According to Valenta, one of the reasons that it’s harder to open a food cart in Vancouver than it is in Portland is the set of variances and discrepancies among agencies.
“You’re dealing with the state, the county and the city,” he said. “Among those three agencies, some overlap and some [don’t], which makes it complicated.”
In Portland, food cart vendors don’t have to negotiate as many agencies, said Valenta. In Vancouver, it’s “the state component” that was the most difficult.
“Labor and Industries runs the process, from construction of the trucks to regulating the safety aspects. The only model they had when we started was mobile medical units,” he said, adding that when The Mighty Bowl got started, they had to meet the same requirements as ambulances.
Although slow progress is being made in adjusting the regulations and clarifying expectations for different types of businesses, it’s slow-going. Valenta and his business partners learned by trial-and-error, and have been building a base of knowledge to help others who might want to enter the food-cart fray, as well as inform their own future growth.
Since opening their first truck two years ago, The Mighty Bowl now has a second cart that operates at Clark College, and has also opened a booth at the Vancouver Farmers Market.
“The second time through wasn’t as bad,” said Valenta. “We had contacts, we had experience, we had a better idea what we were doing.”
Employees at the city, state and county were unbelievably helpful, Valenta added.
“All of these agencies – the process is arduous and complicated, but the people have been great. They really do want to help and they are very kind,” he said.
Teresa Brum, the city of Vancouver’s economic development director, confirmed that the city is doing what it can to make it easier for people who want to start new businesses.
“We are working to streamline permitting processes across the board,” she said, “so anytime we encounter a particular type of use where we hear it’s more difficult, we really try to dig in and streamline it.”
To help food carts, the city applied a “pre-lease” process they had already been using with other businesses.
The number of carts in Vancouver is slowly growing. Esoteric BBQ is a recent addition, as is Deda’s Bakery as well as another, higher-end hot dog vendor. Valenta is happy to have the company, and indicated that when Andrew Buckner was getting started on creating Esoteric, Valenta happily offered whatever tips he could to help ease the process.
And, while the food carts can’t rely on anyone but themselves to make the business successful, local organizations like Vancouver’s Downtown Association (VDA) have worked with the city to help create opportunities.
One such opportunity, “Turtle Place Tuesdays,” began on May 13. Said Brum, “It’s an informal arrangement we put together. Instead of being in the street and having to pay for a parking spot to park the truck, vendors park in Turtle Place Park downtown.” The city made it possible, and the VDA helped promote it.
Lee Rafferty, executive director of the VDA, said she is excited about the mini-event at the park.
“Esoteric was the first vendor who was able to do it. Others will be joining. There’s music, and lots going on. Even if people don’t buy a food cart lunch, they can come down and enjoy their time,” she said. “Andrew from Esoteric cooked way more than he thought he’d need, and he sold out.”
Rafferty continued, “This is something that’s coming. It’s part of a vibrant downtown. People want something they can get on the fly, maybe eat in a park or take with them back to the office. It’s part of having something for everyone.”
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