Bite of Seattle Vendors Lose $10,000 After 3 Killed in Festival Shooting
Updated
Updated · The Seattle Times · Jul 30
Bite of Seattle Vendors Lose $10,000 After 3 Killed in Festival Shooting
3 articles · Updated · The Seattle Times · Jul 30
Summary
$10,000 in spoiled food hit one Bite of Seattle vendor after police cleared stalls following Sunday’s shooting, while another reported stolen equipment, cash and at least $1,000 in ruined meat and seafood.
The losses mounted because vendors fled midservice during the gunfire, returned the next day to debris from the stampede, and found some booths had been looted overnight.
Phuc Nguyen of Papa Kitchen said he also lost a cash register and a boxed air fryer after paying a $3,000 festival fee, and is seeking reimbursement or other support from organizer FoodieLand.
A Bite of Seattle spokesperson said vendor conversations have begun and organizers are weighing ways to help while cooperating with law enforcement’s active investigation.
For small Seattle restaurants already squeezed by high food costs, vendors said the damage could take months to recover from even as they focus on keeping staff paid and processing the trauma.
How did multiple shooters with illegal ghost guns bypass security at Seattle's biggest food festival, leaving vendors to face devastating financial ruin?
Will event organizers take responsibility for the looted stalls and spoiled food after forcing vendors to abandon their livelihoods during a chaotic evacuation?