I don’t know how I missed it, probably because I already heard the news of Kealey’s business failing and didn’t bother to read the rest of the article, but according to this article (near the bottom) in Thisweek, Burnsville’s bankrupt City Councilmember, Dan Gustafson is looking to join the local food truck scene with his very own creation!
Following his filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection back in 2010, his debts were eventually cleared and he took up a job at a local freight company. However he soon decided that working for someone else (including Burnsville taxpayers) was not for him so he quit:
From the article:
“I think I’d worked for myself for so long, it was difficult to work for somebody else,” said Gustafson, who left that job last month. “So we’re going into our own business.”
He and his wife, Suzanne, plan to operate a food truck. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and various fairs and festivals are possible venues for the new business, Gustafson said.
“The food-truck business is one of those things in this country that’s really taking off,” said Gustafson, who in the early 1990s owned the Roxy Music Cafe at St. Anthony Main in Minneapolis. “It allows you to have a restaurant without investing in the brick and mortar, which helps keep your expenses down.”
So while Councilmember Gustafson is so very busy with his day job of researching what sort of food to serve, what venues to camp out at, and what rules and regulations must be followed he continues to bring in no income aside from his taxpayer funded council salary and they must rely on his wife’s salary from her part-time job at Costco.
No name was mentioned for the truck and with heavy-hitting competitors already lining the streets and festivals way in advance of Gustafon’s spring start, and being that Dan Gustafson is so busy with making the very difficult decisions regarding his new food truck venture I felt it imperative that we help him out as best we can. So I have decided that we should help name his upcoming food truck for him based on his award winning public service record!
Here’s a couple of quick ones I came up with:
- Goverment Cheese Curds!
Because my councilmember salary can’t afford anything better.
Chapter 8
Because I’m starting over with a new chapter in my life and I already finished 7.
Five Finger Discount
I couldn’t pay employees at my other business so I’m letting you steal from me!
I’m sure you can do much better than I did so feel free to come up with your own and comment on below with the name of Dan’s new truck. Then, if you are so inclined, add a cute little motto to go along with it. If you need some inspiration click any of the links in the post or check out some other classics regarding Burnsville Councilmember Dan Gustafson’s stellar public service record here, here, and here.
If names don’t do it for you how about speaking to the likelihood that this truck will succeed knowing his failures with his own business, the Art And All That Jazz festival in Burnsville, his poor track record on the Burnsville City Council, etc? Do you think the downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul mentions as possible locations was a good one or do you believe that market is saturated? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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October 27th, 2011 at 8:01 am
I wish Councilman Gustafson well in his new business venture.
October 27th, 2011 at 8:04 am
My nominations:
Hola A-repo
Fork-closed
Bankgrubbed
The Reverse Soup Kitchen (where the broke people serve YOU the food)
DanDan’s Rise and Whine
Lame! (In the spirit of Zest! and Enjoy!)
And now….the rant: Where the hell does someone with NO JOB, a wife that works part-time at Costco, and a publicized track record of unpaid wages, unpaid taxes, and millions in unpaid debts GET THE CAPITAL to buy a food truck and all of the equipment that goes into it??
And it shows some nerve to piss and moan and cry about (insert whiny voice) how incrEDIbly hard it is to find a job and then have the gall to piss away his gift of employment because working for someone else just wasn’t his style.
Bill…spot-f’ing-on regarding forgetting that being on the Council *IS* “working for someone else”.
This guy is a self-serving, slimy operator with zero integrity.
October 27th, 2011 at 8:25 am
“And now….the rant: Where the hell does someone with NO JOB, a wife that works part-time at Costco, and a publicized track record of unpaid wages, unpaid taxes, and millions in unpaid debts GET THE CAPITAL to buy a food truck and all of the equipment that goes into it??”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks MSPD. Who loaned him the money for the truck as I want to make sure I don’t do business with them.
October 27th, 2011 at 8:45 am
My nominations:
Cart of the City
Truck Burnsville
That’s all I’ve got, because I don’t quite have the genius of MSPD. Chapter 8 is a great choice too.
October 27th, 2011 at 9:08 am
“The Artful Dodger”
Avoiding hard time since 1996
October 27th, 2011 at 9:31 am
And who says there is a capital crunch and no ability to obtain capital from the banks. If this scum bag, non employee paying, bankrupt, crook can get capital after filing for bankruptcy relieved of $1.28 MILLION in debt, not sure why others are having any issues with obtaining capital. I would really like to know what bank was stupid enough to loan this guy and his wife another dime.
I can only hope that Gustafson paid $1 for the scrapped Dakota County Book Mobile.
“The Dakota County libraries will soon scrap their bookmobile to save money. ”
Gustafson is going to reclaim the nicotine stained key piano from the BPAC and hire someone who he will never pay to play it in the back of the truck and will call his new roach coach, “The Former Book Mobile Piano Van”.
October 27th, 2011 at 10:42 am
Traveling with just iPhone today. So much to say, so aggrivated by this limitation!
