Selling Hotdogs

Posted by Ann Sattley on Thursday, July 19th, 2012

I’ve never wanted to run my own business. The whole thing has always seemed overwhelming. I decided from an early age that it was too much hassle. I like to follow rules to a T, and there are too many laws that you have to try to follow. And, if the business is unique, you may think you are following all of the laws, only to be informed after making large investments in your business, that it is, technically, illegal.

As an example, take the story of this 13-year old boy in Michigan.

On Tuesday, as the young entrepreneur was downtown setting up a hot dog cart he helped buy with $1,200 saved from mowing lawns and shoveling snow, he got an unpleasant surprise courtesy of Holland City Hall.

Duszynski was told by city officials that his cart was in violation of a Holland zoning law that protects existing food businesses downtown against competition from mobile food vendors, and he would have to cease operation immediately.

It was a shocker for Duszynski, who, along with his parents, thought he had jumped properly through all the licensing and permitting hoops with the city and county. 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.

“They specifically told us two days before that we could set up there, and gave us a license specifically for Reliable Sports,” he said.

“How hard is it to sell a hot dog?” wondered a dejected Duszynski, who has since put a For Sale sign on his hot dog cart.

His mother and father believe that he is showing “uncommon initiative” and should be encouraged to continue, rather than to cease and desist. Of course, city officials claim that they tried to tell them about the zoning conflict, but the family denies this.

There is an exception to the zoning regulation, which would require the boy to move his location every 10 minutes. But, for that mobile peddlers’ license, you have to be 18.

Don’t forget, rules are rules, even if they’re too numerous to attempt to follow:

As for Duszynski’s age and initiative, well, “if you’re going to run a business, part of doing that is adhering to the laws and rules in place. I’m not sure we should make an exception for him when others wouldn’t get the same benefit.”