'Significant' Interest in Pushcart Vendor Licenses, Park Spokesperson Says

Applications are due October 1.

​Since giving the green light last Thursday for pushcart vendors to hawk food in city parks, S.F.'s Recreation and Park Department has experienced what its spokesperson described as a "significant" amount of interest. Many people have visited Rec and Park's Web site and downloaded the Request for Proposal, communications director Lisa Seitz Gruwell told SFoodie. "It's difficult to say how many applications were downloaded," she noted.

Parc and Rec is holding a presubmittal meeting on August 24 to field questions about the application process. Final proposals are due October 1. "People do call with questions, though all the basic questions are answered in the RFP," Setz Gruwell said. Vendors will be decided by December, and the permits will begin in January 2010.

The decision to allow food vendors in the parks hasn't been without controversy, due largely to the fees involved. Approved food sellers will pay a base rent of $1,000 per month, with additional rent to be based on vendors' gross receipts - fees that are likely too steep for most small vendors.

Golden Gate Park is not covered by the newly approved rules. Seitz Gruwell said Rec and Park staff are working on a proposal for Golden Gate Park, but it's not yet clear when the commission will be able to vote on them.