Sisters vendor finds it hard to set up shop

Anyone who attended the University of Oregon or who has spent time in Eugene during the last 25 plus years knows about Cart de Frisco. The operation has won numerous awards including the Eugene Registers Guard's "Best Food Cart Award" in both 2005 and 2006.

Sisters resident Rick Gillaspie is now duplicating the delicious street food experience here in Central Oregon. He has cut a deal with the owner, has a duplicate cart and will be bringing the taste treat to the area as an independent contractor.

"I've been eating this sandwich for a long time, driving back and forth to get it whenever I wanted it," he said.

The cart operation was the brain child of Kit Tangtrongjita, an immigrant from Thailand, who started the business on a shoestring in 1980. Gillaspie has known Tangtrongjita for many years and decided that it would work well in Central Oregon as there is already a strong client base for the food.

"It's a great cart. It's a great sandwich. I wanted it over here. I used to own a commercial print shop. I used to have employees. I don't want employees anymore. I want to work for myself and be my own guy," Gillaspie said.

"I really would like to do this in Sisters, but it's just not cost effective. If I wanted to work five days a week, that would be $2,000 just for the license. On top of that I need to find a location because they won't let me set it up on city property. It just doesn't pencil out," said Gillaspie, who is now setting up in both Bend and Redmond.

What Gillaspie would prefer to do is set up here in Sisters during the summer and for spring and fall events, but with the city's transient merchant - vendor charges - it is not economically feasible.

"I'd love to do it in Sisters, but I've still got a lot of work to do to figure out to get that done. ... The City of Bend, it's only $175 a year versus $100 a day in Sisters. There is just no way to make that work," said Gillaspie.

The city of Bend has five locations on city right-of-way that they put out to a lottery every year. The vendor submits an application and numbers are drawn. The one who draws the lowest number gets first pick. The license fee is $175 per year, plus $50 for a business license. The city also collects a $200 deposit that is refundable if the vendor keeps the area clean within 10 feet of the cart.

Sisters does not have a commercially viable mechanism that will allow for this kind of an operation. There apparently is a possibility of either reducing the fee or waiving it entirely if "the purpose of the applicant's activities will substantially benefit the city." However, this is a subjective decision which leaves a moving target for applicants.

Gillaspie set up the cart in town on a piece of property owned by a friend on Quilt Show day and paid the city the $100 fee.

When participating in chamber-sponsored events like the Summer Faire, the city fee does not have to be paid. The chamber charged $150 for the two-day event which made the daily charge more cost effective than the city alternative, but it still is a heavy hit for a small cart food vendor.