Government: Getting in the Way of You and Your Lunch

January 27, 2011

Government: Getting in the Way of You and Your Lunch

On Monday, the city and county government in Edwardsville, Ill., banned the Pi Truck from selling pizza in the city. Edwardsville isn’t the only place that has banned food trucks — the municipality of Clayton has, too.

This demonstrates how the government can get in the way of business. And, when it does, business owners and consumers both lose. The story of the Pi truck illustrates how regulation by local governments may quash entrepreneurism and innovation and reduce freedom of choice. Because of these local restrictions, many hungry consumers cannot enjoy a freshly baked pizza on their lunch break, despite being willing and able to pay. As an unintended negative consequence, individuals have to drive out of their way in order to enjoy the product. (It certainly defeats the purpose of a food truck that travels to the consumer, doesn’t it?)

What is the ostensible reason for this particular ban? Do existing restaurants in the region lobby their government to tilt the playing field to their favor? Instead of competing with food trucks, do they convince their government to kick out their competitors? Does the local government enforce a stricter land use and aesthetic regulation of the area? Do concerns about health safety exist? If yes, then why is it OK for vendors at the Taste of Clayton to serve food outside, but not OK for food trucks?

I am in the process of tracking down the regulations in Edwardsville and Clayton that restrict food trucks from selling products in the region.

Sure, the pizza truck can tweet, but can it make phone calls? If it can, I encourage it to call me at the Show-Me Institute, because I would love to highlight this story on a free-market field trip!

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6 Wordpress Comments »

Another article full of inaccurate information. Edwardsville DOES NOT BAN food trucks or any other transient vendor. FACT – Pi was not and is not banned,rather, the big shots from Pi simply think that they are better than anyone else and would not comply with a very simple rule – FILL OUT A FORM AND PROVE TO THE COUNTY THAT YOU HAVE A RECENT HEALTH DEPARTMENT INSPECTION. Why is it so difficult for a reporter, or someone that wants to act like a reporter, to get the facts before posting a absolutely false story. The SHOW ME INSTITUTE is a joke.

Comment by William — January 27, 2011 @ 3:15 p.m.
This whole thing about Pi being kicked out of Edwardsville is a joke. Pi failed to get a simple permit but Edwardsville let them operate on that day without even making a deal out of it. Days later county officials contacted Pi and told them that they needed to get a permit from the county health department. Pi FAILED to do so. Edwardsville, who did look the other way during and after the first visit, received complaints from the county health department and others and simply told the the owner that they need to fill out a form, pay a very minimal permit fee, and they could come to Edwardsville anytime they wanted. Pi was not “kicked” out. Whoever wrote this story needs to find a job outside of being a reporter. They are clueless and proved total incompetence. Hey, if they work hard maybe they can drive the Pi truck for the rest of their career.

Comment by Nonsense — January 27, 2011 @ 9:46 p.m.
William and Nonsense both make basically the same point, and it’s worth discussing. When a local government requires some level of oversight for vendors, can it be called a “ban”? Perhaps not. If it is the case, however, that the Pi truck is not allowed to sell food in Edwardsville without the approval (through a form, or some other process) of the government, this constitutes an infringement on the right of the Pi truck to sell and the Edwardsville pizza customers to buy.

Even if this layer of bureaucracy seems small, it’s often small changes that have unfortunate marginal effects on markets. What seems like a simple matter to some may be not worth it to others.

Comment by Josh Smith — January 28, 2011 @ 11:22 a.m.
Now Josh Smith – the self proclaimed expert of “infringement of rights” spouts off about the “right” of Pi, or I assume anybody, to put some food in a truck (what about a pick up truck Josh”, and have at it and sell food no matter what. I am convinced that sites like this bring out the clueless, like Josh, and goofballs like whoever investigated, or better yet, “did not investogate or ask one question about the accuracy of the article”.

Comment by Nonsense — January 28, 2011 @ 7:34 p.m.
Nonsense, I don’t know who you are, but you are free to ask me anything you want. I should hope you would be more interested in learning who I am and what I think than putting words in my mouth and immediately casting aspersions.

It’s hard to unravel your latest argument from the blaring personal attacks, but you seem to be contending that there are or should be limits on who can sell food. You also seem still concerned about the accuracy of the article which said it was illegal for the Pi truck to sell pizza.

As for whether it is illegal for them to sell pizza, I would say that until they get their permit, easy though it may be to get that permit, it really is illegal for them to do business in Edwardsville. Please correct me if I am wrong on this point.

