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Working at the cart has been good for Erik, too. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was living on the street for two years. He got treatment and agreed to work with his father with an eye to taking over the business.

“He’s a good cook,” said Scanlon. “We like interacting with people. It means a lot to us.”

But there’s been a shadow of violence on the corner. A couple of years ago, two men flipped the cart over. Scanlon got into a fist fight once. He has been swarmed for hot dogs and had to pursue people who have scooped money out of the cash box.

Early Monday morning, two men were walking down Bank Street harassing people. Soon, they were harassing Scanlon. Other early risers started to respond and someone called 911. By the time the police arrived, the two men had moved on.

“I hope it never happens again. It’s a little scary,” said Erik.

Episodes like this have left Scanlon shaken and wondering what he can do to defend himself. “I can’t attack them because I could be charged with assault,” he said. “I’m 71 years old and I don’t have a black belt in karate.”

He has asked his customers what they would do in his position. One customer — two sausages and a diet Coke — points to a nearby trash can. “Knock him over. I wouldn’t just stand there,” he counselled.

Bank Street can get raucous early in the morning when party-goers returning home clash with civil servants headed in to work on the early shift, said Scanlon, who sets up the cart by 4:30 a.m., waits for the bread delivery and takes a yoga class at a nearby gym — Erik joins him one day a week — before returning to the cart in time to prepare sausages for breakfast customers. The lunch rush heats up by noon. He and Erik usually wrap up their work day by 2:30 p.m.

Scanlon has the oldest sidewalk food vending plate in Ottawa. When he retires, the plate is non-transferable, but there’s a loophole in the bylaw, allowing him to give the permit to a family member. He has a fryer in the cart, and wants to expand the business to include poutine for the colder months. It would be a good solution for both himself and Erik, he said.

“I would hate to let the permit go. I’ll be good for a couple more years.”

jlaucius@postmedia.com