City invests in 13-year-old’s hot dog business

An entrepreneurial 13-year-old hoped to earn money for school clothes by selling hot dogs, chips, and sodas in front of his Minneapolis home this summer. But someone sent a complaint to the city’s health department because Jaequan Faulkner’s stand was technically illegal without a vendor’s license.

What did the city do? Instead of forcing Faulkner to close up shop, city officials gave him a hand up. Health inspectors taught him about proper food-handling techniques and provided him a tent, a hand-washing station, and a meat thermometer. They even paid the $87 fee for a 10-day short term food permit. Minneapolis police officers picked up the tab for his next permit. Jaequan’s uncle, Jerome Faulkner, who helps his nephew, estimated they sold 100 to 150 hot dogs to a hungry lunch crowd every day.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD Magazine archives, read Sophia Lee’s report on how the government usually responds to small food vendors—with overbearing licensing requirements.