Would You Buy a PB&J Sandwich Off the Street?
If borekas and egg rolls, why not PB&J Sandwiches!?
If you thought the whole “law student couldn’t get a job so opens a cupcake truck” story was crazy… what about this one? Got this email in the old ML inbox the other day:
Hi Zach,
I’ve hatched an idea due to extended unemployment, and I thought you’d be the best qualified to tell me if it is feasible or not. During my days of working in Midtown your site was a bible.
It’s pretty simple: set up a small table on a busy corner and sell peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from a cooler for a few bucks. That’s more than the cost of making them, so I’d pull a profit. And it’s cheaper than other lunch options, and who doesn’t like PB&J?
But what about a vendor’s license?
Part of me thinks that there’s probably some vendor’s license required, and Health Department etc. But another part of me thinks that it’s just like a kid setting up a lemonade stand, and that’s perfectly legal. I’ve asked several friends for their thoughts but they have no idea, and I don’t want to be shooed away/ ticketed by the cops and end up with 20 extra sandwiches on my hands.
Do you have any thoughts as to the legality/feasibility of this endeavor? I’d really appreciate it. If it gets off the ground, the first sandwich is yours, complementary of course.
Many thanks,
Dan M.
Sounds like a foolproof scheme to me! Are times really that tough? You’d probably have to sell a lot of sandwiches to make a living. Perhaps you should consider knock of scarves and handbags as well? I suppose if this lady can sell homemade Ecuadorian food out of a grocery cart on 46th Street, I guess you could get by selling PB&J.
Lunchers, what do you think of the “feasibility of this endeavor?”
Posted by Zach Brooks at 1:30 pm, June 11th, 2009 under Ask Midtown Lunch.
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I agree with “Waiting For BajaFresh”. You always have to think about the consumer’s alternative option. That would be a PB&J at a deli. I for one would probably lean on getting the PB&J from a deli than a guy on the street unless it was some special PB&J (it would have to be pretty special). So unless you have some secret recipe, I would say that as a business it doesn’t seem like a great idea. I would try to think of something that is not as easily accessible. For example, the Ecuadorian ‘Cart’ works because it’s an item that is not easily accessible. PB&J is too common.