If You Can’t Beat ’em, Regulate ’em

Mobile food vendors have become a fixture here in Nashville, as they have in many cities across the country. They often sell specialized foods, such as Mexican, Indian or good old Southern cooking. But, the Nashville Scene reports that a bill has been introduced at the Nashville Metro that would shut down these entrepreneurial businesses. Why?

Three council members introduced the bill last week after what they describe as a convergence of factors–most notably complaints from restaurants, who, let’s where to buy topiramate face it, compete with these vendors for business.

Although health concerns have been raised as an additional issue, the three mobile food vendors highlighted in the Nashville Scene story actually have a average health score that is only a couple of points different than the city wide average for all restaurants.
This is clearly a case of larger businesses teaming up with local politicians to shut down their smaller competitors. Shame on them!
(Thanks to Bill Hobbs for passing this story along).