Are Food Carts Getting Out Of Control?
I’ve been waiting for push-back against food carts, and it sounds like a groundswell is building. From the EnzymePDX website, there are currently 534 licensed food carts in Multnomah County, with applications for 82 more under planned review. Even John Hamilton, vice president of communications for the restaurant lobbying group the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, admits that Portland has surpassed other major cities as the No.1 spot for food carts in the country. … In terms of sanitation and how the food is handled, the carts are held to the same standards as restaurants and receive twice-yearly inspections, according to the Multnomah County Health Department. But other costly requirements that apply to restaurants, such as maintaining plumbing for an on-site restroom and a three-sink hand washing facility, do not pertain to carts. Kirchmeier wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with that, if most mobile food units would actually live up to their name. The county health depar
