San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to legalize the sale of home-cooked food, bringing relief to street vendors who rely on money from small, start-up food businesses to make ends meet.
The Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations, better known as MEHKO, allows vendors to prepare food at home and sell it there or on outside premises. Those applying for a permit will have to go through an inspection from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and pay a fee of $828.
Vendors would then undergo a health inspection and pay to renew their permit every year.
“This legislation will help break down barriers for aspiring food entrepreneurs, expand economic opportunities for immigrant-owned businesses and street vendors, and preserve the diverse culinary traditions that make San Francisco so special,” said District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who introduced the legislation in September.
The microenterprise operations proposal, born in 2018 through state legislation, allows municipalities to let residents establish a restaurant from their own home or use the space as a satellite kitchen, as long as they meet specific food safety standards. The program has already been adopted by nearby counties like Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Alameda, San Mateo and Contra Costa and the city of Berkeley.
Tuesday’s legislation came after supervisors earlier this year passed a proposal that required street food vendors to have a washing station and to use for cooking a certified commissary kitchen, which can charge an average of $1,000 a month. Vendors said that was too expensive and called on legislators to adopt MEHKO instead.
“Today’s vote on home kitchen permits is a major step for our community’s beloved street vendors,” read a statement from Nuestra Causa, a nonprofit representing the Food Vendors Council of San Francisco. “In a city where working families face rising costs, these permits can help vendors earn more and grow their own businesses.”
Applicants must provide information on what ingredients they will use and how food will be stored safely. They must detail how they will keep utensils and equipment clean. The applicant must pass a food safety manager certification exam.
The exact timeline for the implementation of the program is still to be determined, according to Sasha Gaona, legislative aide to Fielder.
Under the new rules, vendors are limited to 90 meals a week and $100,000 in annual sales; this sum will be adjusted annually for inflation. Those who sell prepared foods using a pushcart or wagon can go higher, but no more than 200 meals a week and $200,000 in annual sales.
A budget and legislative analyst’s report released last week shows low volume of complaints after the adoption of MEHKO in nearby Bay Area counties. The report also found that the majority of those benefiting from the program to be people of color, women and immigrant communities.
The report found the program will cost about half a million dollars to implement.
Tuesday’s vote lasted less than 2 minutes and there was no discussion. It passed out of a budget and finance committee last week with a positive recommendation.
In a statement, Mayor Daniel Lurie praised the legislation.
“It also creates a pathway for homegrown businesses to get their start in San Francisco, build a customer base, and potentially grow into brick-and-mortar businesses that strengthen our neighborhoods and commercial corridors.”
