Crowd Complaint Likely Behind Friday's Police Action Against Street-Food Vendor
Unlicensed street-food vendor Kristin, aka Sexy Soup Lady, told SFoodie she's "90 percent sure" that Friday's bust by police was a result of complaints by Linda Street residents. The dead-end street in the Mission has been a popular evening venue for vendors hawking everything from soup and Thai curry to cookies and crème brulée. 
Spencer Brown The Sexy Soup Lady approached by a police officer on Linda Street last Friday
Kristin (last name withheld at her request) said that an hour or so after setting up her cart, two police officers approached. One officer asked if she knew she needed a permit to operate. When she said she didn't, Kristin recalled the officer replying, "Consider you know now, and this is your warning. Next time you'll be cited."
She described a bit of confusion about what the warning meant. No ticket was issued, and asked if she had to pack up and go, the officer replied that he wouldn't tell Kristin what to do, but suggested she leave within 30 minutes. She quickly dispensed the last of her soup and left.
Julie Dasovic lives on Linda Street. She was out of town Friday, but said that, on a previous weekend when she was among the crowd in the street, a neighbor did call the police due to concerns about noise. "When the cops came by they were cool," Dasovic told SFoodie in an email. "They checked out the scene and didn't think it was noisy at all, so they asked us all to be mindful of the neighbors and they left. It's pretty quiet when the carts come out, but there can be a lot of people that show up and I think that is what is concerning some neighbors," Dasovic wrote. "But most of us love it."
As for Sexy Soup Lady, she told SFoodie she wants to continue selling, and will probably be seeking out new venues. She said she's looked into getting the proper operating permits, but found them prohibitively expensive. "I'd need to charge something like $10 for a bowl of soup. It kind of defeats the purpose."
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