A New Face For Vending

Vendors are trying to adjust to a 1998 law that removed many of them from Penn's main streets. Ralph DiLuzio remembers the good old days of campus vending. The owner of the Ralph & Son's Lunch truck had a prime spot outside of Van Pelt Library until last summer, when a Penn-backed City Council ordinance relocated most of the 90 or so vendors that lined major campus streets. Penn pushed for the bill to try to make the area cleaner, safer and more attractive for potential retail establishments. "We all had certain customers," he said. "They used to hand me notes on the way to class. They'd tell me what time they were getting out of class and what kind of food they wanted and I'd make it for them. All the guys I'm telling you about, I haven't seen them down here yet," said DiLuzio, who is now located at the plaza near Franklin Field at 33rd and South streets. Many vendors say they've suffered a decrease in business -- ranging from 10 to 50 percent -- since the ordinance went into effect in August. But with vending now concentrated in five University-built fresh air plazas, opinions on the new face of University City vending among the vendors themselves seemed to differ, based mainly on vendors' locations. Forty-five vendors were moved off the streets and into one of the five food plazas scattered across campus. Of the five --Elocated in spots near Franklin Field, Meyerson Hall at 34th and Walnut streets, Gimbel Gymnasium at 37th and Walnut streets, 40th and Walnut streets and across from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- Gimbel, the only one in the center of campus, seemed to be the most successful. And some vendors said they find themselves in out-of-the-way locations making it more difficult for customers to reach, thereby significantly affecting their businesses. According to DiLuzio, business has dropped considerably since he moved. Of the five food plazas, vendors indicated that the vendors in the 33rd and South streets plaza are suffering the most in terms of business. One vendor has already left the plaza because of the lack of customers, and those left are doing about 50 percent less business than they were a year ago. "There's no people down at this end, it's like a dead end," DiLuzio said. "It's a good spot, you have the benches and chairs, but the people aren't here. You need the people to make the money." Making the best of it For most vendors, the new situation has its ups and downs. Vendors cite many different problems with their current locations, ranging from slower business to a lack of parking for supply vans and too little seating in several areas. Ahmad Swidn, owner of the Aladdin Middle East Food truck located in the plaza across from HUP, said the trucks have to drive up over the curb every day to get into the plaza because there is no kind of ramp at the plaza entrance. This inconvenience, he said, leads to oil stains on the concrete and damage to the vehicles. Swidn said his sales have dropped off about 25 percent. But despite these concerns, Swidn said he appreciated that the University guaranteed vendors the chance to stay in the plazas for five years while paying just $1 per month in rent. "We appreciate the administration for this movement and giving us five years," he said. "It's better than staying on the street and not knowing where we're going." But vendor Bill Zac, an employee of John's food truck, called the HUP plaza "too crowded." "In this spot eight carts is a little too much," he said. Zac also expressed a concern about the lack of supply van parking around the plaza at HUP, saying that he sometimes has to park them more than a block away. Some of the relocated vendors share a more optimistic view of the current arrangement. "I like the fact that we have electricity and the idea of a designated spot," said Mike Lynch, owner of the Quaker Shaker truck next to Gimbel Gym. Still, he said that seating continues to be a problem. According to Lynch, business is about the same as when his truck was located on Walnut Street in front of Gimbel. He added that the five-year lease guarantee was a good compromise. "I'd like to see vending stand the test of time.? It should remain as a viable alternative for students, faculty, staff, etc., who don't want to spend a lot on lunch," Lynch noted. Other vendors at the Gimbel food plaza agreed that the arrangements are working out as well as can be expected. One said the plazas encourage a sense of fellowship. "On the streets you're on your own, [but] here everyone's together, we can talk to each other," Bento Box operator Timmy Tien said. Some vendors who were not secured a spot in one of the five food plazas have also seen a decrease in business but seem to be satisfied with the new situation. Kostas Omiridis, owner of Pizzeria Express at 38th and Spruce streets, said when he moved from his old location two blocks east, he lost some customers because of the added distance, causing a small decrease in business. "But we've been lucky, we have loyal customers," Omiridis said. Continued Conflict The two-year fight between Penn and the vendors was anything but civil, with both sides accusing each other of lying, misrepresenting each other's positions and of negotiating in bad faith. Scott Goldstein, the former head of one of the ad-hoc vendors groups formed to oppose the ordinance and owner of the Scott's Vegetarian Cuisine food truck, said he has been angry with the University's treatment of the vendors since the ordinance went into effect. Goldstein blasted the University for, in his mind, failing to properly promote the food plazas. "I'm furious," he said. "The University promised? us that they would advertise those plazas. They've done just about nothing." But according to Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official, the University took several measures this fall to publicize the plazas, including purchasing advertising in The Daily Pennsylvanian, maintaining a searchable World Wide Web site and hanging banners up at the plazas. Goldstein said much more should have been done. "The University took it in their hands to dictate through the political process where vendors would be located," he said. "They, therefore, should reprogram the community to know where to look for the food." Shannon agreed that the plaza at 33rd Street -- where Goldstein's truck is located -- may not be in great shape now, but he said he's confident that it will improve over time. Still, he said that overall he's happy with how things have turned out. "I think overall it's fair to say that the fresh air plazas have worked out for the vendors at that location and most importantly for the consumers," Shannon said. Some vendors fear that if business continues to be slow, they may have to pull out of University City or find another job. "If business doesn't pick up we're going to have to look into something else," said DiLuzio's son, also named Ralph. "There's only so long you can deal with losing money or breaking even." Goldstein said that because his business has plunged -- he estimates that he's making well less than half of what he was last year -- he is already looking for another occupation. But Swisdn, among several other vendors, said that while his revenue is down, he's still making enough money to justify staying on Penn's campus.

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