Linda Falkenstein
When Nate Overland opened the Métropolitain food cart in April 2017, he mounted a generator to the cart’s frame and secured it with two Kryptonite bike locks. He expected that would be enough to stop any thieves and didn’t give it much more thought.
But on Labor Day — one of the few times the husband-and-wife duo that runs the Métropolitain has off — a group of people stole the generator that is vital to keeping the restaurant-on-wheels running.
The theft is a part of a series targeting Madison food carts, Overland says. The crimes can be crippling to the success of a food cart, whose owners operate on some of the thinnest profit margins.
“Basically, it wiped out my mortgage payments for the year,” Overland says. “When you’re one of the smallest of the small businesses with this type of food cart model, if someone comes in and takes that kind of chunk of cash away from you, it’s rough.”
The theft potentially cost the business about $10,000, some of which was covered by insurance. Generators cost about $5,000. And then there’s the lost revenue from vending, which Overland says could’ve been anywhere from $3,500 to $5,000. He was out of business for a week, partially because the propane gas line was damaged when the thieves cut the locks on the generator. They also had to dump about $500 of prepared food because it would have spoiled.
Overland isn’t alone. Christine Ameigh runs Slide Food Cart and Beyond Catering and operates a commercial kitchen on East Washington Avenue, where several food carts park in her lot when they’re not in use. In her parking lot alone, she says there have been seven food cart thefts since July. There were also two attempted thefts that failed, she says.
Her business was one of those hit. A thief broke her van window and swiped money. Most of the thefts in Ameigh’s lot have been similar: someone snatches a cash box that was momentarily left unattended. In another case, an owner lost $2,000. “It's a lot of money for a little cart,” Ameigh says.
Ameigh says she’s never seen thefts like this since opening the cart in 2012. Overland agrees.“It’s becoming a mini crime wave in the food cart community and it doesn’t seem like the police are addressing it at all,” Overland says. “There have been multiple people who have had generators stolen, cash boxes stolen, windows broken, doors broken in, people tagging carts with graffiti. It seems to be escalating.”
Food Enterprise and Economic Development Kitchens (or FEED Kitchens) houses five commercial kitchens that are commonly used for prep by food cart entrepreneurs, says manager Adam Haen. Haen has worked there for four years and this year noticed a spike in food cart thefts. Métropolitain was burglarized in FEED Kitchens’ parking lot, and several other attempted thefts occurred there too, Haen says.
Joey Skenandore, the Madison Police Department’s north precinct lieutenant of detectives, says the investigation into the Métropolitain theft is ongoing. But he’s waiting for a solid tip before assigning a detective to follow up. He’s heard of only one other food cart theft, but says there could be some in other precincts he hasn’t heard about.
Overland says he was “very disappointed in [MPD’s] response,” claiming they did “absolutely nothing.” Though the theft was caught on camera, he says the police declined to view the video or make other efforts to find the robbers. Skenandore says the report of the incident contained a detailed description of the video, which an officer got from a manager who viewed the video. But the video didn’t show any license plate numbers and Overland couldn’t remember his generator’s serial number, hindering the investigation.
An MPD officer tried to checked nearby cameras for more information, Skenandore says, but there was no footage.
Skenandore says he understands Overland’s frustration, but his department doesn’t have the resources to follow up on every complaint that comes into the city. He hopes people come forward with more information.
“I would love to follow up on every single complaint that comes in, I just don’t have the resources to do so,” Skenandore says. “I want to be able to efficiently use my resources and I have to make that judgement call as to whether I can follow up with the detectives or not.”
Haen is trying to deter future thefts in the FEED Kitchens’ parking lot by adding more lights and offering to help cart owners set up cameras. He recommends all food cart owners park in well-lit areas, preferably near buildings, and thoroughly secure their equipment.
Years before he and his wife opened Métropolitain, Overland worked as a chef. He later worked as a director of food and beverage for resorts and hotels. Eventually, he missed cooking and wanted a break from corporate life.
Opening a food cart — which Overland says serves “approachable international cuisine using French techniques” — was a perfect solution. But the Labor Day theft has left them struggling to stay open. He’s looking for a second job to make ends meet.
Says Overland: “It’s just really sad that this is happening to this small, tight-knit community of food vendors.”
