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SNBA Policy on Food Carts During Gallery Hop

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Started 1 year ago by Andrew Hall
Latest reply from SJT

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Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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Gallery Hop tonight. Beautiful night and lots of people out. Easier to park a car than a bike. What is one thing missing that should be there with these crowds? Food carts.

What is the hottest trend in food retail now? Food carts. Featured almost weekly in all sorts of media and a great examplar of hip entrepreneurship. One would think that the SNBA would encourage the city's food carts to congregate during Gallery Hop and add to the attraction of the event. One might even think that what bills itself as the center of the city's creative culture would actively encourage creative endeavors. One would be horribly wrong. In fact, the SNBA actively booted one of the city's best food carts today.

The SNBA cited permits and other typically bureaucratic reactionary mumbo jumbo. If there were an overabundance of food carts, I can see the logic. But there are none, zero.(0), zip, empty set.

Why? One wonders if the SNBA is really more the SNRA - Short North Restaurant Association.

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
JonMyers
Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
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Well, that was an act of war by the SNBA.

I bet this will come back to haunt them.

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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JonMyers wrote >>
Well, that was an act of war by the SNBA.
I bet this will come back to haunt them.

I hope it is a wake-up call for everyone to think more broadly about the role of all sorts of creative businesses have to play in a larger community.

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
brothermarcus
West Siiiide
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the roasted nuts cart in the winter never seemed to have permit issues, fwiw.

Posted 1 year ago #
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Get the background. There's a perfectly good explanation as to why this permit requirement exists now. And I'm sure they would have been approved had they requested one.

Where's the wake up call for businesses to learn the rules before they jump in the game?

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I don't know anything about this incident today, but looking into it for the full story.

I have heard in the past about a variety of street vendors, musicians and handbill distributors all being booted from Gallery Hop for not being permitted properly.

Sucks for Foodie Cart tonight, but I don't know if everyone should be breaking out their pitchforks and torches and storming the offices of the SNBA without first hearing more from them.

Posted 1 year ago #
zp945
Clintonville/Short North
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somertimeoh wrote >>
Get the background. There's a perfectly good explanation as to why this permit requirement exists now. And I'm sure they would have been approved had they requested one.
Where's the wake up call for businesses to learn the rules before they jump in the game?

Exactly. If only the world were that black and white.

Posted 1 year ago #
zp945
Clintonville/Short North
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That came out wrong. I'm a big fan of the foodie cart. I wish them well and plan to patronize them in the future. I'm also sure there is more to this.

Posted 1 year ago #
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from facebook:

Foodie Cart Locator The snba said we have to leave so we will be here for 30 more minutes. Sorry short north

Michael Day you're always welcome on campus and the Olde North Columbus areas! Screw the Short North!

Foodie Cart Locator the snba lady was actually really nice and let us finish our line. i guess she was just doin' her job. thanks to all of the customers who mobbed up for us. we love you guys! ; )

Foodie Cart Locator we will still post up in the short north. just not on gallery hop.

Foodie Cart Locator garlic truffle mash w/salty caramel corn, lemon pork belly, sesame chicken w/bean sprout salsa, no bake cheesecake-almond cookie w/ blueberry merlot, green tea(macha) tiramisu w/ strawberry, baby swiss veggie egg all sold out! thank you short north!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Looks like it ended well for Foodie Cart, but not at Gallery Hop. It would be interesting to know what special permits the SNBA requires and how hard they are to get (ie price etc) as it is assumed Foodie Cart already has standard Columbus vending permits. As has been mentioned I think that more food carts could add to the 'flavor' of gallery hop.

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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somertimeoh wrote >>
Get the background. There's a perfectly good explanation as to why this permit requirement exists now. And I'm sure they would have been approved had they requested one.
Where's the wake up call for businesses to learn the rules before they jump in the game?

That begs the larger question - why are there NO food carts during the Gallery Hop?

FYI, the application (in black and white, depending on your printer), answers the question:

No food or beverage of any kind is permitted to be sold, displayed, or given away at Gallery Hop by
vendors.

Hmm, not so sure they would get one.

If this were one person who failed to follow the rules among many who did, I would agree. That there are no food carts during Gallery Hop is indicative of it being an intentional plan and, I think, at the behest of specific interests in the SNBA. That is what I would like to see change.

And why is questioning what the SNBA does anything remotely like 'breaking out pitchforks?' I said nothing of a sort. Doesn't that type of characterization of comments end up leading to extreme and useless conversations?

