Results announced for 2024 Food Cart Review
posted
After unprecedented interest from the public in reviewing Madison’s many food carts, the City’s annual Food Cart Review process has been completed and scores have been tabulated, laying the foundation for determining where vendors will be located next year.
A call for volunteers to review food carts applying for next year’s vending season generated more than 900 applications for only 22 community reviewer spots. Those 22 people were tasked with reviewing the vendor applicants from September 9 through October 5, 2024 and submitting their scores to the City. Reviewers had to evaluate at least 80% of the food carts participating in the review in order to have their scores included in the final totals.
A total of 38 vendors applied for this year’s review, which is a required step to be eligible for a spot next year in the Mall/Concourse Vending Area, which is generally located along the Capitol Square and Library Mall area. Of those, 33 completed the review process and qualified to be considered for a vending site for the 2025-2026 Vending Season.
What happens next:
The City of Madison’s Vending Oversight Committee will approve the official map of vending locations before the end of the year. Once the map is approved, the City’s Street Vending Program Supervisor will work with vendors to assign sites, with the highest-scoring carts getting priority. The sites will be available when the 2025-2026 Vending Season begins on April 15, 2025.
Applicants will be offered a site according to their rank based on their first, second, and third-choice site preferences listed on an application form that will be available after the 2025-2026 Mall/Concourse Vending Site Map is approved. Based on the number of vending sites anticipated and the number of carts that completed the 2024 review, City officials do not anticipate needing a waiting list for the upcoming season, meaning every qualified cart should be able to get a vending site next year.
How the scores were determined:
- Raw Average Score: The average score from volunteer reviewers, discarding the highest and lowest scores for each applicant.
- Adjusted Average Score: The Raw Average Score, minus any demerit or violation points. Demerits include missed scheduled vending days and citations issued between 9/1 – 8/31 of the previous year.
- Final Rank Order: The Adjusted Average Score plus any Seniority Points for returning vendors. Applicants get one seniority point for each year they have held a Mall/Concourse Food Vending License, with a maximum of 5 points (meaning new applicants get zero seniority points this year, applicants who have participated for one year get one point, etc.). This total score determines the order in which carts will choose their vending locations in the Mall/Concourse Vending Area.
Scoring results
Based on reviewer scores, demerit penalties, and seniority points, this is the Final Rank Order for the 2024 Food Cart Review:
| Rank | Cart Name | Raw Avg. | Missed Days | Adj. Avg. | Seniority | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surco 2 | 95.05 | 0 | 95.05 | 5 | 100.05 |
| 2 | Surco Peruvian Foods | 94.74 | 0 | 94.74 | 5 | 99.74 |
| 3 | Braisin' Hussies | 94.6 | 0 | 94.6 | 5 | 99.6 |
| 4 | Bulgogi Korean Taco | 92.8 | 0 | 92.8 | 5 | 97.8 |
| 5 | Dairy Godmother | 96.69 | 0 | 96.69 | 1 | 97.69 |
| 6 | Common Pasta | 93.5 | 0 | 93.5 | 4 | 97.5 |
| 7 | Ernie's Kettle Korn | 91.95 | 0 | 91.95 | 5 | 96.95 |
| 8 | Natural Juice | 91.8 | 0 | 91.8 | 5 | 96.8 |
| 9 | Curt's Gourmet Popcorn | 91.53 | 0 | 91.53 | 5 | 96.53 |
| 10 | Taquitos Marimar | 93.37 | 2 | 91.37 | 5 | 96.37 |
| 11 | El Burrito Loco | 91.32 | 0 | 91.32 | 5 | 96.32 |
| 12 | Caracas Arepas | 91.84 | 1 | 90.84 | 5 | 95.84 |
| 13 | Toast | 89.94 | 0 | 89.94 | 5 | 94.94 |
| 14 | Pagoda Smoothie | 89.74 | 0 | 89.74 | 5 | 94.74 |
| 15 | Fresh Cool Drinks | 89.56 | 0 | 89.56 | 5 | 94.56 |
| 16 | Caracas Empanadas | 89.53 | 0 | 89.53 | 5 | 94.53 |
| 17 | Bombay Fast Cafe | 90.3 | 0 | 90.3 | 4 | 94.3 |
| 18 | Hibachi Hut | 88.06 | 0 | 88.06 | 5 | 93.06 |
| 19 | The Roost | 89.38 | 0 | 89.38 | 3 | 92.38 |
| 20 | Teriyaki Samurai | 86.56 | 0 | 86.56 | 5 | 91.56 |
| 21 | Empanada Haus | 89.65 | 0 | 89.65 | 1 | 90.65 |
| 22 | Thai-Riffic | 85.55 | 0 | 85.55 | 5 | 90.55 |
| 23 | Take Two Bakery | 89.28 | 0 | 89.28 | 1 | 90.28 |
| 24 | Jolly Frog | 89.5 | 0 | 89.5 | 0 | 89.5 |
| 25 | M&J Jamaican Kitch'n | 86.67 | 0 | 86.67 | 2 | 88.67 |
| 26 | Sandwich Hub | 88.44 | 0 | 88.44 | 0 | 88.44 |
| 27 | Thailand in a Truck | 84.15 | 0 | 84.15 | 3 | 87.15 |
| 28 | China Cottage | 81 | 0 | 81 | 5 | 86 |
| 29 | King of Falafel | 85.71 | 1 | 84.71 | 1 | 85.71 |
| 30 | Jakarta Barbecue Station | 81.44 | 0 | 81.44 | 0 | 81.44 |
| 31 | Sabor Regio | 81.24 | 0 | 81.24 | 0 | 81.24 |
| 32 | COOPA CO | 80.64 | 0 | 80.64 | 0 | 80.64 |
| 33 | Coco's Tamales | 75.91 | 1 | 74.91 | 0 | 74.91 |
