Vancouver is looking to rewrite the recipe for its troubled food-cart experiment, saying it will revamp the process for approving new ventures - and look at creating clusters of carts.
The fixed clustering is central to the cart experience in Portland, Ore., a cutting-edge food-cart city touted by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson as an example for Vancouver to follow.
Despite problems with a pilot project to add 17 new carts this summer that expanded the menu beyond the routine of hot dogs and nuts, city staff may also encourage council to lift the current cap of 120 vending carts in the city.
Of the 120, 79 serve food - a figure that includes the 17 new carts, which added such options as satay, beef/pork skewers and burritos.
Mary Claire Zak, social-policy director with the city, said in an interview Thursday that no final decision has been made for how many carts would be added, but research is under way to assess the market for cart food in the city.
A controversial lottery process for selecting carts may remain, but Ms. Zak said staff will recommend stringent measures to pick the cart projects that would go into the contest.
Despite official optimism, the cart initiative hit some bumps this summer. None of the carts met the deadline for being ready. The city did not get the variety of food it had hoped for. And some businessmen tried to sell their spaces.
"We're pretty solid on the fact that whatever process we use, the prescreening has to be more rigorous to make sure [applicants]are closer to a state of readiness, closer to getting out on the street, and ready to operate," said Ms. Zak.
Seventeen carts were approved in a lottery process in July. Fourteen carts will be on the road as of Monday. Three carts are now off the road due to various issues, including the need to adjust equipment and repairs.
David Jantzen of Vancouver Coastal Health said 10 of 12 carts have undergone food inspections. All passed, save one that was told to deal with refrigeration issues and complied.
But it's the clustering effort that could have a large impact.
The mayor has been emphatic about looking to Portland, and its estimated 450 carts, as an example for this city.
Ms. Zak noted that only about 20 of Portland's carts are on the street, while most are in lots.
Vancouver, she said, might have groupings of three or four vendors in lots, suggesting the option could provide revenue for land owners, and also enliven now-empty public spaces in the downtown core and at major arterials in the city. She also said city-owned lots would be an option for cart clusters.
Allowing carts to cluster would mean zoning changes as well as consulting neighbourhoods and businesses, she said.
"The first step is to come up with recommendations and seek city council approvals," she said.
Brett Burmeister, managing editor of the definitive Food Carts Portland website, said in an e-mail Thursday that "clustering" has been key to the cart boom in Portland "because there is power in numbers.
"If a cart is off on their own, they need to have one heck of a strong menu to build a following. If you place a few carts together, you increase the options for the customer and invariably, one of those carts may become the superstar," Mr. Burmeister wrote.
Ms. Zak said the lottery may remain, but candidates for the contest will likely undergo a round of tough pre-screening.
"One thing we can all agree on is we would want the prospective vendors to come in with more information so there would be more prescreening criteria that we would require," she said, suggesting would-be operators might have to submit menus or have initial discussions with a health authority.
Saturday: The Globe reviews Vancouver's food-cart cornucopia.
Ian Bailey