Rant Licenses, Permits and Stupidity

[RMDave]

Make sure you have all the required approvals of your city, county, state, etc. This is ridiculous!

Portland lemonade stand runs into health inspectors, needs $120 license to operate | OregonLive.com

 

[colegrovet]

License $120
cups $ 10
lemons $ 10
table $ 35
pitcher $ 22.50
total $197.50

I can see a massive profit on that operation... NOT!...

Totally insane.... for her to need a permit..

 

[pamperedlinda]

I saw that too - ridiculous!

 

[chefa]

The idiot inspector who filed that violation should have to help her have a lemonade stand over the weekend since he was such a twit! And he should have to sit in one of those little itty bitty kids chairs and squeeze a bushel of lemons for her lemonade too! Talk about a moron; no wait, that's insulting to morons.

 

[esavvymom]

So here's the latest that I saw on our local news website:

PORTLAND, Ore. — After a county inspector squeezed out a kid’s lemonade business, so many Oregonians puckered up in disgust that the county chairman had to pour on a little sugar.

The apology sweetened up some sour feelings and made 7-year-old Julie Murphy eligible to resume selling her Kool-Aid and water concoction for 50 cents a cup.

Last week at a local arts fair, Julie and her mother were surprised when a county inspector asked to see their restaurant license.

They didn’t have one. The inspector told them they would face a fine of up to $500 if they didn’t stop selling lemonade.

Other vendors urged Julie and her mother not to leave. A second inspector arrived and the two inspectors were surrounded by a crowd of vendors supporting Julie and her mother.

Ultimately, Julie and her mother packed up the stand, and as Julie left the fair she was crying.

But Julie has prevailed.

Jeff Cogen, chairman of Multnomah County, says the health inspectors were “just following the rule book” but they should have given the girl and her mom a break. On Thursday, he talked with Julie’s mom to apologize.

“A lemonade stand is a classic, iconic American kid thing to do,” Cogen told The Oregonian. “I don’t want to be in the business of shutting that down.”

And how does Julie feel about this?

Her mother, Maria Fife, said she and her daughter appreciates the apology.

But the sweet and sour tale of lemonade stands at the Portland art fair might not yet be over.

According to the Oregonian, one vendor at the local arts fair is planning a “lemonade revolt” the next time the fair is held — later this month.

Cogen says he doesn’t know what he’ll do if a bunch of fair vendors try selling lemonade without a license.

As it turns out, lemons may present county officials with something of a pickle.

 

[raebates]

The only good thing to come out of this (you knew I'd have to look for something good) is a reminder that we need to be careful about our own booths at public events. I know that in Indiana I can't make food to be served to the public at an open event. It breaks health codes, since my kitchen isn't an approved, licensed kitchen.