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This being hacker news I would ask if this is an inefficiency ready to be taken advantage of or a system ready to be disrupted? I would argue that payment comp

This being hacker news I would ask if this is an inefficiency ready to be taken advantage of or a system ready to be disrupted? I would argue that payment companies/services like Square are successful in part because they are doing just that. They lower the bar to someone with or without a collage degree starting a small business like a food cart or truck that can thrive in a collage grad heavy city. Similarly sites that offer reviews make it easier for a business to prosper on merit and reduce the tendency of people to just go to a chain because they know what they will get. I don't think this is an uphill battle. Surly a neighborhood feels more vibrant alive and inspiring when all the workers (tech and otherwise) are out on the street choosing from many unique options then when they all line up the mcdonald's drive through, starbuck's or the company cafeteria to get the same thing they got yesterday. So what is the next great start up that helps make this happen?

bsder 12y ago
Choice is good, until the food truck explodes ... http://articles.philly.com/2014-07-03/news/51033519_1_lunch-truck-3rd-street-14-year-old-boy http://articles.philly.com/2014-07-03/news/51033519_1_lunch-... The consequence of the food truck growth is that there are now many more mobile, explosive installations of gas in existence as opposed to restaurants which have a contained, inspected, fixed installations of gas. At what point did we have the conversation as to whether this is a good thing? We didn't. Disruption isn't automatically a benefit.
- micro_cam 12y ago
  Interesting point but I think the recent gas main explosion in new york and the fervor over our aging, difficult to inspect and dangerous gas mains (the one in question was 127 years old) needs to weighed if your going to argue safety. [1] Reputable propane fillers will only fill gas tanks that have been recently inspected and even the largest mobil tank only holds a limited amount of gas compared to what can be released when something connected to a main leaks. However, my point more then being pro food truck or any one business model is that major socio-economic trends like groups of people needing to move away from some cities is indicative of something that might be target by a startup. Who knows, maybe the next big trend is custom manufacturing with same day delivery via 3d printers, skilled laborers and bike messengers leveraging both the concentrated capitol of the educated workers and creating jobs for people who would otherwise have to leave. [1]: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/15/us/aging-gas-infrastructure/ http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/15/us/aging-gas-infrastructure/
- seanflyon 12y ago
  One explosion (where no one died) is a bad thing, but it doesn't seem like a systematic problem.

bsder 12y ago

Choice is good, until the food truck explodes ... http://articles.philly.com/2014-07-03/news/51033519_1_lunch-truck-3rd-street-14-year-old-boy http://articles.philly.com/2014-07-03/news/51033519_1_lunch-... The consequence of the food truck growth is that there are now many more mobile, explosive installations of gas in existence as opposed to restaurants which have a contained, inspected, fixed installations of gas. At what point did we have the conversation as to whether this is a good thing? We didn't. Disruption isn't automatically a benefit.

micro_cam 12y ago
Interesting point but I think the recent gas main explosion in new york and the fervor over our aging, difficult to inspect and dangerous gas mains (the one in question was 127 years old) needs to weighed if your going to argue safety. [1] Reputable propane fillers will only fill gas tanks that have been recently inspected and even the largest mobil tank only holds a limited amount of gas compared to what can be released when something connected to a main leaks. However, my point more then being pro food truck or any one business model is that major socio-economic trends like groups of people needing to move away from some cities is indicative of something that might be target by a startup. Who knows, maybe the next big trend is custom manufacturing with same day delivery via 3d printers, skilled laborers and bike messengers leveraging both the concentrated capitol of the educated workers and creating jobs for people who would otherwise have to leave. [1]: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/15/us/aging-gas-infrastructure/ http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/15/us/aging-gas-infrastructure/
seanflyon 12y ago
One explosion (where no one died) is a bad thing, but it doesn't seem like a systematic problem.