NYC's food trucks are shutting down, but it's not because the city is telling them to - it's because so many people are staying inside

Katie Warren

Mar 20, 2020, 01:33 IST

NYC's food trucks are shutting down, but it's not because the city is telling them to - it's because so many people are staying inside

AP Photo/Wong Maye-E

A food truck vendor near Times Square in New York City on March 15, 2020.

New York City's food trucks are shutting down as more New Yorkers stay off the streets to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Tanay Warerkar reported for Eater.
The city's more than 10,000 street vendors were not included in the city's mandate to close restaurants and bars with the exception of takeout and delivery.
But as more people abide by social distancing, street food vendors are seeing lost sales of 80% or more and daily profits of less than $30, forcing many of them to close.
Most food truck vendors are immigrants and people of color who aren't eligible for benefits like paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, or other safety nets, according to the Street Vendor Project.
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Many of New York City's ubiquitous street food vendors are closing as business plunges because of the coronavirus pandemic, Eater reported.

The government-mandated shutdowns and severly reduced business due to the pandemic has begun to cripple the restaurant industry. Thousands of workers have already been laid off or furloughed. This week, the city's restaurants and bars were ordered to close with the exception of delivery and takeout.

Many food truck workers initially tried to stay open because they have no other option, even in a global pandemic, Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, the deputy director of the Street Vendor Project (SVP), an organization that advocates for New York City's street vendors, told Documented NY's Olivia Heffernan.

"Street vendors are on the frontlines," Kaufman-Gutierrez said. "They have no choice but to go to work. Things are changing so rapidly that contingency plans at this point are: 'Where meals are being offered for families?'"

REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

A woman gets food from a street vendor in New York City in April 2019.

But now, many have no other option but to shut down as New Yorkers stay inside and business slows to a crawl, according to Eater. On Monday, the SVP said many vendors had already experienced lost sales of up to 80% the week prior.

"I made 20 bucks all day on Monday and that really doesn't cover anything," Ahmed Ebrahim, who runs a hot dog cart in Manhattan, told Eater. "... There is nothing out there for food vendors. Restaurants can do delivery and takeout, but we don't really have that option."

New York City is home to more than 10,000 street vendors, which include food trucks, hot dog vendors, flower vendors, and book vendors, according to the SVP, a part of the Urban Justice Center, which provides legal aid and advocacy for marginalized communities. Most street vendors are immigrants and people of color, and their customers are often other low-wage immigrants of color, according to Documented.

Los Angeles put a "temporary moratorium" on street vending this week, but New York City has no plans to do the same, a spokesperson for the mayor told Eater.

Are you a street food vendor in New York City who's been affected by the coronavirus pandemic? Have a story to share? Email this reporter at kwarren@businessinsider.com.