New York City's vibrant mobile food industry seems to accept the underground market for permits (which were capped in 1981). WNYC reporter Ilya Marritz talks about the current system and potential reforms. He's joined by Adam Sobel, chef and owner of the Cinnamon Snail food truck and the author of the cookbook Street Vegan (Clarkson Potter, 2015), who lost his permits to operate food trucks, and Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, who is working to have the cap on permits lifted.
Mobile food vendor permits are a "problem of scarcity," says @ilyamarritz. There just aren't enough permits to satisfy the demand.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) May 1, 2015
If you want your own permit, you have to wait more than 20 years. The way around it? Buy a permit on the black market, says @SeanBasinski.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) May 1, 2015
Here's @ilyamarritz (top left), @SeanBasinski (top right) & @VeganLunchTruck (bottom) talking mobile food permits. pic.twitter.com/7g93bbQYXX
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) May 1, 2015