The hot dog cart busted for charging tourists $30 for a dirty water dog has been busted for the scam again, despite heavy scrutiny from local law enforcement and media outlets. The cart operating between Albany and Greenwich Streets in the shadow of One World Trade Center was busted changing the price of hot dogs depending on the purchaser once more by NBC New York, who observed the new operator selling four dogs for $20 (total). This is the second cart operator to gouge tourists at this cart since the previous operator was fired.
When confronted by reporters, the new operator, Ayman Ahmed, openly admitted to swindling out-of-towners. "Three dollars, $4, $5 for tourists," he said. (The standard price is typically $2.50.) Though ordered by the city to put up prices for its offerings, the cart wasn't bearing any such thing when the news team stopped by on Thursday. Apparently it was "too windy" to keep the sign up. Cart owner Abdelalim Abdelbaky said it wasn't his problem, even though it's he who will face heavy fines if the city returns to the cart and finds the violations.
At least this time the tourists were more savvy about the situation, going back to retrieve the $10 they were overcharged. Has this story wrought a newer, smarter version of tourist? Probably not.
