Anti-Schnitzelism

This just in, the Business Insider's Clusterstock reports that a Citi employee called the cops on the Scnnitzel Truck today. After the truck's proprietor showed his permits, Citi then resorted to claiming the Schnitzel Truck posed a terrorist threat. I suspect whoever is responsible for the company cafeteria's P&L may be behind this but seriously? They are going to bombard the building with thinly pounded meat and potato salad? This certainly one-ups the Anti-Schnitzelism I exposed back in September when Eisenberg's threatened the Schnitzel Truck.

So what is it about the Schnitzel Truck that people find so objectionable? Its German-ish name? Its ability to take lunch orders over the phone and have them waiting for customers when they arrive? The mobile deliciousness of it all? Or maybe, just maybe, Citi is holding a big short position against the schnitzel market.

[April 29 Wall Street Journal post script here. Yes, this made the WSJ.]

[April 30 The Schnitzel Truck returns to its spot in front of Citi. So Tweets the Truck:   schnitzeltruck: Vassup to all our schnombies. Today is judgement day on 54th & lex. Come show your support for the humble schnitz truck.. Be there @ 11:30]

The Food Truck Dilemma

I was very excited to find out on Twitter that the Schnitzel & Things truck would be setting up shop for lunch in Flatiron today, so I grabbed a friend and went to check it out. In addition to the food, which was good and reasonably priced, we got an eye-ful of an altercation between the truck proprietor and some tough guys from Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop. The Eisenberg guys were arguing that the truck was stealing business from their store while the Schnitzel truck, parked there for one day only, countered that he had a right to be there and that they weren't catering to the same crowd anyway. Then said crowd got into the mix a bit as well.

I am somewhat torn on this one. I think the explosion of food trucks throughout the city is great. It provides a cost effective way for food entrepreneurs to hang their own shingle and introduces New Yorkers to new dining options. That said, I am concerned about the effect this trend could possibly have on long established businesses like Eisenberg's, which has been in its spot since 1929. I am also deeply troubled by the fighting, and in some cases violence, that has occurred between the new trucks and incumbent street cart vendors who feel like their long held turf has been encroached upon.

The capitalist in me thinks it just comes down to competition and being a neighborhood institution doesn't insulate you from the free market's formidable forces. Let the people vote with their wallets on that one. The more compassionate side of me knows these Halal vendors and mom and pop's have been around for ages and have mouths to feed too. So what to do? Normally a proponent of limited government interference, I am going to break out of my mold and say Mayor Mike, you need to get involved. You can't issue all these truck permits to generate revenue for the city and then just turn them loose in the wild with no rules. This hurts both the trucks and the businesses they locate next to, all of whom are city tax payers. So make some order out of this urban food jungle. We all have to eat, but unlike in the bush it need not be kill or be killed.