They say you can’t fight City Hall. Tell that to John Sisamis, who last week fought for – and won – his right to sell hot dogs within eyeshot of the West Side Market.
Sisamis operates a hot dog cart under the straightforward name John’s Hot Dogs. He has found the perfect spot to ply his trade, near the busy corner of Lorain Avenue and West 25th Street in Ohio City.
But for three years running, Ward 3 Council Member Kerry McCormack has denied Sisamis’ request for a mobile food vendor permit. Each year, Sisamis pleads his case before the Board of Zoning Appeals, and each year, the board overturns McCormack’s denial.
McCormack told Signal Cleveland that he was just trying to abide by the city’s zoning code, which requires mobile vendors to stay 100 feet away from restaurants and other brick-and-mortar food establishments.
In 2022, City Hall sent a field investigator from the Bureau of Sidewalks out to measure Sisamis’ distance from the West Side Market, according to testimony at the Board of Zoning Appeals. The city found a spot for John’s Hot Dogs more than 100 feet from the market. Permit granted.
Signal Cleveland was unable to reach Sisamis. During the zoning appeals hearing, he voiced his frustration that he had to take time away from work to argue before the board.
Even if John’s Hot Dogs puts up culinary competition in the heart of Ohio City, there’s a savory compromise to be had. Cleveland’s encased-meat aficionados can get their lunch from John’s Hot Dogs and save their West Side Market kielbasa and pierogi for dinner.
Cleveland Documenter Alyssa Holzkloos first discovered this story at the July 29 Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. Read more from her notes including:
