D.C.'s food truck underworld

[@Marssonde1]

I love food trucks, the more they sell, the cheaper the prices because of the fierce competition that you just wouldnt see in stalls or diners. Now an apprentice like me can even afford a tasty snack like that from time to time. Great job food truck owners i appreciate your hard work.

[@danielbrazell]

Shows how much demand there is when the trucks are paying hundreds in fines per day but still able to keep their food affordable

[@RichManSCTV0]

I think food trucks are a great thing and I support them

[@marcus27886]

Me too these food trucks here in DC are cheaper then Manhattan and Brooklyn New York

[@JMazzaTaz]

$10 Boba teas in a SMALL cup is highway fkn robbery!!!

[@DAWN001]

When we visited DC recently, a guy in uniform sternly told my kids and me to stop waiting in line and told the food truck owner to leave after serving the final customer. A few blocks away a full street of food trucks operated without anyone telling them to leave. My children asked me why this happened and I didn’t know know why.

[@P.rivate]

Simple. Some food truck owners who refused to be ripped off by the government by paying fines get removed, while the ones that pay the fines, remain. It's like taxes, if you pay them nobody comes looking for you, but if you don't oh boy.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Uniform? Probably some pissant security guard who thinks they are a real cop. If it was a real cop, then he’s just a badge heavy bozo compensating for something small.

[@Elbereth42]

WON"T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?

[@paulcrawford9007]

I love the food trucks, but the cafeterias are NOT a rip off, they provide things the trucks do not provide: bathrooms, heat or air conditioning, hand washing sinks, shelter from rain, snow and sleet, comfortable [okay, more comfortable] seating, proximity to the museum so one can take a break, but be near the exhibits once rested, etc. We can have both.

[@1krani]

Pretty sure the only extra charge is based on the convenience of being in the museum. I've seen cafes like that one, and they're always overpriced compared to walk-in cafes and delis.

[@crissd8283]

I don't think this video is calling for outlawing the cafeterias. They are welcome to exist and compete in an open market. Go capitalism.

[@ghost307]

When I worked at Navy Pier in Chicago one of the requirements for getting a vendor license was to give a 50% discount to anyone with a City ID. Depending on how much money you plan on losing to the city employees, you have to set your prices accordingly. If they didn't have to sell those meals at half-price, the prices for everybody else would be much lower.

[@1krani]

@@ghost307 Someone should sue over 14th Amendment violations. Specifically preferential treatment by the law is unconstitutional, yes?

[@ghost307]

@@1krani Happens all the time. The millionaire tax comes to mind.

[@patrickary3956]

Anyone notice all of the fire hydrants being blocked off?

[@merpius]

I love the example "dummy car"... that is parked directly in front of a fire hydrant. LOL. I guess it just goes to show, if the gov makes you a criminal you care a lot less about other laws you break.

[@innernouter]

Customers are being ripped off at the cafes in the museums the same way movie goers are being ripped off by $6 popcorn at the movie theaters. Its part of what makes the operation work. The museum food vendor is giving the museum a 15-20% cut of sales (very common arrangement) . Food at any attraction is always more expensive.... amusement parks, airports, boardwalks

[@FollowPathfinder]

I just visited Washington DC for the first time and these garbage food truck are simply disgusting! And I am not even talking about the amount of harmful fumes they make when they are all in line with the engines on! They're so stinky! The city officials should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this.

[@moonbunnychan]

Ya, actual DC locals hate these things. I actively tell tourists to steer clear. This video makes it seem a lot better then it actual is. I'm not against food trucks, I'm against food trucks with no health inspections serving overpriced slop and parked illegally.

[@P.rivate]

All vendors must not comply with the city. If you are one, stop paying the fines, you are being ripped off.

[@StrykerND84]

If the local government is making a half million dollars a year on parking tickets and these food trucks are still managing to stay in business despite the tickets then I don't see this changing anytime soon. Also, why are the cafeteria food prices so high? The video says there is a lack of competition, but it also seems like the cafeteria has a ton of competition in the form of food trucks illegally parked just outside.

[@Demonfireangel]

Not all food truck vendors are good. Watch out for the ones that don't post prices. Just a few months ago, I was charged $15 for soft serve on a waffle cone and $20 for a bubble tea. This was after I had ordered. Make sure you ask the price BEFORE you order.

