Food carts in uptown Charlotte say they’re losing substantial business under a temporary rule that requires them to close at midnight — a restriction city officials say is intended to improve late-night public safety.
On June 15, Charlotte Center City Partners began to make members of the Tryon Street Vendor Program close at midnight. Center City Partners manages the program on the city's behalf.
Before the change, Halal Food Cart at Trade and Tryon streets typically stayed open until 3 a.m. on weekdays and 4 a.m. on weekends, said manager Wais Mayer. Since June, sales have fallen dramatically.
“Down 40%,” Mayer said. “We had some of our employees who were over here — we had to cut their hours. So it affected their pay as well.”
Mayer said food vendors aren’t responsible for late-night violence in uptown.
“Do they not have any other measures to take? Like increase your police force, or become more proactive in mitigating the crime?” Mayer said. “Why would you come and shut down a small business?”
Temporary, but "for the foreseeable future"
Charlotte Center City Partners said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police asked for the rule. In a statement, CEO Michael Smith said the lack of late-night loitering since June has led to a “positive impact.” The organization described the restriction as temporary, although a spokesperson said it will remain in place “for the foreseeable future."
Reported crime in the city center has declined. CMPD’s Central Division, which includes uptown and part of South End, reported a 23% decrease in total crime during the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year. Violent crime fell by more than 30%.
Vendors: We help keep uptown safe
Vendors had to restrict their hours last year, too, though not this much. For much of 2025, Center City Partners required Halal Food Cart to close at 1 a.m. three nights a week because of concerns about crime. Mayer argued that limiting vendors’ hours did not solve the problem.
He said the cart can make the area safer because employees can call 911 if they see trouble. Mayer said the business has provided security-camera footage to police investigating incidents near the cart, including as recently as several months ago.
He said other vendors are also losing business, including one hot dog vendor who stopped operating uptown after he lost his late-night customers. “All of the small businesses have taken a hit,” Mayer said.
Halal Food Cart has launched a paper and online petition asking city officials to reconsider. The online petition had drawn 1,391 verified signatures as of Friday morning, and Mayer said more than 3,000 have signed in total.
He said many of his customers work after most uptown restaurants have closed, including bus and taxi drivers, nurses, rideshare and delivery drivers and police officers.
“All of these people were relying on us to be open for them,” Mayer said. "This was like a quick meal, fresh, off the grill, $10 a plate."
He said he hoped city officials would "support small businesses, not suppress them."