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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I can see how there might have been a time when mobile food vendors could have been perceived to be largely disadvantageous to the aims of the gallery hop, but that time has past. Continuing to ban them, at this point, just seems behind the times.

Probably worth noting, in related but not entirely comparable news, that mobile vendors have organized in Cincinnati and have convinced city council to create vending zones on public property. More here

I think there's something to be learned from that by our city's mobile food vendors...

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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Probably also worth adding that I can't see how the vendors are a threat to existing businesses - the restaurants in the SN are so packed during gallery hop that I actively avoid them in favor of options elsewhere. If others feel similarly, then more food options would likely serve to bring in more people and keep them at the hop for longer.

Posted 1 year ago #
lisathewaitress
SoHud
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okay who's with me? old north columbus bar crawl (that's all we have - no galleries). once a month, with all the food carts lining the streets between dodridge and hudson. maybe all the way to Lane, and we can ask Alana to bring out her giant wok and make bananas foster on the street, and someone from Japanese oriental can do something on the street.

we want you, food carts!!

On that note, food carts, have any of you noticed that the owner of the parking lot outside of the Goodwill at dodridge/high is actively pursuing you? he has a huge sign on High that he's renting outlots. *nudge nudge*

Posted 1 year ago #
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lisathewaitress wrote
we want you, food carts!!
On that note, food carts, have any of you noticed that the owner of the parking lot outside of the Goodwill at dodridge/high is actively pursuing you? he has a huge sign on High that he's renting outlots. *nudge nudge*

I would think many a store would like to have a foodcart parked out front for nothing. It brings traffic which may bring attention to the store.

I had thought Tiger Tree was doing that with the japanese crepe cart before the SNBA kicked them out...

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Andrew Hall wrote >>
And why is questioning what the SNBA does anything remotely like 'breaking out pitchforks?' I said nothing of a sort. Doesn't that type of characterization of comments end up leading to extreme and useless conversations?

Questioning the actions of the SNBA is totally fine. It sounds like it wasn't meant to be perceived this way, but my impression from your original post (and by some of your tweeting last night about the SNBA being "fucktards") is that you're already making accusations before having those questions answered. If that wasn't your intent, that's fine. Just how it was coming across to me when reading it last night...

Anyway, if I personally had to make a guess, I'd wager that there is some sort of liability involved with food vendors at the event. Gallery Hop is officially an event produced by the SNBA, right? (Maybe I'm wrong on that, but that's always been my perception). If there's a problem with a food vendor related to health or safety, could the liability fall into the hands of the SNBA? If so, I can see why they wouldn't allow any food vendors at their event. Again, maybe I'm wrong, but that's just my guess as to why their vendor guidelines says "No food or beverage" of any kind.

I mean... if this were actually a move by the SNBA to protect their restaurant members, then wouldn't they also prevent art vendors from selling on the sidewalks to protect their galleries and stores, and prevent musicians and entertainers to protect their entertainment venues? If member protection were also the assumed motivation behind this, shouldn't the SNBA not care if food vendors are set up outside of non-member establishments?

Anyway, I sent an email to Diesha Condon (SNBA Director) last night with a link to this thread asking for more information. I'd love to hear their reasoning behind these rules, and explore the possibility of having those rules changed.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Does that same liability exist for events like Comfest, Jazz and Rib or the State Fair where food vendors are present?

Posted 1 year ago #
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I believe most events require the food vendor to carry their own liability insurance (which any Columbus food vendor would already have) and sign a fairly standard 'waiver of liability/hold harmless' agreement.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
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The issue, as stated by the SNBA, is that Gallery Hop is meant to be an art event and they only allow street vendors with an art focus. They do not feel that food carts fit within this description so there is blanket policy accord to that feeling.

Posted 1 year ago #
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We now need to start a ground roots 'food is art' campaign. ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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cc wrote >>
We now need to start a ground roots 'food is art' campaign. ;)

It goes deeper than that - there is a lack of understanding of what a creative community is and how it involves *synergy* between food, art/galleries, retail and beyond. Wonderland, as another example, is facing the same obstacle of understanding in the press about it. It is telling that the SNBA shows the same archaic mindset set as those from the Dispatch.

Where I have travelled this year, most places get it. Some places like Charleston have embraced it to an incredible degree and have a vibrant and commercially successful community.

@Walker - It is not fair to take what I say on Twitter and respond to it here. Given that this is not limited to 140 characters, I choose my words and tenor carefully to stimulate more considered discussion, not off-the-cuff reactions as in the nature of Twitter.
A.

Posted 1 year ago #