Volunteer reviewers wanted for Madison food carts

If you want to have a say in which food carts line Madison’s streets, the City’s Economic Development Division is looking for volunteers to help review food vending candidates for next year’s vending season.

Every year, the City organizes a public review process to determine which businesses will be eligible for food vending in the Mall Concourse Vending Area, which generally extends a block beyond the Capitol Square and State Street. The review runs for 30 days beginning the first Monday after Labor Day. This year’s Fall Food Cart Review period will run from Monday, September 9 through Saturday, October 5.

The review results will be used to determine whether a food cart will be eligible to operate in the Mall Concourse Vending Area and factor into their location assignments for the 2025-2026 vending season, which begins on April 15, 2025.

If you’re a community member interested in reviewing food carts this fall, you can fill out an application online.

Requirements for volunteer reviewers

In order to participate, you will need to be available to complete a virtual mandatory training on Thursday, August 29 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm. After that, reviewers will be required to visit and file reviews for at least 80% of participating food carts.

Participating food carts will be available to be reviewed from 11:00am – 2:00pm on Mondays through Fridays and from 9:00am – 1:00pm on Saturdays. A full schedule and site locations will be shared before the start of the review period on September 9.

Reviewer applications are due by 11:59pm on Thursday, August 1.

Requirements for participating food carts

All food cart vendors are required to participate in the Fall Food Cart Review in order to be eligible for next year’s vending season, including those who are already operating in the Mall Concourse Vending Area.

Both new and returning vendors must complete the 2024 Fall Food Cart Review application in order to qualify for the next vending season. Applications are due by 11:59pm on Thursday, August 1.

Additionally, in order to be eligible for this year’s Fall Food Cart Review, vendors must have:

• A “Base Food and Drink” license AND a “Mobile Food and Drink” license required by Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC), OR
• A “Base Food and Drink” license from PHMDC or your home county health department AND a State “Mobile Restaurant License” through the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP)
• Saturday vendors need a “Transient Food Stand License” from PHMDC

All health department licenses must be secured no later than 5 business days before the first day of the review. The applicant is responsible for arranging all necessary inspections with PHMDC or DATCP. Additionally, applicants cannot have any significant health violations, which are defined as any violation of safe food storage and handling ordinances or regulations. Additional requirements are listed in the online application.

Additional information

Scores from the review process will be tabulated and publicly released in October. You can find last year’s scores on the City of Madison’s Mall and Concourse Food Vending website.