José A. Alvarado Jr.
Tamer Hassan is ready to get out of the street food game.
He manages four food carts — smoothies, hot dogs, chicken and rice — on 49th Street, just off Times Square. At 45, he's been doing it for a decade.
Every morning, New Yorkers stop at chrome breakfast carts for coffee, bagels and doughnuts — a routine that fuels the city's workforce. But behind that ritual is a fragile industry built on large suppliers, early-morning shifts, and a permit system that has prompted street protests.