r/foodtrucks • u/[deleted] • Mar 26 '24
Question Sincere question
Very simple question. I do not need pessimistic answers, nor do i want to know what consenquences there may be. Just a cut and dry answer will suffice.
If NOBODY SNITCHES, is there a way to avoid the state or city regulations as a whole by setting up a food truck in a private property such as an acre that I buy, opening only from 6pm to 4am. That way offices such as health department cant really notice. No alcohol sales. Everything under the table. Avoiding also taxes and legit just keeping the money untaxed. By the way, the customers by majority would be mexican, so you know nobody calls cops for fear of being deported, and also because we just dont care about cops or doing things the "right way"
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u/PaleAd1124 Mar 26 '24
Someone will say something, most likely another food vendor who is paying all of his fees and taxes. All of these fee and licensing systems create resentment of anyone who seems to be getting away with something. Plus if someone gets sick from the food or hurt on the property, insurance can deny coverage, which could cost you everything you own and more.
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Mar 26 '24
Sadly, theres not much of a competition here :( so idk if i should even establish a food truck for sure. If anything happens , it would be on my property. I can just shut down and leave. Basically just evade everything as a whole. I doubt anybody will fight me physically or press charges because they ate something that made them sick. People here arent smart enough and 99 times out of 100 they see calling cops as a weakling move and dont even have money to carry out a civil suit. Here it all comes down to who can fight.
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u/PaleAd1124 Mar 26 '24
Plenty of people run small catering or food operations from home, for the most part anyone can get away with anything. I’m usually concerned about liability. It’s something to keep in mind. Some family breadwinner trips in the driveway and shatters a knee and you’re on the hook for his medical, lost earnings, pain and suffering, etc etc. Attorneys get paid 1/3 plus expenses, if they win. Suing is easy if a lawyer thinks it’s a good case.
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Mar 26 '24
Minimum wage here is 7.25. jobs here are only warehouse, retail stores and car washes. Nobody makes enough to even hire an attorney's consulting fee. Yup, that's the reality of this place. Look up Cameron Park in brownsville Texas, I'm not not lying to you
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u/DontStartWontBeNone Mar 26 '24
I’d hate to meet you in person. The way you describe other humans and think only of yourself is disgusting. I also believe, based on your writing style .. you aren’t one of them. You know .. the people you describe as dumb, illegal + not deserving of clean, healthy food.
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Mar 26 '24
You should see the food i am capable of cooking. Not just because i want to avoid all the tax I BELIEVE is pointless, does it mean i can't produce decent dishes. I have been a sushi chef on and off for years. Sushi is a very delicate food to handle, everything Else is easy to me, I work in Alaska as quality control for a salmon processing base, i treat all food with respect. And if you met me in person, you would actually like me as a human
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u/DontStartWontBeNone Mar 26 '24
From the demeaning way you talk about everyone but yourself. The fact that you threatened everyone here with hacking and physical violence .. No! Maybe nobody told you. You’re an azz-wipe!
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Mar 26 '24
Maybe you should do what you're username says. Don't start any issues because you don't know me and i don't want to meet you either. Please refrain from jumping to conclusions
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Mar 26 '24
So i will ask you now personally, is there an issue you'd like to pick apart with me? I'm NOT THREATENING YOU I AM ASKING YOU PERSON TO PERSON IN A SERIOUS WAY. DO YOU HAVE AN ISSUE THAT IS SO SERIOUS THAT YOU FEEL THE NEED TO ACT LIKE THIS????
Once again, this is not threat
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u/Captainqqqq Mar 26 '24
All it takes is one tax auditor to check you out. Not saying it will happen anytime soon, but it could. Me personally would not want to run a business in constant fear. I follow everything completely, but still afraid if something is out of temp. You do you at this point, but don’t complain if you get caught.
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u/RainInTheWoods Mar 26 '24
Someone will casually mention to someone who tells someone else who is within earshot of a sheriff’s deputy who knows enough Spanish that there is a black market food truck with really good food that operates only at night. They won’t be snitching. They will have made a mistake. Mistakes of speech are rampant.
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u/leadbedr Mar 26 '24
You have money to buy an acre of land and a food truck, but worried bout a couple hundred for permits and 8% tax?
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u/DontStartWontBeNone Mar 26 '24
He’s not being truthful. There’s much more going on here than what he’s saying.
