weeniegate – Brooklyn Bugle

Weeniegate Raises Question: Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?

June 28, 2012

The recent imbroglio over the Montague Terrace Hot Dog Dude (aka Weeniegate) has made the fact that it’s illegal for ANY mobile food vendor to set up shop on Montague Street from Court to the Promenade a hot topic.

While we’re sure the regulation was well-thought out by the “olds” backintheday, many things have changed in recent years. We hear that folks in other parts of Brooklyn and NYC get to enjoy something called “Food Trucks.” These vehicles serve up a wide variety of tasty eats. But they, like our Hot Dog Dude friend, are not permitted on Montague Street.

So the regulation not only bans one of the most beloved and delicious New York City traditions from our Main Street, but also denies us some of today’s most exciting lunch options. VOTE IN OUR POLL after the jump.

For those who believe that mobile vendors would hurt Montague’s brick & mortar restaurants, we say that it should make them want to RAISE THEIR GAME. One can only hope these mobile innovators will inspire some of the local eateries currently serving pre-fab dishes to fire up the grill and cook fresh and vibrant food.

Why not allow one food truck and one hot dog vendor on the strip each day between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.?

Check out what the main drag of Brooklyn Heights is missing right now:

Calexico: Yes you can get your fix on Pier 1 but who wants to walk that far?

Pizza Moto – Ok, the giant wood burning oven might be a little too much but…

Wafel and Dinges – Seriously superfantastic. AND WE CAN’T HAVE ANY!

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck – Yes you CAN have desert for lunch… unless you want to do that on Montague Street.

Any Red Hook Food Truck vendor – Anyone who has made the “trip” to Red Hook knows that everything there tops our local fare.

There are many more. What are your favorite food trucks?

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43081

From the Web

Food

Post Piles on Brooklyn Heights Hot Dog Vendor Bender

June 25, 2012

BHB pal/NY Post scribe Kate Briquelet takes Chuck Taylor’s BHB post about the hot dog vendor who dared to set up shop on Montague Terrace to a wider audience today in the tabloid’s online and print editions. (Editor’s note: The Brooklyn Eagle reports that the vendor – or any vendors – are not permitted by law in that vicinity, making his ouster less a function of calls to 311 and blog comments and more of NYC laws. A city document cited by the paper clearly states that vendors are not permitted anywhere on Montague Street between Court and the Promenade.)

Montague Street Hot Dog Dude relishes his ephemeral moments in Brooklyn Heights. (Photo: Chuck Taylor)

NY Post: Every hot dog has its day — except in Brooklyn Heights.
Snooty weenie meanies scared off a new hot dog vendor after he’d done only a few hours of business, slamming his street meat as “disgusting food.”
The brave cart-pusher parked on Montague Street near the promenade at 10:30 a.m. last Saturday. By that afternoon, so many locals had called the cops that an officer gave him a ticket and shooed him away.
“He was a nice young man trying to make a living, but in this neighborhood everything is a protest,” said a longtime resident who watched the scene unfold from Montague Terrace.
“He said something like, ‘Well, this is life.’ He packed up his belongings and left.”
He hasn’t been back — but days later, anonymous neighborhood residents were still spewing their venom against him on the Brooklyn Heights Blog.

The piece goes on to quote many of the 60 comments made on the story here focusing on those who went hog wild on the intrepid (or clueless?) vendor. As of press time, no comments have been made on the Post’s story.

However what we’re really concerned about is – ahem – BHB’s close-up:

Chuck Taylor, a blog correspondent who welcomed the vendor in a controversial online post, couldn’t believe the piping hot reaction.
After all, the Heights hasn’t seen a street vendor at the end of Montague Street for years.
“People need to step back and realize nobody owns a New York City neighborhood,” said Taylor, a 12-year resident of the Heights. “It is to be shared by all who call it home and all who visit.”
“If something so minuscule as a hot dog vendor raises the ire of the neighborhood, that’s what I’d call snobbery.”
Mohamed Hmidat, who owns the permit for the cart, but doesn’t sell franks himself, said his employee will steer clear of the neighborhood.
“If they don’t want him there, they don’t want him there,” Hmidat said. “He’ll just find a new spot.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42954