Idaho Falls could really use some food vendors around our greenbelt. Several people say they wish they could buy a hot dog, fries, or various drinks while walking around our main natural landmark. Think of all the tourist dollars walking around the greenbelt that could be spent here and there.
How to avoid having our greenbelt overrun with all sorts of junk peddlers? The city could regulate it by both requiring mobile vendor daily/weekly/monthly permits for a nominal charge, and by designating where vendors may set up. Boise did this downtown with 9″ round metal stamps set into the sidewalks at various locations downtown. Their vendors can only setup at one of those metal stamps. Any vendors setup at a location without a metal stamp and without a permit gets fined and evicted. Our health department could also do random checks of the vendors to ensure public food safety.
Finally, I have heard an argument that downtown restaurant owners oppose greenbelt food vendors because they fear a revenue loss. I do not know if the owners would voice this concern, but I would hope not. The rationale is misguided. Someone spending $5 on hot dogs for their kids at the greenbelt is unlikely to spend $45 at the downtown restaurants for a full meal.
Greenbelt food vendors would go a long way to add local flavor (pun intended) and would provide more economic opportunities. Will our city council and new mayor be able to make this change by this spring?
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh give me a home,
where the food vendors can roam,
out on the Idaho Falls greenbelt,
I want a hot dog and cheese melt,
if only for a few months each summer,
to go without food vendors is a bummer.
I agree, this would be a great idea. They’ve got food vendors all over this country: at the beaches in Fl, Ca, Va, Jersey shore, Lake Michigan in Chicago, Riverwalk in Austin, Beale Street in Memphis, San Fran’s Fishermans Wharf, and the list goes on and on. Why not have some food vendors along the greenbelt here?
Great idea Joe! Does anybody know if there’s a city ordinance against it, or are permits not available? Whats the deal here?
Oh, I am SO on board with this idea! Doggone it, the vendors (of all sorts of summertime treats) are part of the charm of the big cities…
Back in the 80’s I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona. Each fall the New Mexico green chile vendors would come to town and roast fresh chiles on the street corners. The aroma was intoxicating–the peeled chiles ambrosia. But some s-head in the city decided they were “unsanitary.”
And they were banned. It was a truly sad day for Green Chile Fans who measured the turn of the seasons by the wafting aroma in the air. I love the smell of street vendors. I love their charm and charisma. I love their unique rigs. I love everything about them. e-coli be damned–bring in the vendors!
Somewhere around New Year’s Day in 1978, I was riding up the elevator in the Empire State Building with my spouse and 9 month old daughter. It was late in the evening.
80+ stories, pretty fast, in an elevator. To keep your ears safe, you need to actively pop them as you ascend. So how do we do that for or to a 9 month old?
We feed her fresh strawberries, purchased by the pint from a street vendor nearby. Now this is ‘78…strawberries weren’t exactly a winter commodity back then. But we could get ‘em on the street for a dollar, late in the evening, in NYC.
Worked like a charm. I miss street vendors.
There is obviously a market for street vendors here. Look at how much business the food vendors do at places like the farmer’s market, art show on the river, etc. When people are out enjoying the day they want to grab something quick and easy like a vendor’s hot dog or whatever. They don’t want to go search out a restaurant and have a sit down meal. Some would even prefer cart vendors for lunch every day. For some stupid reason Idaho Falls has an ordinance against street vendors. This needs to change. I think the majority of citizens would approve of the idea. If New York City can license and regulate vendors I think Idaho Falls can manage just fine. It shouldn’t be that much of a challenge.
I’d agree that it’s doable–making street vendors legal. Many, many other municipalities large & small co-exist peacefully with street vendors. Maybe the best way to approach it inititally is to propose two limitations–location & calendar. In other words, a kinda of defacto zoning & density, number, etc. And time limitations–something like every 3rd Sunday or whatever. That way the cautions city leaders could get their feet wet with the concept without opening the vendor free-for-all that they all obviously fear.
Knowing Idaho Falls, it will probably two or three committees, maybe a study or two, perhaps a poll and then a few council sessions with perhaps an Advisory Group throw in for good measure to get this rolling. Ah, whatever, I guess I’ll grill my own hot dogs. Pass the mustard, please.
Cheers, Monte
And then an advisory vote, and then the legislature will make a law to block it statewide anyways if they hear one city wants to do something by themselves, etc.
Time and location, two reasonable restrictions. I think the everyday would be fine, from 10 am until 10 pm would be reasonable.
Boise installed special “vendor stamps” into the sidewalks around downtown, indicating where vendors can setup a stand. Doing this makes it easy to comply with and enforce the law, and keeps vendors from getting congested together.
It would be nice to see some outdoor food vendors this summer, not just at the Farmer’s Market or the various street fairs.
I travel to Boise on a monthly basis, and lunch is quick when there are several vendors nearby. (And delicious, although not always nutritious, but that’s because I make the choice).
We have ‘taco wagons’ here in town, and they can be good, too. So why not vendors along the greenbelt?
I like the idea of the vendors, but my concern is with what might be an increased litter problem. Even though there are trash cans available, with several food vendors and many people, there’s bound to be a certain amount of trash that misses the cans. It would not take long to mar the beauty of the greenbelt. Not a pretty sight to natives, tourists, photographers, etc. And, with our breezes, it travels even farther; it ends up in the river, across the landscape, wherever. Also, would the waterfowl or people’s pets become a nuisance in the vendor area?
Well, one street vendor they haven’t taken off the streets yet are children’s lemonade stands. My wife and I dutifully stop at ALL lemonade stands to patronize the children and thank them for sitting outside offering their wares.
It’s part of Americana and childhood and neighborhoods, etc. I sure hope they don’t crack down on kids selling lemonade and iced tea in teh summer time.
I seriously doubt that would happen. Usually the kids do that in their front yards anyways, so there’s not much the city can do about it.
Someone mentioned the taco trucks….if THEY can get a license to sell food out of a moving vehicle, why can’t someone with a stand or moving cart sell food? Seems like a double standard to me.
I also believe they’d get a lot more people visiting the greenbelt if they had these along the sidewalks. And the people that go out there would stay out longer with food & drink easily accessible.