City to Sami's: Get a Toilet or Get Out

If the tiny Sami's sandwich stand in the Longwood Medical Area doesn't get a toilet, it's going to be forced to close, says The Harvard Crimson. As absurd as a sandwich stand with plumbing might sound, the city says that Sami's doesn't qualify as a mobile vendor because it's doesn't have wheels and therefore isn't exactly mobile, so it has to follow codes for permanent structures - even though we all know it's not really a permanent structure - hence the call for plumbing. Sami's has until early June to make the necessary changes, which seem impossible, and so it appears destined to close.

An online petition to help support the business has gained over 200 signatures, and the family that runs Sami's hopes to buy an actual, toilet-free food truck if it can raise enough funds. The son of the owners told the Crimson that the stand is his parents' only source of income: "If they lose this, pretty much they're going to lose the house." Sami's wants to stay, its patrons want it to stay, but the city says no toilet, no deal. On the heals of the cruel blow dealt to Villa Mexico, it appears as though red tape might cause the death of another small, beloved, ethnic business.

· Sandwich stand may soon be forced to close [THC]
· Help Sami's stay in the Longwood Medical Area [ipetition]

[Photo: Greg B. Johnston/The Harvard Crimson]