[@moonbunnychan]

Any actual DC local will tell you to stay far, FAR away from most of these food trucks. Not only are they are they a huge rip off, often charging whatever they feel like charging that day, but the food is often pretty awful and since these trucks are running illegally, they don't have any safety or health inspections. But it shows a real need for more food there that the park's service just refuses to provide for some reason.

[@Demonfireangel]

@@moonbunnychan Absolutely. I vow to never support these food trucks after what happened to me. They are all very scummy.

[@bluegrizzly1053]

@@Demonfireangel same experience happened to me abosuluetly wrecked my stomach that night felt like I was gonna puke and they ripped my dad off 40 bucks for some crappy chicken strips and a cheesesteak

[@jackiechan511]

Allow these food trucks to operate. Give them dedicated parking and public health inspections and this will work

[@Paelorian]

It's illegal because it's supposed to be a street. But now buses can't drop visitors off in front of the museum. If it was meant to be a food court with permanent stalls, it wouldn't be trucks driving away every night for no reason and being replaced by cars "keeping their place". This is an inefficient, broken, wasteful system. I'm all in favor of inexpensive food vendors. Open a food court for them. They won't need an expensive kitchen truck. They could operate or rent carts and stalls. The street in front of the museum is meant to be a street, not a place for anyone to keep their vehicles parked 24/7. Raise the fines and put them out of business. But at the same time, create areas for these vendors by the museum. They won't need to burn gasoline and propane, they can have permanent storefronts and stalls with electricity. Does anyone really think putting all our small takeout restaurants into trucks is efficient or economical? It's a kludge, a loophole being exploited at public expense because rents are high and the city won't make enough space available for street vendors to operate. So now we have vehicular restaurants that just take up parking space on city streets. Like restaurant boats clogging up canals. It makes no sense. It's not an efficient use of space. These food trucks are effectively immobile, returning to the same spot every day. These businesses should have permanent spots on land. Some cities are even more stupid and inefficient about trucks. In New York City, these food truck vendors have to have someone sleep in the parking spot overnight in order to keep it. So vendors will sleep there, or hire someone to do it, for years. It's a stupid, broken system. Don't try to keep it, push for something better instead. A food court with permanent, assigned spots could offer lower prices to consumers and much better quality of life for vendors.

[@LynyrdSkynyrd.4Ever]

They need a plain old parking lot that the food trucks can use

[@holycrapchris]

Buses drop people off in front of the museums. The food trucks are parked in parking spaces on the _opposite_ side of the street. You can see the pay-to-park signs at 1:04

[@ghost307]

It's surprising that other cities have these problems, but they all seem to go away as soon as the food truck start paying money to transact business.

[@moonbunnychan]

Sometimes. But I've also seen them parked literally in a crosswalk before.

[@CD-rt7ec]

They should do monthly lottery for the spaces, and then let them reserve parking spots for a month at a time.

[@clemsmith8799]

Who is complaining???? Who has ever once complained in all the history of food trucks??? The answer is nobody has ever complained, that leaves one reason for the tickets! It is a new way of TAX. This new Tax is then passed on to the consumer

[@glennwatson3313]

People are not "Screaming" for more food options. Stop exaggerating.

[@computerluke6591]

A lot of the food trucks now are super scamy profiting off of false advertisement like things like boba tea where they will charge ridiculous amounts for something that is not what is being advertised

[@sean202]

Is the food really good and where do they use the bathroom??? Do they poop right next to your food?

[@glennwatson3313]

Its not that good and not clean.

[@WeWokeTheGiants]

I have a food truck where I live and I rent a space from the city next to the courthouse for either $50 or 10% of my sales every month. I use the restroom in the courthouse, because I have a singed agreement with them to use their bathrooms and their kitchen for commissary use.

[@chefboydc1]

There's a food truck lottery for the spaces. The government makes money off the spaces.

[@P.rivate]

The government STEALS money off the vendors. The nature of government is violent.

[@cdaaat6036]

It should be on record that this is anecdotally one of the worst price to food quality/quantity that you can get in America. $12 for a falafel pita that someone else could sell for 8

[@ghost307]

Obviously, the politicians aren't getting their kickbacks from the food trucks.

[@reckersworld9351]

You know they make these buildings where you can go make food and sell it to people. Or... face the "challenge" that parking spaces on streets are for people going places and parking their cars to go to one of those crazy buildings where you can sell things. Crazy I know.

