Comments on: What Happened At the Schnitzel & Things Truck Yesterday?

By: The Schnitzel Bin

The Schnitzel Bin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:53:22 +0000

I reckon a Schnitzel is better than a softie any day of the week.
Down under this would never Happen!
Long live the Schnitzel served with a Smile!!!

By: California Taco Trucks » Blog Archive » Vendrification: Nouveau food truck backlash

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:55:46 +0000

[...] Still, this piece does give me pause: In a city accustomed to gentrification, perhaps this new phenomenon could be described as “vendrification,” with more expensive, higher-tech carts and trucks sweeping in and shaking up the culinary terrain of the streets. Predictably, this shift has led to some tensions between the “traditional” vendors and the newer-style sellers, who often use heavily decorated trucks, rotating seasonal offerings, and regular Twitter tweets advertising their current whereabouts to draw in customers. For the kebab and hot dog vendors, who often stay in the same city-assigned location day after day, it becomes a question of market infringement. In late June, an exchange over turf outside the Metropolitan Museum between the fancy food truck Street Sweets and a few other vendors grew so heated that police were called to the scene. And the Schnitzel & Things truck has endured confrontations both with halal vendors and a Mister Softee truck. [...]

By: StreetMeasOnsumer3008

StreetMeasOnsumer3008 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:30:25 +0000

I would love to play rock, paper, scissors with Miss Softee. I think it would look cute and draw some foot traffic.

By: adamprato

adamprato — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:07:43 +0000

miss softee, what is this “respect” thing which you speak of. “ethics”? all these big ideas!

I cant believe there’s 35 comments on common sense in this thread. Not so common after all I guess…

By: miss_softee

miss_softee — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:59:56 +0000

I’m a vendor and I’ll tell you why my spots are important to me — i spend months in a little truck serving small treats to my big kids. and, at some point, you’re right, foot traffic
is not enough. i rely on customer service and the relationships I’ve built with my regular customers to sustain business. even with the Twitter, half my regulars would probably be lost if my spot were taken. so, is there an unspoken code of vendor ethics? you betcha. it makes each of us, however portable, into a real business operating on the streets of NYC.

I wasn’t working yesterday, so honestly not sure what happned on the streets between these two trucks, but cooperation and communication is key to sucess! a little respect from all parties goes a long way. and if all else fails, a game of rock, paper, scissors could resolve the dispute!

<3 miss softee

By: jake

jake — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:40:02 +0000

Spenczar says it perfectly. I am supporting schnitzel on this all the way.

And I think was brilliant to bite back at a food blogger (whom I love) for unfairly saying they were in the wrong. Warranted and great PR by the way.

I am a bit surprised to see Zach jumping in with support for the status quo crappy vendors that trying to intimidate with made up rules…

By: Schnitzel Truck Is Involved in Another Dustup | nyc-delivery.com

Schnitzel Truck Is Involved in Another Dustup | nyc-delivery.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:48:04 +0000

[...] which really likes to swing its muffler around. Details of the latest altercation are unclear, but by Midtown Lunch’s account, the Mister Softee truck berated Schnitzel after someone’s complaint led to both of them [...]

By: WinedandDined

WinedandDined — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:33:13 +0000

I couldn’t agree more with spenczar. It’s natural selection baby. Street food is evolving — largely in thanks to Zach’s work at ML. The only options these days are thankfully not just dirty water dogs and pretzels. I agree that maybe new street vendors shouldn’t invade the exact spots that have been inhabited by vendors for years and years — that being said it is COMPLETE BULLSHIT when these old-time vendors resort to intimidation of new vendors that are merely operating in the same vicinity. Zach– you can’t possibly be saying that you agree that such behavior is OK. There’s a big difference between a new vendor usurping someone’s exact spot and a new vendor finding a spot on the same block as an old-time vendor and having to deal with threats.

By: spenczar

spenczar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:46:45 +0000

I don’t see a problem with Schnitzel Truck’s tweet. So, they disagree with Zach. Big deal.

I don’t buy this unwritten code either. Unwritten codes are pretty easily changed, usually rewritten by whoever has the power at the moment.

LIke Zach, I think it comes down to community. The real question for me is whether the community is being served well by these vendors. IMO, having dozens of mediocre halal trucks, subpar and overpriced hot dog stands and ice cream trucks isn’t really serving the people who work and live in midtown.

Why should we have to hike 10 blocks for lunch just because some hot dog vendor or mister softee guy is crying? I work on 53rd and 6th, and I can count at least 8 hot dog stands with in a square block distance.

That being said, I think the solution is probably not so simple. Either you open it completely up and make it first come, first serve. In this case, if your food sucks, people won’t show up and you’ll move elsewhere. Or, you regulate it and schedule spots, which seems like it might be a bureaucratic nightmare.

By: Rudy McBagel

Rudy McBagel — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:37:10 +0000

They’re doing a pincer movement with Hallo Berlin….

You watch….next years Oscar for best movie…..Speilsberg’ dipictation of the Ghettoization of Moshes Falafel.