Toronto's expensive, red tape-ridden attempt to put more interesting food choices on the streets of the city is about to be dumped.

Toronto a la Cart — which is entering the third year of a three-year pilot project — has street vendors selling foods such as souvlaki, kebabs and jerk chicken from city-approved carts.

But the program has been widely criticized from the very start for excessive red tape and exorbitant fees.

Would-be franchisees have to shell out to $30,000 for a city-approved cart and up to $3,500 in licencing fees.

Vendors also complained about strict rules around the food they served and the carts themselves, which they described as heavy and unreliable.

A consultant's report commissioned by the city is recommending that those still in business remain open but remove the a la Cart signage. They'll also get this year's location fees back and pay nothing through 2013.

The only requirement is to continue serving healthy and diverse foods.

On Wednesday, the general manager of the city's licensing and standards department recommended the formation of a city working group to come up with a plan that would permit vendors to "offer a wider range of food items as permitted under the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act."

Dong Kim runs one of the carts near Yonge and Finch Avenue.

She sells red bean fish waffles - waffles shaped like a fish that are stuffed with sweet red bean paste.

"A lot of people say they like the Korean food," she said. "Good price, good tasting and good location."

Kim has had success but many others have not.

Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong says that's why city staff are recommending the project be shut down.

"I don't think we had to cancel it. It imploded into itself," he said.

After three years there's just a handful of vendors left.

The mayor's executive committee will make a final decision on the recommendations next week.