In Holland, Michigan, a 13-year-old entrepreneur thought he would be able to sell hot dogs and financially help his disabled parents with the purchase of a food cart. Unfortunately, city zoning officials have shut down his business, based on an ordinance that prohibits competition to brick-and-mortar restaurants from mobile food vendors.

Nathan Duszynski wanted to help out his family and raise money for college. His mother has epilepsy and his father has multiple sclerosis. He had been a vendor during Tulip Time and was setting up his hot dog stand on a privately owned parking lot at Reliable Sports on River Avenue. (MI Live)

Nathan bought the cart with $1,200 he saved from mowing lawns and shoveling snow. He thought he had jumped properly through all the licensing and permitting hoops. But the city shut him down. The hot dog stand violated a city ordinance.
Michigan Capitol Confidential reported:

 

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  1. #1 July 25, 2012 at 10:27 am

    Flintstone F. commented:

    Off the top of my head here, it seems that we live in a world where the federal government is trying to behave like a local government and the local government is trying to behave like a (democrat) federal government.

    A hot dog vendor is not going to take business away from other restaurants, it will attract people to them. Variety is the name of the game, but the smell of the hot dog might be what induces the hunger grumble to occur in passers by.

    “Oh man I’m hungry, look at that hot dog. Let’s go in here and get a sandwich…”

    Isn’t there a twelve year old girl selling lemonade somewhere they can hassle and leave this guy alone?

    Easy fix: Get a permit for some other location?

  2. #3 July 25, 2012 at 10:36 am

    RB commented:

    Hey, Nate…haven’t you heard??? YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT!!! The nanny state marches on.

  3. #4 July 25, 2012 at 10:36 am

    Flintstone F. commented:

    Worse than I thought.

    Apparently, since the restaurants pay for their building leases which includes the heated sidewalks etc. it’s unfair for the hot dog vendor to potentially “take” business away from them.

    Key point is that the hot dog vendor and his customers are using the public sidewalk (heated or not) lawfully in all manner, except where a local ordinance interfere’s with free commerce.

    I don’t recall hot dog vendor’s getting a lot of drive up and park business.

  4. #5 July 25, 2012 at 10:38 am

    Sherry Hollenbeck commented:

    If the kid told the city he was an Occupy Wall Street participant, he would be welcomed with open arms.

  5. #6 July 25, 2012 at 10:43 am

    dnb commented:

    I know conventional wisdom says bad government in this forum, but what if there’s a hot dog restaurant a block away or across the street. That operation would have built their business, maybe have an employee or two, and also need the money to function. They might be operating on a shoestring in this economy and need every sale they can make. Plus, just how much does a food cart cost? Quick google search: The four main types of carts are hot dog, kebab, coffee (“processing”), and fruit (“nonprocessing”). Processing carts cost between $15,000 and $30,000. A basic fruit cart costs about $1,000. I think there’s more to this story. Just saying …

  6. #7 July 25, 2012 at 10:45 am

    tennismom commented:

    Would this have happened if the kid were nonwhite?

  7. #9 July 25, 2012 at 10:48 am

    Limousine Barry commented:

    Gad, I love to kill jobs! It’s the one thing I am good at. I especially like to kill little businesses run by little people. It makes me feel Big!

    Besides, that kid did not lose his business on his own. He had help. He had help in the form of Government Red Tape. And, Red Tape is one thing I am sure the Government built!

    If you like the will I kill jobs then vote for me. Send me $35,800 before midnight. We are having another fund raiser in California and Barney Frank will have his butt in the air. Make a donation… before my crappy campaign runs out of money. Good day.

  8. #10 July 25, 2012 at 10:50 am

    bg commented:

    ++

    S510

    no lemonade for you!!

    i tried, i warned, crickets..

    bits more here & here & here in connecting
    links & scroll posts/threads for much more..

    ==

  9. #11 July 25, 2012 at 10:56 am

    Flintstone F. commented:

    #6 dnb

    Are you advocating against choice and competition?

    Starbucks across the street from Daz Bog. Safeway (super market) next door to King Soopers (super market).

    A restaurant provides a much different experience than a cart. They don’t use the property in the same way. The hot dog cart doesn’t use the water, doesn’t use the sewage, doesn’t have trucks making deliveries.

  10. #12 July 25, 2012 at 11:00 am

    Cutlers Bad Thumb commented:

    Now this might ( using the word Might loosely ) be a job that Obama could handle.

    And he could make Moochie the wiener czar…

  11. #13 July 25, 2012 at 11:02 am

    Fuquay Steve commented:

    Heil Hitler!

  12. #14 July 25, 2012 at 11:05 am

    bg commented:

    ++

    Flintstone F. #11 July 25, 2012 at 10:56 am

    hmm, it’s not the hot dogs, it’s the law..

    they aren’t saying he can’t sell hot dogs, they’re saying
    there’s a zoning issue where he wants to sell them..

    they have to follow the law, or change it.. i mean, what if several
    more kids get a bright idea and decide to open their own hot dog
    or (fitb) stands, to provide “competition”..

    ==

  14. #16 July 25, 2012 at 11:11 am

    Patty commented:

    Saving downtown businesses
    Food vendors are not allowed in downtown Holland outside of Tulip Time, said Phil Meyer, director of the city’s Community and Neighborhood Services Department.

    The original story has sparked debate on hollandsentinel.com and Facebook about the downtown zoning, many voicing opinions that vendors should be allowed. A hollandsentinel.com poll showed more than 60 percent in favor.

    Other commenters, though, took the side of downtown businesses, citing the taxes those businesses pay, the fees for being part of the city’s snow melt district and participation in the city’s Downtown Development Authority and Principle Shopping District.

    “I don’t understand it really,” Johnson said, adding that if vendors are allowed at Tulip Time, why not the rest of the year? “They’re really taking away from someone trying to make a living.”

    http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x798866592/One-hot-dog-cart-SOLD-Family-overwhelmed-by-outpouring-of-support

  16. #18 July 25, 2012 at 11:14 am

    Sam commented:

    America is going downhill fast. Being destroyed from within. Common sense is gone, regulations are out of control and our spirits are depressed. I hope my kids don’t have kids because this country is going to be a socialist misery if Obummer is re-elected. Half of us already support the other half. Founding fathers are rolling in their graves.

  17. #19 July 25, 2012 at 11:17 am

    Texas_Treeroach commented:

    All you need to do is read the first word in the headline to know that what follows is bad news.

  18. #20 July 25, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Patty commented:

    Our kids who are being shut down for their little businesses? Think about that and I can only hope that these enterprising kids will grown up to be among the 1% who created jobs and grow thriving businesses and then shove hit to the man.



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