Todd Hubler
Construction on Main Street on the Capitol Square that has disrupted regular food cart site assignments since April should be done within a week to two weeks, slightly ahead of schedule, says Meghan Blake-Horst, city of Madison street vending coordinator. Blake-Horst is expecting to move carts from their temporary assignments on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard back to the Square as soon as possible.
Several carts that started the season on MLK have dropped out of the scene. Ladonia Cafe is now serving only Saturdays at the Dane County Farmers’ Market. Chef/owner Amie Swanson has taken a full-time job cooking vegetarian food for Bernie’s Place Child Care Center. A post on Ladonia’s Facebook page says that Swanson also plans to vend at AtwoodFest and the Willy Street Fair. Ladonia is Madison’s only vegan cart.
Slide has also been often absent from daily vending on Martin Luther King recently. Owner Christine Ameigh says she’s been doing such a good business at office parks at noon, coming to the Square isn’t a necessity. However, she isn’t ruling out a return once the construction is over, and was on MLK on Tuesday and was scheduled for Thursday of this week. Jakarta Cafe also returned to MLK recently.
On the Mifflin side of the Square, Cali Fresh has returned to the Library Mall. The Ugly Apple is vending breakfasts Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, but has moved from a spot on East Mifflin to the 100 block of MLK.
Chef/owner Laurel Burleson says she’s surprised at how much business picked up after relocating there. “I didn’t think it would be that much, but it was. Consistency is important, but it was worthwhile to move.” Burleson hopes some of her old regulars will find her now on the opposite side of the Square.
Library Mall cart Masarap, the city’s only source for Filipino food, has gone out of business. Greek Street, the only UW-Madison student-owned and operated cart, has also called it quits, says Blake-Horst.
Because of these changes, Blake-Horst will be determining how to fill slots on the Square from carts on the waiting list once construction is complete.
Still, despite the disruptions, Blake-Horst feels that the 200 block of MLK turned out to be a success: “There’s more room for carts to set up, there’s less competition with brick and mortar restaurants and there’s power available.” She would like the city to consider it as an ongoing vending site for food carts, perhaps with a couple of vendors, rather than six.
