Uptown, South End see a rise in street food vendors operating without permits
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Photo: Courtesy of Mecklenburg County Public Health
South End after midnight on weekends has become the "South End State Fair," PIE.ZAA owner Tyler Kotch says of the street food vendors operating without permits in one of Charlotte's most popular neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Many of these street food vendors are operating illegally, meaning they don't have a permit to sell food and don't adhere to the same hygiene standards as a restaurant or a food truck with a proper permit.
Driving the news: Mecklenburg County Public Health says it has seen a rise in complaints about street food vendors operating illegally. These complaints are primarily about vendors operating between 8pm and 2am in South End and Uptown.
- County officials say they've had 185 complaints over the last year. That's up from 75 complaints in 2022 and 89 in 2023, per a county spokesperson. There were 140 complaints in all of 2024.
- The presence of non-permitted street vendors has picked up in the last year, with the largest presence appearing to be on Bland Street, Vinyl owner Kamal Patel tells Axios.
- The county does not have information about whether or not these vendors live in Charlotte.
State of play: South End has become one of Charlotte's hottest neighborhoods, and businesses are paying premium rent to operate there.
Between the lines: Charlotte has late-night food options, Kotch says. But it's expensive to fully staff a kitchen, given the costs of expenses like rent, permits and inspections.
- Getting a permit is a process, Sean Potter, who owns Folia, tells Axios, adding that there needs to be a process to fully vet businesses that will be selling products for people to ingest.
The other side: People might informally sell food without a permit for similar reasons as non-permitted retail street vendors — an issue the city is trying to address in NoDa: To avoid red tape, fees and operational barriers.
Yes, but: "We just want to make sure everybody is playing by the same rules," Potter says.
By the numbers: PIE.ZAA has seen a 20% year-over-year drop in sales, Kotch says. He blames the presence of food vendors operating without a permit near his restaurant.
What they're saying: "These vendors have effectively hijacked the business model PIE.ZAA was built on — serving a market gap for late-night food — and exploited it without investing anything into the community," Kotch says.
- There is a place for food trucks and street vendors, Patel says, but it shouldn't be detrimental to brick-and-mortar businesses that have gone through the necessary steps to operate a business.
How it works: A festival-related permit costs $75. A food truck/pushcart permit is $125.
- "There is no permit option allowed for individuals setting up to be a street vendor, unless they are part of a festival or are a permitted food truck or pushcart at an event such as Taste of Charlotte," per a county spokesperson.
- To obtain a permit, businesses can reach out to Environmental Health at 980-314-1620.
- The penalty for operating as an unpermitted food vendor is a citation from CMPD and notification to City of Charlotte Zoning. Those operating as vendors illegally are given a first-time warning.
What's next: The county plans to respond to complaints, educate people about how to obtain the proper permits and ensure the public understands the health risks of consuming food from vendors who don't have a permit.
The big picture: The county has issued more than 4,400 permits for food service facilities through its Food and Facilities Sanitation Program. An approved facility must display its food safety scorecard. You can check a permitted vendor's health inspection score here.
- The county's 311 program allows residents to report food vendors operating without a permit.
- "Unpermitted food vendors pose a serious health risk of foodborne illness, which can be severe and even fatal," Chrystal Swinger, the county's director of environmental health, said in a statement.