This restaurant runs with no trash cans. ‘It’s the right thing to do’
“You don’t need a garbage can, you need a garbage company, because a garbage can takes a lot more energy than a restaurant can,” said restaurant owner Michael O’Shea.
O’Shea opened the restaurant, located in what is known as the North End of Seattle, about three and a half years ago. He’s also been a vegetarian since he was a 4-year-old.
While a food truck would bring a bit more traffic, O’Shea believes the restaurant would be able to handle larger crowds and bring in more revenue.
“We’re looking at our options for the long-term,” O’Shea said.
With no city ordinance, no tax, and few regulations in place for restaurants and food trucks, food truck vendors and restaurants are competing on the same playing field.
To keep things fair, Seattle’s Department of Licensing, Inspection and Quarantine has issued a new regulation that allows food truck vendors to transport free of charge through Seattle’s streets.
That means if your food truck or restaurant brings in 20 or more customers, and you can accommodate that level of traffic, you’re allowed to bring in more food or drink for your patrons.
“It provides more flexibility for small food trucks who may not have the means to bring in customers, because it makes their business model more viable,” said DLA spokesperson Michael Cox.
But it’s still not a free pass. Since the city doesn’t allow those under 20 years of age to bring in alcohol, O’Shea, who is 24 years old, says he had to pay $500 to the city as a condition of approval to bring in alcohol.
O’Shea’s not sure how he’ll pay for the city to put in a recycling bin or for garbage to be hauled to a dumpster, but
