Mehmet Yilmaz has been running his First Class Diner van in Warneford Lane, Headington, Oxford, since April.
But in May the headteacher of nearby Cheney School, Jolie Kirby (Ed: Was there ever a more inappropriate moniker?), complained to Oxford City Council that he was selling “unhealthy and inappropriate food” .
Her complaint was followed by 32 others from teachers, parents and nutritionists.And - well, would you really expect any different? - the response of the council was not to say 'Look, just get on with nose-wiping and worrying about your next OFSTED visit, this is nothing to do with you.'
Why, no. Of course they immediately reviewed the man's license. I mean, it's not like this is a free country, is it?
Last night, the city council’s licensing committee told Mr Yilmaz he could carry on running his van but he could not sell fried food before 4pm.
Committee chairman Mary Clarkson told him: “We have decided to attach a condition to your licence in line with your own suggestion that there will be no fried food before 4pm because of the concerns raised, with effect from September 1.
“You can continue your normal operation until then to give you a chance to use up your stock.”*sighs*
The van owner didn't really help himself, mind you, being less interested in robustly defending his business, and more interested in rolling over to display his belly, tail tucked between his legs in supplication...
The Turkish-born vendor said he spent £40,000 setting up his operation in Oxford, including the £7,490 licence.
None of the people who complained about Mr Yilmaz turned up to the meeting. He said:
“It is the same as McDonald’s or Burger King, it is not up to them to decide. But you can’t cross the school – I am a parent myself.
“Business is getting better every day at the moment and if my working hours had been dropped down I wouldn’t make any money.”Mr Yilmaz, if we all take the attitude that 'we can't cross the school', then we might as well never leave school in the first place. We might as well let sanctimonious prigs like Jolie make all our decisions for us. It'd be her dream come true.
Two points:
ReplyDelete1. Presumably the kids' parents are providing sufficient daily 'pocket money', for them to patronise the eatery.
2. London Borough of Waltham Forest - created the bandwagon of banning hot food takeaways. The council will not give planning permission to new hot food takeaways if they are 400 metres or less from a school, youth facility or park. The policy aims to limit the opportunities that young people have to eat ‘fast food', thus reducing childhood obesity. - See more at: http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/health/-/journal_content/56/10171/3511421/ARTICLE-TEMPLATE#sthash.TYY2FRlk.dpuf
Mate of mine is a filthy sucrose pusher...he even sells to CHILDREN. In other words he has a Sweet Shop-a very good as it happens- he thinks I'm joking when I say that within 5 years he will be forced to have the sweetie jars covered by panzer steel blast doors and will be forbidden from opening before 09:00 as he is on a school route.
ReplyDeleteI've just linked him to this article cos all it takes , it seems, is one phone call from the Head Gauleiterin or a CONCERNED busybody....
Good job the businessman wasn't in UKIP....
ReplyDeleteI think that Mr Yilmaz may have just played a blinder here actually.
ReplyDeleteTwo things I can say for every Turkish businessman I've come across are, they are grafters and more importantly, they ain't stupid.
So, he's already got a licence to trade from 7am until 3am but his pitch probably wasn't the one he'd have chosen given the option. Now he's agreed to limit his potential turnover to appease the screeching, and in return the Council will agree to allow him a different pitch.
I'm betting that the pitch he ends up with has a lot more potential and willing, hungry clientele hours after his current pitch is deserted :)
I trust the Council's (subsidised) canteen is following the same guidelines as we don't want a shed-load of fat and grease saturated councillors waddling around Oxford, do we? If they are not, then it could be claimed that the Council's decision is politically (correct) motivated. The next step is that no parent, spouse or partner will be allowed to serve fried food to anyone where there are children in the house, or street, or county. Bugger it, why don't they come right out with it and demand frying pans are sold from behind closed cupboards, like cigarettes.
ReplyDeletePenseivat
Mehmet had a great rapport with the kids too, especially his German conversation chats with the sixth formers that included drugs and smoking advice.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame.
Her complaint was followed by 32 others from teachers, parents and nutritionists...
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity we don't know the names of these people. I mean, it would be useful to be able to check them all out in case any of them are doing something we don't approve of?
As for Jolie, according to RateMyTeacher one pupil says of her: "She is annoying , condescending and very arrogant.". A view some of us out here on the internet now hold of her too.
I THINK THE HEAD SHOWED THAT SHE CARES FR TE KIDS AT THE SCHOOL,AT LEAST SHE HAS THE GUMPTION TO DO SOMETHING.
ReplyDeleteThe commentators all seem to have some kind of agenda that promotes the pushing of fat and salt-laden foods to vulnerable children - an act that could be construed as commercialised child-abuse in some quarters. The initiative is to be applauded by anyone who doesn't have a vested interest in the peddling of grease and gristle.
ReplyDelete