Where I live, there is an artisan barbecue truck that opens for lunch several days a week. For the 12 hours-or-so a week this truck is open for business, I have yet to see a bricks-and-mortar barbecue joint close shop. By the same token, the bricks-and-mortar hot dog shops seems to coexist with the hot dog carts just fine.
We even had a lawsuit threatened when a gentleman proposed to open a taco truck located across the street from a yet-to-be Mexican restaurant. The owner of the Mexican restaurant lobbied the City, saying that she had already sunk $500,000 into her business, and that permitting the taco truck wasn't "fair". To date, the Mexican restaurant has been engaged in its building fit-out for a year, with no projected opening. Should the City be engaged in protecting the interests of someone who clearly has no idea what she's doing?
It's the City's job to regulate, but not to pick winners and losers. A City of 700,000+ people should be able to have some healthy competition. Since when is it the City's responsibility to write and enforce the business plan of an independent entrepreneur?
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