Food carts remove illegal structures, business suffers

After Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard cracked down on illegal food-cart structures in December, cart owners say their business is suffering on bad weather days.

Cart owners had to remove awnings, decks and patios that were anchored to the ground. Now they are struggling with an oversupply problem as diners shift to warmer eateries.

Food carts, 578 of which are spread across Multnomah County, according to county spokesman David Austin, had until Jan. 3 to comply with the city's rules. While some, including Loco Locos Burritos, simply took down the illegal structures, others modified or rebuilt them to make them legal. But some owners say the changes have come at a price.

"We had to destroy everything, and then I had to build again," says John Lee, owner of Bulkogi Fusion at Southwest Fifth Avenue and Stark Street.

Read more at OregonLive.com.

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