BY: Maggie Reynolds
Jennifer Merkle said the hardest part about driving a carriage is not being able to leave the horse all day.
"It makes it impossible to get any lunch, unless you’ve packed it," said Merkle, a driver for 76 Carriage Company.
Merkle and her horse and co-worker, "BB," have been a regular fixture on 5th and 6th streets in Philadelphia for two years now.
The solution to this problem has come in the form of a food truck, run by James "Cornbread" Brown.
"Cornbread saw that we were a captive audience, and parked right next to the carriage stands," said Sherry Derr, a driver of 76 Carriage Company. "On days when there aren’t very many rides, I get bored and hungry."
And although the drivers cannot pull their horses over to order from the truck, orders can be placed via a loud shout across the street.
"He wants us to yell what we want," said Derr, adding that Brown also wants to know whether the carriage drivers are paying with $5, $10 or $20.
Brown then leaves the truck, brings drivers their food and the change, and usually gets a tip for the effort. Serving mainly carriage drivers, he has perhaps carved out the most unique niche market of any food vendor in Philadelphia.
In recent months, construction on 5th Street has pushed out local street vendors, causing carriage drivers to rely on their wits for food.
"Mostly we just pack lunch," said Derr. "But we can’t wait for Cornbread to get back."
Maggie can be reached at tuc69736@temple.edu
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