FREEPORT – The food carts of Freeport have been an institution for many years, as vendors seek to capitalize on the 1.2 million visitors who descend on the town each year.

Though the number of vendors is small – just two licensed by the town, according to Freeport town clerk Tracey Stevens – the ventures can be profitable and, for the operators, a welcome departure from a traditional 9-5 job or the late-night hours of many restaurants.

For Li Jin, a Chinese-born mother of one, her cart on Bow Street, Li’s Express, offers a wide selection of fare from her native Szechuan, a province in Southwestern China known for the liberal use of garlic and chili peppers in their cuisine.

A typical day for Jin begins with her job at L.L. Bean at 5 in the morning, where she works until 11. Her cart, a semi-permanent structure with a thatched roof and propane stove, opens at 11:30, rain or shine, and she’ll stay into the evening.

Jin opened the cart six years ago and admits the first year was a struggle.

“I opened on Mother’s Day and I sold just one spring roll,” said Jin, who moved to Freeport from New York City after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. “But every year it gets better. High school students were my first regular customers and they have spread the word.”

Her food cart serves mostly local workers drawn to her central downtown location and friendly, inquisitive nature. On a recent afternoon, a steady stream of customers greeted her by name while Jin, who said she is better at remembering faces, would start cooking immediately upon seeing a particular regular who usually orders the same thing every time, she said.

“She’s one of Freeport’s best-kept secrets,” said Doug Dillman, who owns Casco Bay Cutlery, across the street from Jin’s cart. “We watch from our window as people line up here. She cooks to order and it takes time to serve everyone individually.”

For Andrew Murry, an employee at the Nike Store, Li’s Express is a quick way to have lunch on his short break.

“When I first got the job at Nike, people kept telling me to try her food,” said Murry. “I come a few times a week and she always remembers what I want.”

The popularity of food carts and food trucks is exploding, according to the National Restaurant Association, a trade group that tracks trends in the food service industry. While the reasons for the trend are varied, industry watchdogs cite the perceived value of street food and the novelty as big factors.

For Jin, who cooked at food stalls in Szechuan, there is a communal element to eating outside and watching your food being prepared.

Is it profitable? Jin was reluctant to provide an exact number on profits, but said things were mostly “OK.”

To operate a cart, the town of Freeport charges a $55 application fee for Freeport residents and $110 for non-residents. If approved by the Town Council, the license costs $500 for residents and $750 for non-residents.

According to Stevens, Freeport has four spaces available yearly, but just two are being used. Three other food carts are in the town but are on private property, said Stevens. The Rotary Club of Freeport, for example, operates a stand that sells hot dogs outside of the L.L. Bean flagship store on Main Street.

The only other town-licensed vendor is on the periphery of the L.L. Bean campus on Main Street, where Therese Drapeau operates a burrito stand specializing in locally sourced ingredients. Drapeau, who also leases space within Bean’s flagship store for her other venture, the 1912 Cafe?, is a longtime vendor who owned the Freeport Lobster Co., a glorified hot dog stand, as she puts it, for 10 years. After Bean’s nudged her and the other vendors off their property, she obtained a license and opened the burrito stand two years ago. Her season runs from roughly Memorial Day until Columbus Day, and Drapeau has two part-time employees.

“There’s no drama, it’s so bare, you just have to come and do the job,” said Drapeau, 34. “It’s a lot of fun. I wouldn’t say it’s profitable in a non-monetary sense, it depends on what you put a value on. It offers freedom, the chance to work for yourself, meet interesting people, and wear whatever you want to work. If you factor in that, then it’s a great job.”

Though patronized by locals, tourists do comprise an important part of the business. For some who are accustomed to the sights and smells of food carts, Freeport offers some good options.

“I come once a year to get Li’s noodles, usually right before our vacation ends,” said Gigi Au, from Bay Shore, L.I., in New York, who was making her second trip to Jin’s food cart one day last week. “Li has the best noodles I’ve ever had and it’s here in Freeport.”

Li Jin prepares a noodle dish for one of her regular customers Aug. 1 at her food cart on Bow Street in Freeport. Jin has been dishing out Szechuan specialties for the past six years during the busy summer months in the downtown.