Houston Hall merchants protest food trucks

Say outside vendors create unfair competition Prompted by what they call unfair business competition, several Houston Hall mall tenants have been working to limit the number of food carts allowed outside the building. "They come in and they steal your business," said Don McKee, owner of Muffins N' More in Houston Hall. The food vendors have also cut into the breakfast crowd at the Burger King, according to store manager John Myers. Paul Senato, owner of Bagel Builders, says the vendors have done more to his store than just take away customers. Often times, Senato says, vendors park their support trucks in the area in front of Houston Hall, filling up the no parking zone where suppliers park when making deliveries. Harvey Lacy, owner of Auntie Anne's Pretzels, said he was once billed for a parking ticket when his repairmen were forced to double park in front of the building. Lacy said he would like to see Spruce Street in front of Houston Hall become completely vendor-free. The vendors began to pose a problem to Houston Hall tenants in the summer of 1994, according to Tom Hauber, associate director of Student Life Activities and Facilities and Houston Hall's landlord. At the beginning of that summer, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania began its renovation project, forcing food vendors alongside the hospital to move across the street and in front of Houston Hall. Initially, Hauber said, he and his tenants were concerned that emergency vehicles would not be able to gain access to Houston Hall because food trucks were permanently parked in front of the building. Last summer, Hauber said, he pressured University Police and the Philadelphia Office of Licensing and Inspections to crack down on infractions by the vendors. University Police Lt. Sue Holmes worked with the city's Parking Authority to stop trucks from parking illegally in front of the building. And Licensing and Inspections officials spot-checked the site several times to check vendors' licenses and enforce a limit on the number of vendors in a given area. "We did everything we could, both for safety and business in Houston Hall," Hauber said. Today, only ambulances waiting to transport ambulatory care patients are allowed on the HUP side of Spruce Street. Temporary vending regulations stipulate that there must be 30 feet between each licensed vendor along Spruce Street. Currently, red spray paint lines the curbside in front of Houston Hall, marking the properly spaced-out locations where vendors can put their carts. City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, whose district includes the University, is working with the city on a permanent set of vending rules. "We support vending," said Harry Way, Blackwell's legislative assistant. "It's a way for poor people to make money." HUP employees say they view the food vendors as an important part of their lunchtime routines. "It's a veritable United Nations of foods," said Eric Cain, an orthopedic intern at HUP. Cain said the varied cuisine contributes to the area's diversity. HUP surgical intern Patrick Kim, who described himself as a "believer in free enterprise," said the vendors create healthy competition. "If the trucks are a threat to the shops inside, all the better for me the consumer," he said. Other local workers feel the outdoor vendors should be moved away from their current locations. "I'd like to see them grouped into a smaller area," said HUP employee Tom Pingue, as he stepped away from a Chinese food cart in front of Houston Hall. "I think it takes away from the campus." Pingue said he would like to see the trucks moved away from University buildings to open areas like parking lots.