[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]State Street's 34 food-cart vendors are undergoing their yearly City of Madison Vending Oversight Committee inspection this week.

According to Warren Hansen, State Street vending coordinator, vendors must pass a review by three members of the committee. Committee members assign points for the quality of the food and the originality of the cart. The committee reviews not only the regular carts on Library Mall, but also carts operating in other downtown areas or around the Farmers' Market on weekends, Hansen added.

"Reviewers ask questions like, 'Is the food easy to eat? Is it easy to carry?'" Hansen said. "'Is the cart beautiful? Is this cart unique or are there other carts doing the same thing?'"

The committee assigns points on a 100-point scale, Hansen said. Carts receive 40 points for food, 40 for the cart and 20 for originality. The minimum total required to pass the review is 70 points. Failing carts have been scarce, Hansen added.

The inspection process began in 1990 as a way for the city to resolve disputes between vendors vying for good locations, Hansen said.

"I've been doing this since 1998 and, in that time, Mango Manlin has been the only cart to fail," Hansen said. "The first year they were reviewed, they showed up as an empty box."

Passing is not the only goal because a cart can challenge another cart for its position in a specific location, and the score determines who gets the spot for the next year.

Since turnover is low, many carts can maintain their spots for years, Hansen said.

Vendors receive an extra point for every year they have been selling, for up to seven points. These bonus points give veteran venders more confidence in defending their positions, Hansen said. Don Helley, an employee at The Fruit Stand, indicated superior positioning plays a part in the stand's success.

"We've been in this exact spot for 26 years. I think we do excellent here," Helley said about the stand's location. "We also bring in not only the finest-quality produce, but also the finest organic produce."

According to Helley, The Fruit Stand is State Street's longest-tenured stand. Helley said compared to other vendors, its place on the street is one of the most firmly embedded.

"For a number of years, we were No. 1, year in and year out," Helley said. "Recently we've slipped to the second or third, but we've got such an established spot here that no one really challenges us."

Mario Guantanamera opened a Cuban cuisine stand, Guantanamera's, in 1998. He said the stand later became the basis for opening a restaurant of the same name. Guantanamera expressed his passion for receiving the highest score possible.

"Last year, I got a 90 or 93," Guantanamera said. "But in other years, I have gotten an 80 or 83. I fight. Every year, I fight."

According to Hansen, some vendors take bad scores hard.

"We have the occasional person who gets so discouraged by a bad review, they stop vending altogether," Hansen said.