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Completely disagree. You just assume that corporations are going to be rolling out truck fleets without providing any evidence of the fact. The current reality

Completely disagree. You just assume that corporations are going to be rolling out truck fleets without providing any evidence of the fact. The current reality seems to indicate right the opposite of what you seem to fear. It's independent restaurants that are starting food trucks and it's CORPORATE interests that are colluding with local government to stop the threat -- precisely because they know they CAN'T compete with the decentralized system of street vendors. I've spent a lot of time in China, India and Brazil -- everywhere you go there are street vendors -- all run by small business owners. When McDonald's and KFC go overseas they are usually considered a luxury item. The problem is that corporate food has nothing to do with food. In the gilded age the entire industry has been based on selling "experiences" -- that's how you maximize revenue. But when the economy contracts people suddenly care about the FOOD again -- suddenly people are unwilling to pay an extra $2 for "Starbucks experience." My guess is that this is a long term trend. Here is one thing you CAN be sure of. When a corporation says "jump" the politicians say "how high" -- and right now corporate food wants MORE regulation in order to protect their revenue stream.

hugh3 16y ago
Completely disagree. You just assume that corporations are going to be rolling out truck fleets without providing any evidence of the fact. The point is not that we know that they will. The point is that once a profitable niche exists it will eventually be filled. Whether some existing restaurant chain starts putting a truck on every corner, or whether one of the current truck entrepreneurs grows to be so big that he can afford to put a truck on every corner, if food trucks aren't regulated they will eventually be annoyingly prevalent. It's independent restaurants that are starting food trucks and it's CORPORATE interests that are colluding with local government to stop the threat -- precisely because they know they CAN'T compete with the decentralized system of street vendors. No, they're objecting because they have a huge investment in the current way of doing things. It doesn't mean they can't switch to a new way of doing things if they have to.

hugh3 16y ago

Completely disagree. You just assume that corporations are going to be rolling out truck fleets without providing any evidence of the fact. The point is not that we know that they will. The point is that once a profitable niche exists it will eventually be filled. Whether some existing restaurant chain starts putting a truck on every corner, or whether one of the current truck entrepreneurs grows to be so big that he can afford to put a truck on every corner, if food trucks aren't regulated they will eventually be annoyingly prevalent. It's independent restaurants that are starting food trucks and it's CORPORATE interests that are colluding with local government to stop the threat -- precisely because they know they CAN'T compete with the decentralized system of street vendors. No, they're objecting because they have a huge investment in the current way of doing things. It doesn't mean they can't switch to a new way of doing things if they have to.