And I know it’s not a popular position, but I do think that people and businesses should be free to buy and sell as they please, without a rubber stamp from an authority figure. If Pi has a truck with pizza or I run a cart with hot dogs, either of us should be allowed to roam where we choose and sell to whoever wishes to buy, provided we don’t hurt anyone or damage any property.

And I have no problem with selling food off the back of a pickup truck. Isn’t that how some farmers make a living? Are you against the hardworking American farmer?

Comment by Josh Smith — January 31, 2011 @ 10:05 a.m.
Christine Harbin has written a follow-up entry here.

Comment by Eric D. Dixon — January 31, 2011 @ 2:25 p.m.

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Another article full of inaccurate information. Edwardsville DOES NOT BAN food trucks or any other transient vendor. FACT – Pi was not and is not banned,rather, the big shots from Pi simply think that they are better than anyone else and would not comply with a very simple rule – FILL OUT A FORM AND PROVE TO THE COUNTY THAT YOU HAVE A RECENT HEALTH DEPARTMENT INSPECTION. Why is it so difficult for a reporter, or someone that wants to act like a reporter, to get the facts before posting a absolutely false story. The SHOW ME INSTITUTE is a joke.

Comment by William — January 27, 2011 @ 3:15 p.m.

This whole thing about Pi being kicked out of Edwardsville is a joke. Pi failed to get a simple permit but Edwardsville let them operate on that day without even making a deal out of it. Days later county officials contacted Pi and told them that they needed to get a permit from the county health department. Pi FAILED to do so. Edwardsville, who did look the other way during and after the first visit, received complaints from the county health department and others and simply told the the owner that they need to fill out a form, pay a very minimal permit fee, and they could come to Edwardsville anytime they wanted. Pi was not “kicked” out. Whoever wrote this story needs to find a job outside of being a reporter. They are clueless and proved total incompetence. Hey, if they work hard maybe they can drive the Pi truck for the rest of their career.

Comment by Nonsense — January 27, 2011 @ 9:46 p.m.

William and Nonsense both make basically the same point, and it’s worth discussing. When a local government requires some level of oversight for vendors, can it be called a “ban”? Perhaps not. If it is the case, however, that the Pi truck is not allowed to sell food in Edwardsville without the approval (through a form, or some other process) of the government, this constitutes an infringement on the right of the Pi truck to sell and the Edwardsville pizza customers to buy.

Even if this layer of bureaucracy seems small, it’s often small changes that have unfortunate marginal effects on markets. What seems like a simple matter to some may be not worth it to others.

Comment by Josh Smith — January 28, 2011 @ 11:22 a.m.

Now Josh Smith – the self proclaimed expert of “infringement of rights” spouts off about the “right” of Pi, or I assume anybody, to put some food in a truck (what about a pick up truck Josh”, and have at it and sell food no matter what. I am convinced that sites like this bring out the clueless, like Josh, and goofballs like whoever investigated, or better yet, “did not investogate or ask one question about the accuracy of the article”.

Comment by Nonsense — January 28, 2011 @ 7:34 p.m.

Nonsense, I don’t know who you are, but you are free to ask me anything you want. I should hope you would be more interested in learning who I am and what I think than putting words in my mouth and immediately casting aspersions.

It’s hard to unravel your latest argument from the blaring personal attacks, but you seem to be contending that there are or should be limits on who can sell food. You also seem still concerned about the accuracy of the article which said it was illegal for the Pi truck to sell pizza.

As for whether it is illegal for them to sell pizza, I would say that until they get their permit, easy though it may be to get that permit, it really is illegal for them to do business in Edwardsville. Please correct me if I am wrong on this point.

And I know it’s not a popular position, but I do think that people and businesses should be free to buy and sell as they please, without a rubber stamp from an authority figure. If Pi has a truck with pizza or I run a cart with hot dogs, either of us should be allowed to roam where we choose and sell to whoever wishes to buy, provided we don’t hurt anyone or damage any property.

And I have no problem with selling food off the back of a pickup truck. Isn’t that how some farmers make a living? Are you against the hardworking American farmer?

Comment by Josh Smith — January 31, 2011 @ 10:05 a.m.

Christine Harbin has written a follow-up entry here.

Comment by Eric D. Dixon — January 31, 2011 @ 2:25 p.m.

January 27, 2011