Industrial shawarma production - GIF

[PJs]

He told me his cart cost him $25,000.00 and it paid for it self in 4 months that's a lot of gyro's

Question is, for your friend Mic, how long before his Grand Kids can pay off the street vendor license in NYC. Good math and saw the conveyor going through the wall and uphill to a packaging station probably...it does feel like a commercial setup. And not to argue but feel you were definitely conservative on the lbs/bar of solid packed meat...compare to the man standing at the beginning or back of the room. Either way it's a Swad of Swarma.

[ranald]

I think it is probably a Country kitchen! :-)
long time ago I was working for a guy starting a franchise and made his "Super larkis" (Aussie jumbuck version) in front of customers. He had a couple of the vertical rotisseries and his sauce was a "secret" but the cayenne pepper was an obvious ingredient which strangely did not affect my stomach ulcers unlike hot capscium (chillies). He was sued by a large fuel company because of his franchise name: he had done all the relevent searches but they won (on a technicality)but were ordered to pay for new signage, stationery etc for his new franchise name. Unfortunately the new name was never going to attract customers like "Jumbucks":- you can smell the lamb roasting just by the name and legend of the swagman. I moved on to better things but remembering the taste ,I'm getting hungry again.
Ranald

[Frank S]

Question is, for your friend Mic, how long before his Grand Kids can pay off the street vendor license in NYC. Good math and saw the conveyor going through the wall and uphill to a packaging station probably...it does feel like a commercial setup. And not to argue but feel you were definitely conservative on the lbs/bar of solid packed meat...compare to the man standing at the beginning or back of the room. Either way it's a Swad of Swarma.

Yep paying off a Street vendor license in NYC is like taking on the National debt. We were doing a month long machinery install just a couple dozen feet from where he set up his cart every day so we ate off the cart many times Mic was a brilliant conversationalist as many are in that business otherwise they would have a hard time drawing customers. Mic's family had owned 6 licenses since the the days of the 30 minute law He said they used to have 10 but over the years for one reason of another members of his family failed to maintain them. His great great great ?? grandfather and family had immigrated from Greece in the early 1800's sometime in the early 1900's they built their own push carts to use to sell produce grown on the family farm. He had inherited his docket from his father and had kept up all permits and various fees plus over the years had paid many extortion fines to the local " government" until sometime he said around 1970'ish he was allowed to lease 6 permanent spots from a guy who owned 50 parking lots he still had to make sure to be mindful of the constabulary thugs but aside from the yearly permit fees and the regular health department inspections and the taxes and insurance premiums Life was good. This was in the late 80's when I met him, Quite the friendly and jovial fellow was he. People would line up around the block waiting for a Mic's supreme

[ranald]

A piece of historical info-thank you.
Ranald

[Frank S]

A piece of historical info-thank you.
Ranald

I often think that if I ever go to NYC again I will try to look up little Mic I'm sure Mic has passed the reigns to him by now as he was in his late 40's when I knew him and Micky was just out of high school.

[Jon]

Meat shishkabob street food.

[Frank S]

Visit any trades fair, youth fair, state fair, world's fair or a simple carnival and there will be at least one food vendor who will be more entertaining than the others.
These antics are in no way limited to the food vendors as the pitch men selling their wares can be equally entertaining that is after all how they entice customers or marks to part with their money. Some of the best are those who cater to the very young. If anyone has ever witnessed someone making funnel cakes or turning fruit into flowers Making animal balloons usually not clowns as many small children for some reason are afraid of clowns. Making Cotton candy is among the favorites to entertain with.

[PJs]

Just started reading Anthony Bourdain's last book "Medium Raw". Think he'd be all over these after a hard night...me too, look pretty taste once I new what the sprinkles were.

[ranald]

Reminds me of the first time I saw Bombe Alaska (without any real terror). The art of entertaining the crowd probably goes back centuries. I think research must have gone into even the old western movies set in the 1800's where actors like John Carradine took the part of the snake oil peddler selling sugar water or what ever to cure all ailments. The sprinkles are probably tiny snake's poops. LOL

[Jon]