Food cart vs. food truck: Indy hot dog vendor may have to upgrade his grill

INDIANAPOLIS — Abacuc Garcia has served his namesake hot dogs from a food cart at 16th and Emerson for 14 years. He's now rushing to buy a food truck because his menu may be too big for his cart.

WRTV

Garcia said the Marion County Public Health Department talked to him on Friday after concerns that he put corn as a topping on one of his hot dogs.

WRTV

"I explained to him, 'I tried to put more items in my business to bring in more money because I have to support my family and pay my bills,' Garcia told WRTV. "He said, 'We don't allow that in the hot dog carts. If you want to be fancy in your business, you have to buy a food truck.'"

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Food carts and food trucks are regulated differently in Marion County, mostly because a food cart is much smaller than a food truck.

"You can only work safely with a small amount of food the smaller the establishment or the cart is," said Janelle Kaufman of the Marion County Public Health Department. "Everything has to be contained within there with proper cold and hot holding. There's just some limitations based on size."

WRTV

Garcia pulled the corn-topped dog off of the menu and the health department said Garcia's Hot Dogs does not have any current violations.

WRTV

Garcia is now looking to raise $10,000 so he can park a food truck on 16th and Emerson and leave the food cart behind.

"There's something special on this corner that I can not describe," Garcia said. "I feel the love."