How Will New Pushcart Vendor Rules Affect Street-Food Sellers?

Creme Brulée Guy in Dolores Park.

On the surface, the decision yesterday to by S.F.'s Rec and Park Commission to allow pushcart vendors into city parks save Golden Gate reads like a green light for Mission street-food vendors to go legit. But could the new rule actually drive vendors like Sexy Soup Lady and Crème Brulee Guy out of venues like Dolores Park?

The new rules call for vendors to pay a baseline permit fee of $1,000 per month to sell in the city's 200-plus parks (the Commission is due to vote on vendor rules for Golden Gate Park later this year). What's the catch? Well, the permit fee for one. Though it starts at $1,000, it could be assessed higher, depending on a seller's take. While that may be affordable for restaurants interested in launching food carts, it's most likely a hardship for little guys like Amuse Bouche or Bike Basket Pies.

And the rules don't allow vendors to avoid Health Department licensing regulations. Meaning, if a seller is cooking up treats in an unlicensed kitchen, he still won't be able to go legit. Today's Chron report cites interest in the new park carts by Blue Bottle Coffee and sustainable hot dog vendor Let's Be Frank, which already operates a cart in Crissy Field. In the 100-plus reader comments left on SFGate, many questioned the fairness of the $1,000 baseline fee. It's unknown how much interest there is for the new licenses. But could a new fleet of licensed food sellers (supported by restaurants or other existing businesses) actually keep underground vendors out of the parks?

Reached by email, street vendor Amuse Bouche expressed little interest in the new rules. "I'm really not aware of all these legal things," he told SFoodie. "It seems so far from where I am."