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New Vending Cluster Emerges Downtown

“The Lunch Bunch” Enlivens Public Space, Offers Diverse Food Options

WASHINGTON, DC - The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) welcomes three vendors to 8th and H Streets NW as part of a partnership with the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), other District agencies and the vending community to enhance vending in Downtown and offer consumers more options.

Named “The Lunch Bunch,” this trio of food operators offers Downtown visitors and workers a range of tasty, convenient and eco-friendly selections from gumbo soup, tacos and barbecue to shawarmas, merquez and po’ boys. The vendors making up the new cluster are: On The Fly, DC Central Kitchen’s Capital Carts and Haalcart LLC’s Delle & Campbell’s Halal Luncheonette.

“The Downtown BID works to diversify the Downtown economy and enhance the Downtown experience for everyone,” said Richard Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID.  “The Lunch Bunch, with its product diversity, cart design and presentation and unique staffing strategies, can have a positive impact on the vending experience.  Downtown workers and visitors are ready for a variety of new product lines.  Now, they have an extraordinary opportunity to fulfill their lunchtime dining needs and support a diverse group of vendors.”

The Lunch Bunch is part of a Downtown vending demonstration program.  In 1998, the DC City Council imposed a moratorium on street vending licenses, which was lifted two years ago, allowing DCRA to issue business licenses to new vendors with novel vending designs and products.  If successful, this demonstration program will serve as a model for other areas of the city.

“We are proud of this new venture and look forward to many more in the near future,” said DCRA Director Linda K. Argo. “Street vending is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs to get started and grow their businesses.  People want choice, and this new model gives residents and workers in DC as many quick and easy dining options as possible. We are very excited about the Lunch Bunch.”

The Lunch Bunch is centrally located on 8th & H Streets NW, one block from Gallery Place and the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, home of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The vendors offer good food and quick and convenient service during the hours of 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Diners who visit the cluster can eat on site at one of four new stainless steel tables donated by JANUS et Cie, a leading furniture manufacturer.

The following profiles of The Lunch Bunch, which is helping to create a more vibrant, inviting and smart Downtown experience, offer a glimpse of DC’s newest vendors:

Capital Carts
Capital Carts combines good food and great business. Customers buying gumbo, a variety of po’ boys--including vegetarian and vegan options--and desserts help DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) continue its mission of using food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds and build communities.  This latest social enterprise venture from DCCK doubles as an employment opportunity for graduates of its Culinary Job Training program and as a revenue generating business in support of the DCCK’s mission.  All ingredients are locally farmed.

Delle & Campbell’s Halal Luncheonette
The city authorized Delle & Campbell’s Halal Luncheonette as the first new food vendor to do business after a nearly 10-year moratorium on vending. Delle & Campbell’s specialty is fresh, delicious Halal food, including chicken and lamb shawarma, falafel, baklava, tabouli and merquez.  Food is cooked inside the cart, which is equipped with a rotisserie and griddle. Partners Akindele Akerejah and Folarin Campbell first hatched their idea for a nontraditional vending cart at Howard University, where both are seniors. 

On The Fly
On The Fly provides fresh, local, delicious and all natural lunch offerings to the hungry people of Washington, DC.  Its critically acclaimed food is served from a custom designed, American made electric smartkart™.  On The Fly strives to source food locally and leave a minimal impact on the environment by using compostable starch-based spoons, forks and take away bags.  On The Fly’s smartkarts™ have different themes, including tacos and Julia’s empanadas, Rocklands BBQ and mac and cheese, organic hot dogs and pasta, which debuted this fall.

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