islamic law. The carts sell falafel and gyros, as well as chicken or lamb over rice. They are particularly popular in Jackson Heights. The work ethic of these vendors is as amazing as their food. They set up early in the morning and remain open until the late hours.
While we understand the frustration of some businesses, we remind them that the mobile vendors are a city tradition. Customers are voting with their feet. In the case of halal carts, consumers know they can get a delicious dinner for less than the cost of, say, a Big Mac.
We applaud the enterprise and work ethic of these vendors, who have grown during difficult financial times.
Under the Bus
After a month of being on the street, the city’s school bus drivers have returned to work.
They got nothing from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who refused to extend job protection when the city issues new contracts for bus transportation.
Officials with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 said they ended the walkout after the five Democratic mayoral candidates promised to be more sympathetic to the union.
At the heart of this dispute was security for drivers with seniority. We have believed that was a reasonable demand. Some of these drivers have been serving city school children for decades. Many have families.