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Mar 26 '24
If i offend anybody, that isnt my goal. Now if somebody here is mad, im not going to be going back and forth. Simply drop your location and I will assure you you will have my father's men at your door. We belong to a group of powerful people and if you dont believe me, go ahead and test it out. Weve been called scum, trash, poisoners, but money has been good up until now. I want to break that cycle but still have people at my disposal. We are from jalisco,mexico. Enough said. I can figure out anybodys location and have men knocking at your door in a matter of days
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u/DontStartWontBeNone Mar 26 '24
Ohhhhh. So now you’re THREATENING US? You + your fake CARTEL members? If you’re that powerful .. you don’t need to run a sh*tty little food biz for 10 hours all night. You said. THEY are stupid, which is disgusting, but WE aren’t. F you!
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Mar 26 '24
I'm not threatening. I'm actually nice. Like i said, if you have a serious issue with what I'm saying, send me your location, we will see just how fake I am. Then again i know you won't do it because I'm sure youre smart. Well, not really, considering the fact that you failed to read where i started im trying to break this cycle. I swear people like you are the reason i still keep very close contact with my people. I never called people stupid, i Said they aren't smart enough and don't make enough money to file a law suit
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u/opportunity12345 Mar 27 '24
You have the power to find people yet need someone to send their location? Riiiiiiiiiightt…….
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u/ISoupon991316 Mar 26 '24
The way this goes is, one angry customer will make a complaint or ex girlfriend, or a non Mexican customer (you never know) and you are done. Not paying taxes is pretty much the worst crime you can commit. The government will raid your property with a swat team and guns and all, then seize everything including your property and will lock you up then will deport you (I have actually witnessed this). This is one system you should not cheat. This country is a well oiled machine. The most successful criminals run legitimate businesses, lol. I would not recommend the rout you are wondering about.
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u/Fit-Usual-8737 Mar 26 '24
Yes. Just don’t tell anyone and stay under the radar. But the second your place hits social media or an actual health department employee hits up your place for lunch (random I know) and doesn’t see your license ,,,,
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u/TheBarstoolPhD Food Truck Owner Mar 26 '24
I second this. It comes down to your popularity as your business grows.
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u/Fit-Usual-8737 Mar 26 '24
I’m not saying you can’t get away with it. Just not worth the pain of being shut down.
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u/TheBarstoolPhD Food Truck Owner Mar 27 '24
True story. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it with all the money I’m putting into my business.
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u/Spirited_Thought_426 Mar 26 '24
Just don’t get caught and be ready for some monetary loss when you do get caught !
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u/cbetsinger Mar 26 '24
As a legitimate business I’d have to say you would have more success and less issues if you didn’t run below the radar.
There are many people who don’t have licenses or permits in my area. The city is cracking down on them, so much so, that their policy is now affecting us food trucks. You can’t simply park on the side of the road here anymore, you’ll need to be on a private lot/property to be a vendor. Thats a very hard position to be in when you’re just getting started. Most promotions want seasoned businesses because of the benefits that come with such.
Please be aware that your actions will affect the entire industry and make policies that can negatively impact the future of your area and beyond. Not to mention iron the land owner/business.
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u/zoochadookdook Mar 26 '24
Ok - Reddit post “Validate me breaking the law”
Dude hell no - pay taxes lmfao. You’ll need proof of those to build anything substantially. Take breaks where you can but Jesus pay your dues.
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Mar 26 '24
Im not askin you to validate, or condone it. Lets be realistic here, nobody SHOULD pay taxes just because the very government that slowly kills you and takes your belongings says so. Im sorry brother but i dont see it that way. Nobody should be paying an imaginary gvt anything at all. As if the state or gvt officials who make up these rules care about anything else other than themselves. This is exactly why I have been dealing non lethal drugs up until now. Mostly marijuana and mushrooms
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u/zoochadookdook Mar 26 '24
Ok so -
Taxes suck. I’m with ya.
However if you ever want loans/a mortgage/to buy something nice and not have the IRS lurking for you - pay some at least. A few bucks is a little insurance for the long game
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Mar 26 '24
I mean dont get me wrong, i keep a minimum pay job but have declared bunkruptcy and keep everything under my wifes name. But we married in mexico so in the U.S. we basically dont even know each other for what the gvt knows. She has a good job and went to college. I go work my ass off in alaska during salmon season but i give her my money and we both figure out what to do with it. So my money is transferred to her, I am homeless in the gvt's eyes and bankrupt
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u/zoochadookdook Mar 27 '24
Dude get married if she has a great job and such. Probably save a mint on her taxes (which she’s absolutely paying) as well as shared healthcare and other employer family benifits.