[@holycrapchris]

Yeah, but the customers aren't walking down the side streets to permanent establishments, are they? The customers provide the demand, and the food trucks are fulfilling the needs of the market.

[@innernouter]

Thats some funny stuff. I like food trucks as much as the next guy but was thinking the same thing. Reasons answer to everything, even restaurant owners who are licensed and have much higher overhead getting screwed, is " Oh Well.. the market will take care of it"

[@richardshipe4576]

​@@holycrapchrisyou're the only commenter applying basic economics in your responses to these room temp IQ people

[@TickedOffPriest]

Let the people eat!

[@bespokebiographies]

Both the food trucks and Smithsonian food offerings should exist. I worry about my health/weight so the food trucks diet is not for me. Also, accessibility is an issue for drop-offs. Space should be provided. Those roads and sidewalks are paid for by tax payers (all tax payers). I love the entrepreneurial spirit of the food truck owners/workers. And I love the shared historical/scientific showcase that is the Smithsonian. All valid.

[@walterwang2011]

I think some kind of Uber eats service will work very well with food trucks. They are already on wheels, why not deliver to the WFH crowd.

[@glennwatson3313]

Yeah, great food, chicken fingers and ice-cream.

[@captainmo3064]

Food trucks rip off too. $30 for two smoothies.....and no prices on trucks. Screw them.

[@emmettturner9452]

Looks like most of those tickets were given out on assumptions. There’s a local business here that builds out custom food trucks. I always see a really flashy one they have with “Custom Food Trucks” graphics that seems to be like a rolling billboard for them. It doesn’t actually serve food. I wonder if they’d be down to let me take it to DC just to see how many tickets I can get when I’m not even serving food, then I can flip the script by proving that I did not sell food and had no intention to. Not looking for a pay day. Just want to scare them away from over-regulation.

[@efinalboss]

did bro just play the fnaf song?

[@corvettesbme]

Food trucks should be allowed!❤

[@billschlafly4107]

Is this NPR?

[@michel3691]

Leave the trucks alone!

[@jmcoelho7]

Those fines are revenue for the city, a way to tax a minority indirectly, without being held accountable by voters if they do direct taxation.

[@nobodynoone2500]

If that is the case, (it is emphatically not), maybe those "minorities" should stop breaking the law. Not being held accountable is a whole different issue, and the real one, but you are literally arguing in your comment for "minorities" not to be held accountable. Maybe chill with the racism.

[@jmcoelho7]

@@nobodynoone2500 maybe you should start by asking what I meant by "minority", cause I'm using it in the mathematical sense, a small number.

[@pinionpuppy4950]

The people must eat!!!

[@ES-gy1ti]

Gov doesn't want completion

[@chrischris4827]

Where in hell do they find these goons that want the job of harassing these small business people?

[@ghost307]

Power-mad people are easy to find. Just look at the TSA.

[@ArloPignotti]

Any argument as to why this is illegal (safety, anesthetics, parking availability, etc.) is moot since they're doing it anyway. Tourists obviously love it. I used to work at the Library of Congress and really didn't care for their pricy high school cafeteria style food.

[@francisjo3]

Give me food trucks, or give me death!

[@NT-or9wh]

Editing on this piece needs to be tighter. It’s only 5m long, but so much dead space and takes over a minute to get to the point.

[@dariusgross6204]

Lots of awkward pauses in this video?

[@Weirdomanification]

The Smithsonian is beyond the government's proper mandate.

[@ReauDog]

Parks mini van in front of the fire hydrant..overnight! That's risky!

[@TankCop]

The word “Affordable” doesn’t exist anymore

[@CountArtha]

I STILL think about that video you guys did with Drew Carey when ReasonTV started, about Los Angeles street vendors.

[@MeRiaNevaMynd]

I'd definitely buy from a lunch truck. Not the Smithsonian! God bless the Institute for Justice ❤❤❤

[@Elbereth42]

There is no God.

[@m.r.jarrell3725]

Can't believe trucks are still illegal in DC. Saw it in the 80's and 90's and am saddened that my industry brothers and sister are still fighting these cretins.

[@homewall744]

The people love it. PROHIBIT IT NOW!

[@bluegrizzly1053]

The food from food trucks are nasty and they scam you

[@joaopedor5105]

Five nights at freddy's

[@Lucas.Blevins]

I was thinking the same thing