Oregon Officials Shut Down Kid's Lemonade Stand

[Acturus]

Lol this is awesome. I AM THE LAW. WHERE IS YOUR PERMIT!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38592078/ns/us_news-life/

Sour taste: Health inspectors shutter girl's lemonade stand
County official in Oregon apologizes for overzealous officials

PORTLAND, Ore. — A county official in Oregon has apologized after health inspectors soured a 7-year-old's business venture by shutting down her lemonade stand.

Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen, the county's top elected official, said the inspectors were "following the rule book," The Oregonian reported, but that regulators should take into consideration the intent of the food safety rules: To govern adults running professional food businesses.

Cogen's apology came after inspectors cracked down on Julie Murphy and her mother, Maria Fife, after they set up a lemonade stand at a local arts fair in northeast Portland. After just 20 minutes of selling the drinks, made from gallon jugs of water and Kool-Aid packets, an inspector asked to see their license, The Oregonian reported.

According to state law, even the ubiquitous summertime children's enterprise technically needs a temporary restaurant license, at a cost of $120 for one day.

After giving the pair the choice of continuing to sell the lemonade and face a fine of up to $500, or pack up and go home, the mother-daughter team opted to leave, the newspaper said.

Girl's tears
The ultimatum rallied vendors at other booths, The Oregonian reported, but after the crowd surrounded the first inspector and another who came to assist, Fife left with her daughter, who began to cry.

"A lemonade stand is a classic, iconic American kid thing to do," he told the newspaper. "I don't want to be in the business of shutting that down." Cogen added that he, too, had operated a stand as a child.

Fife told The Oregonian that she appreciated Cogen's apology, and that her daughter was happy, as "she's starting to see it had some effect."

Newspaper readers and a local radio station offered to pitch in to sponsor Murphy's lemonade stand, the report added.

But some county leaders took a more cautious tone about the situation.

The director of business services for the county health department, Wendy Lear, told the paper that staff still need to protect the public's interest by monitoring food operations at events like festivals and fairs.

City Commissioner Amanda Fritz told The Oregonian that new plans are in the works for the festival in question, but that she agreed with the health inspectors' decision to shutter the stand.

"When you've got 15,000 people, it's no longer a neighborhood event, it's a regional event," she told the newspaper. "The county has the responsibility to fairly enforce the rules on permits and food handlers' permits."

[Not not Mattaru]

ib4 blahblahblah in a war zone

[Mizango]

Ed Wuncler business model 101

[Olo401]

Unlike the previous blowup over a lemonade stand, this one is a legit complaint. Those health inspectors are fucking morons and deserve every bit of flak they receive for pulling this stunt.

[Zhais]

Dammit, I was just about to post this with a much better title.

[Holly Short]

Ed Wuncler business model 101

Sammy Davis Junior the Pony.

[Valisk]

Ed Wuncler business model 101

1st thing that popped into my head when I read the title.

"How old are you?"

"T-t-t-t"

"T-t-too damn old to be spelling your E's backwards."

[Conrad]

Ed Wuncler business model 101

State should've promised the girl a pony.

[wagon]

The girl should just pay the $120 for a business license or whatever, if she is allowed to operate her socialist lemonade stand selling drinks without a license, she will put the neighboring fee-paying stands out of business. I guess my question is, why does she hate america that is the eptiome of capitalism?

[Kuya]

the government is now encrouching on our constitutional right to sell ice cold lemonade in a lemonade stand. This obama administration just won't stop, can't stop

[Zoolander]

Why the hell did they set up their own stand at a festival?

Its one thing to set one up on the street in front of your house, but I mean you dont go to big events and just set a stand up. The officials were silly, but the Mom had no business enabling her daughter to setup a stand in an area surrounded by legit vendors. 15,000 people at this thing means it was stupid as shit to think you could just set up a stand, that isn't the typical roadside lemonade stand lol.

[zoobernut]

Why the hell did they set up their own stand at a festival?

Its one thing to set one up on the street in front of your house, but I mean you dont go to big events and just set a stand up. The officials were silly, but the Mom had no business enabling her daughter to setup a stand in an area surrounded by legit vendors. 15,000 people at this thing means it was stupid as shit to think you could just set up a stand, that isn't the typical roadside lemonade stand lol.

This is what I was thinking. A festival where there are other food vendors and that many people is not a good place to set up. (Well it is for business but if it is that good they should be able to afford the $120 permit)

[Olo401]

Oh they weren't doing this on their own property? OK yeah in that case you need at LEAST a vendor's permit.

[Acturus]

Oh they weren't doing this on their own property? OK yeah in that case you need at LEAST a vendor's permit.

It was definitely a legitimate infraction. And technically, it wasn't the kid. It was an adult and her kid.

But the news sounds so much better when put this way.

[Mizango]

Still a dick move.

[Valisk]

Still a dick move.

Which? To shut down the lemonade stand or sell lemonade tax free at a festival of 15,000 where other vendors had to purchase permits and pay taxes? Age isn't a free pass here.

I can't stand in the middle of the street and charge people a 25 cent toll to get out of the way and neither can a 7 year old. The stand was rightfully shut down. Neighborhood Lemonade stand? Cute! Adorable! Illegal Festival Lemonade stand? Get the! Fuck out!

[Mizango]

Nigga, its open source lemonade.

[Mizango]

You cant knock the hustle, you know that.

[Stiker]

Which? To shut down the lemonade stand or sell lemonade tax free at a festival of 15,000 where other vendors had to purchase permits and pay taxes? Age isn't a free pass here.

I can't stand in the middle of the street and charge people a 25 cent toll to get out of the way and neither can a 7 year old. The stand was rightfully shut down. Neighborhood Lemonade stand? Cute! Adorable! Illegal Festival Lemonade stand? Get the! Fuck out!

Unless I completely misread the article, the other vendors at the festival were actually on the girl's side. You know, not being a bunch of assholes.

[Kyo]

Little girls are terrible people. They have cooties and shit.