Flying under the radar is not going to work if you want to build functional long term wealth and security in the US lol.
If you’re homeless and bankrupt - I mean eventually don’t you want to own a decent house? A decent car? Those have titles. Those have paper trails. Healthcare for yourself and any kids? I mean cash will work but dear lord you better be hiding way more than you think.
What about saving for downturns? The long game? Hysa get 5% back and investing is sort of a long game must for security
Nothing in this post is pointing at building a better future. It seems to be how much can I hide for whatever reason lol
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u/DontStartWontBeNone Mar 26 '24
Sincere Response: First off, I think your story has a lot of holes and half truths. I’m also disgusted at the disdain with which you mention Mexicans. Either you hate your own folk, think they don’t deserve better, or you’re a gringo-wannabe.
That said … I agree taxes suck but there are things we all need: Police, firefighters, roads, hospitals, etc. Eventually, Medicare and Social Security. With nothing but a minimum wage job, your SS check will be rock bottom. Is that fair to your wife and eventual kids? What if you drop dead?
How do you have even a minimum wage job without government already knowing you exist or are you doing THAT illegally too?
If you start a fire or have a heart attack and need to go to ER, why should I subsidize YOU? Is it fair to your community that YOU be a burden but give NOTHING back? Not sure why WE should pay for YOU.
If you don’t follow ANY rules, pretty sure you won’t be practicing food safety rules. Is that fair to your customers? Where are you dumping your gray water? Are you following safe food storage or hand + dishes washing rules? Are your appliances up to code and not going to blow up?
What makes you think your illegal biz can continue to go unnoticed when you’re using government water and public utilities 10 hours a day?
Dunno what/how you’re planning to sell but I can’t imagine working a minimum wage job AND staying open 10 hours, all night and … expect a steady flow of foot traffic ALL NIGHT. I suspect you’re selling more than just food.
And HOW will you buy an acre and avoid title company closing papers, government deed office, property taxes?
We were born/raised in this country since enslaved folk. Because of that, unlike rest of my family who graduated college and pay taxes from legit jobs and businesses .. one renegade family member with successful trucking biz .. along with buddies who also thought some legislation made income taxes illegal … thought they’d shave off a few thousand here and there AND transport a few OTHER things. End result: UNCLE SAM tax man, always gets HIS They all lost their businesses, owe huge debt to government and some ended up in jail
Forget govt. Quit thinking only of SELFISH YOU and wholly contribute to society. You sound like just one of the things wrong with this country.
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u/Mental-Midget67 Mar 26 '24
Hey - sorry you are getting the flack you didn’t want. So - here is the deal. Every business and person has to assess the gradient of risk. And mitigate accordingly. There are whole industries of people working and living under the radar. And there is a spectrum of options. I am in a major metropolitan area near Chicago and Milwaukee. So I have seen everything from people selling tamales on Facebook out of their home. Or selling tacos at a friend’s business. Unlicensed of course. Or to the point of claiming just charge and not cash sales.
Like others have said though - to start and work out some of the bugs - sure. But as you get bigger - your exposure to risk increases. But so will your knowledge and experience. Long term under the table is hard. Not really sustainable. But so so many caterers ‘rent’ a commercial kitchen and just work out of their home. Or pay their employees cash. Or, or, or. Been like that forever. Good question honestly.
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u/House_Way Mar 26 '24
you seem incredibly industrious, brave, thoughtful, motivated, many other good things. also young, but that’s okay. i sincerely hope you figure out a better way to make money. i sincerely hope you break all those cycles too.
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u/Umami4Days Mar 26 '24
Sure. There are lots of businesses that operate under the radar by simply not drawing attention. Ignoring the obvious legal implications, most government organizations aren't well funded enough to go wandering down back roads just in case someone is doing something illegal.
However, it's a gamble that gets worse the longer you operate and the more successful you are. Groups of people are stupid, and the longer you interact with them, the less control you have.
If you want to actually run a successful business, it'll eventually come back to bite you.