Street Vendor

Ever find yourself walking down the streets of Manhattan absolutely starving? Well, luckily there are street vendors all over the Garment District! But if you are looking for good food and a pleasant experience, stop at Kamruz Zaman Chowdhury’s street cart on 37th street and Seventh Avenue.

Chowdhury makes and sells those mouth-watering hot dogs and pretzels all over New York City. Recently he was on 37th street and Seventh Avenue, but he moves around trying to find the best business. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll bump into him.

He started the street vending business about five years ago to support his family of six: a wife, two sons and two daughters. He’s a focused man. Everything he does, he does for his family.

He began street vending because he couldn’t find another job. He survived two heart attacks and went through heart surgery, and companies wouldn’t hire him. He’s only 51 years old and still has a young family, so the only job he could think of was street vending.

Now he works 12 hours a day, starting around 11:00 a.m. or a little earlier depending on how he feels. He makes about 50 or 60 dollars a day, which doesn’t seem like much to the corporate world of Manhattan, but he gets his family by.

He caters to the tourist and to the local, answering any questions you might have. You can even ask him why you should buy his food, and he will kindly tell you that you can try any other street vendor, but you should stick with him.

If you visit Chowdhury, you can definitely tell he’s a family man. He’s very open to his customers and treats them respectably. He doesn’t rush you out of his space, and has a pleasant attitude toward what he does. If you do happen to run into him, be assured it will be an enjoyable experience.