If you've been to New York, you've probably stumbled upon one or 12 of those carts selling those salty, soggy hot dogs boiling in water all day. Hey, it's not what you would get at a Michelin-starred restaurant, but they're convenient and cheap.
At least that last point used to be true. I know New York is expensive, but this is ridiculous.
Apparently, a hot dog vendor named Ahmed Mohammed has been fired for charging customers exorbitant prices, NBC 4 New York reports. The news station investigated Mohammed, whose stand is located near the World Trade Center, and caught him on camera hiking up prices for food.
NBC 4 New York caught Mohammed charging one man $15 for a hot dog and pretzel, while other customers told the news station that the hot dog vendor had tried to charge them $20 to $30 for one hot dog.
The story caught the attention of the Internet after it was published Wednesday, and the owner of the cart, Abdelalim Abdelbaky, told NBC 4 New York that he had fired the vendor.
But you know how New Yorkers are. They don't take anything lying down. The Alliance for Downtown New York first caught wind of Mohammed when fights started breaking out over his prices.
As a result of this report, the Department of Consumer Affairs conducted its own investigation into Mohammed, and police issued summonses for not listing his prices and for two Environmental Control Board violations.
Abdelbaky has since taken the helm of the cart. Some prices now listed include $2.50 for a hot dog and $3.99 for two hot dogs and a water. Abdelbaky was even giving away pretzels for free to customers to get on their good side. The best way to a person's heart is free food, after all.
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