Richmond has great food… so where are the street carts?”

As great as the food scene is here in Richmond, I’ve always wondered why we don’t really have a strong street food cart culture like you see in Los Angeles, New York City, or even Washington, DC.

I’ve seen a few carts around VCU Health, the dumpling cart near Virginia Commonwealth University, and the popular Christopher’s cart, but overall it feels like that’s one part of a “major city” food scene Richmond is still missing.

Is it mainly city permitting or regulations? Restaurant opposition? Weather? Lack of demand? Curious if anyone here knows the real reason we don’t see more food carts around the city and also if there are any hidden gems I should check out.