AnonymousBy an edhat reader
A Full-On Restaurant has set up in the evening hours at the Milpas Roundabout sidewalk apparently without objection from local police, health and safety or local business security interference. Complete with lighting and use of the parking area in front of Jacks Bagels it seems to have found a comfortable new home.
Other “Pop Up” Eateries have been appearing around town everywhere hawking hot dogs, tamales, fruits and drinks. Are they licensed in some way? Do they have to go through the rigorous hoops that food trucks and restaurants have to complete prior to opening?
Such a fuss was made about out-of-town vendors during last year’s Fiesta. Now we might be hosting kiosks as a summer staple? What does the Milpas Association, Downtown Association have to say about this trend? Inquiring minds want to know.
Other than health inspections and verbal permission if they’re on private property, I don’t see any problem with these entrepreneurs. It’s the free market spirit that made this country great. Selling flowers, fruit, or food is much better than panhandling. And working class people are being driven to all these things by greedy parasite landlords sucking the life out of the area.
fwiw, I did not post the original comment and came to this post and comments now.
They are not on private property, but on public sidewalks so, at least in some of the places, the public has to walk in the street. If these are okay, to have no health and safety inspections, then fairness says that same rule should apply to food trucks – and, why not, all restaurants? Or, where would you draw the line? Is it okay to have no safety inspections for street food, eaten primarily by low-income folks, but not okay for sit-in restaurants or food trucks?
Why are you posting this “concern” anonymously?
It appears that the only ‘inquiring mind’ that wants to know is yours.
Stop being a ‘Karen’ & find something truly productive to do.
From the headline I was picturing someone in the actual roundabout using it as some type of drive-thru lol
Same!!! Had a good laugh about it
Right, I love a good Pirate’s tale!
Where do these chefs at the pop-up restaurants( sidewalk vendors) go to the bathroom ?closest bush. It used to be that sidewalk vending was not legal in Santa Barbara. Now there’s some new state law that allows him to sell tamales hot dog along with drugs. The big carts with the fruit and the ice is slave labor somebody’s making a lot of money that goes around in a truck with a lift gate and drops off the workers, then comes back, picks up there, Cash employees, and all their money and carts
Correct. They use the restrooms of legitimate businesses. Businesses that pay taxes, permits, fees, insurance, rent, health department inspections, food safety classes, etc.
Along with drugs?! Prove it.
They use the restroom in the same places as UPS, Amazon, USPS, Cox/Frontier, and other itinerant workers: wherever they can find one. Pretty petty of you to vilify hard workers like this when you probably couldn’t do their job for a single day. I’ve had many jobs and the most physically and mentally challenging ones paid the least and weren’t part of the formal economy.
Is this April 1. So many nonsense “stories” being posted.
Asia and Mexico have some of the best street food. I’ll bet India is good too, but have not been there. If they wear gloves (properly) and they don’t touch money with the same hand they touch the food with, they are OK.
It is hard to compete with a untaxed, unregulated business. with rent free space. Part of the social and taxpayer contract between businesses and the City is that laws and regulations are enforced equally, the city does not provide free use of city owned space to one and make the other pay.
City needs to make everyone pay sales taxes, or no one.
Smh. There’s a LOT more to food safety than wearing gloves!
If you are a legitimate food purveyor that pays taxes, rent, insurance and abides by Health Department standards I can see why these rogue pop up’s would bother you. Much of Joe Public doesn’t understand what is required versus setting up your own food cart willy bully.
I agree. It’s not easy to manage a business the correct and legal way.
It would be nice to forget the licenses, credit card fees, permits, rent, insurance, etc.
I personally do not care about what the police/city/health dept. do or say regarding these pop-up food stands/carts/etc. Have you ever tried any of the food? The potato chips are out-of-this-world good, the mango-on-a-stick w/seasoning is yum-yum-YUM, the corn cob on a stick w/mayo and parmesan cheese is almost a meal itself. Bottom line is that no one “in charge” cares to close these folks down. Like they say, if you can’t beat ’em…..join ’em! I also support those standing on corners selling flowers and sometimes bags of oranges. The only thing most of these vendors are trying to do is to make a better life for themselves, but mostly for their families who are probably not living in Santa Barbara (key word for the word Police “sticklers” out there = PROBABLY not living in SB).
Why are you so upset?
Where do they wash their hands?
On private property they don’t interfere. The security would put a stop to it is they didn’t have permission. On public property, sidewalks, that’s not legal but seems to be ignored. The shopping center will do something if its not ok with them. BTW, they still would need the proper licensing and pay taxes.
Every person in the home where the food is prepared, touches the ingredients while “helping”.
I’ve watched it..
Kids bare hands, dogs licking things, tasters using the same spoon etc..
It’s not sanitary at all.