October 27th, 2011 at 11:07 am
I’m very skeptical that he would be getting capital from a bank, given his history. Plus, for all we know, this could end up never actually happening since it’s just in the planning stages now; it could just be all talk. That said, if he was getting outside funding, there’s other ways to get it than through banks if one has the connections (though getting a business loan from a family member or friend strikes me as just asking for trouble down the road).
And I agree with MSPD about leaving his previous job. Unfortunately, it seems like there’s a subset of people who go into business for themselves not because they’re any good at it, but because they think they’re too special to have other people tell them what to do. Personally, I think having a business fail is probably a sign that it’s not for you and you should take the hint.
October 27th, 2011 at 11:09 am
Let’s not also forget that he was on board at the failed Applewood Rustic Grille as well.
October 27th, 2011 at 11:15 am
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October 27th, 2011 at 11:25 am
Matt,
1. He filed for bankruptcy and had $1,300,000 in debt erased.
2. He started a new job and then QUIT (while tons of people are out of work and begging for a job) because he didn’t like being told what to do.
3. He’s now starting another business when he’s proven, many different times, he is quite incapable of succeeding at owning his own business.
—
This is exactly what is wrong with America. People are filing for bankruptcy and/or walking away from their mortgages and starting up the cycle all over again immediately. This is so very wrong on so many levels that I’m more than a little pissed off that you’re willing to come on here and wag your finger at us as if saying that we’re the bad guys.
I feel the bad guys are the ones stealing millions of dollars and then jumping right back in and doing it all over again while the rest of us continue to do the right thing and tread water.
October 27th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Matt, if Gustafson had a track record of starting successful businesses, paying people, paying his suppliers, and ran his businesses with integrity, honesty and trust, I would have no gripes because I strongly encourage people to take risks and start new businesses as long as the risks are solely held by those who start these businesses. When business owners have a track record of off loading this risk to their employees, suppliers, banks, citizens, customers, courts and leave millions in outstanding debt which is ultimately passed along through higher costs to the rest of us for products and services, I have a problem with this. If all of the rewards of a successful business are realized by the business owner, so should all of the risk. When this risk is forgiven to the tune of $1.28M, we all should have a problem with this behavior. I cringe to think that we have someone with such a terrible sense of business, economics, and his unwillingness to work in a position where he needs to report to someone in a leadership position on the Burnsville City Council which has a 20% influence on increasing and spending our tax dollars.
October 27th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Anyone know when Dan G is up for re-election? Is it next year?
October 27th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
According the the City of Burnsville Site, Kautz, Sherry and Gustafson’s term expires on December 31, 2012. So yes DSW, be sure to vote next November.
October 27th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
For what it’s worth, I think that small business owners/independent professionals are, if anything, overrepresented in government when it comes to the background of elected officials, and this is part of the reason why. I’d like to see more people who are used to being part of a larger organization and can get things done while maneuvering through bureaucracy and knowing how to compromise and negotiate, than a bunch of people who are all used to running their own show.
October 27th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
It doesn’t surprise me that he was able to obtain financing. Yes even though he’s destroyed his credit by declaring bankruptcy that doesn’t mean he’s a bad credit risk, on the contrary, since he’s discharged most debt (assuming he went chapter 7) he does not have any debt (although since he quit his job his wife’s Costco part time job must pay big bucks) so no other creditors to compete with.
If this was a company chapter 7 then maybe his personal credit is still good(?)
October 27th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
n52,
I suggest reading this list of debts he vacated with the Ch7: http://www.lazylightning.org/burnsvilles-dan-gustafson-files-for-chapter-7#comment-55133
October 27th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
I disagree with Tim because its refreshing to have some sector other than major corporations or their major shareholders have some say at some level of government. And yes, in Burnsville the sector represented by the Chamber of Commerce is overrepresented, no doubt. I think their winning is due to good networks of support and a situation where a few hundred votes, or even less than a hundred votes in a large field of candidates makes a difference. the good news is whether they have won or not, we are seeing some good new faces show up on the ballot.
I enjoyed the posts, and enjoy the disdain for the object of the abuse.
October 27th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Matt,
People are upset because this guy has multiple documented cases of being accused of not paying his employees. He has been part of multiple failed businessess. If I remember correctly he was also involved with International Chefs Culinary Institute or whatever it was called. He has multiple instances of using his seat on the city council to futher his own interested (Chameleon Theatre group, Int Jazz Festival, catering for Applewood Rustic Grille, etc), and he has some shady things outside of all that, inculding flipping his Jazz Festival from a for profit to not for profit, etc.
All of those things are outside of the lawsuits and bankruptcy.
Essentially the guy continues to spend other peoples money for his own interests and leave everyone else holding the bag. Sorry if I cant applaud the idea that he is again going into business for himself. He will probalby award his food truck an exclusive contract as the only licensed food truck in Burnsville or something equally stupid.
October 28th, 2011 at 8:24 am
Chad, I must just be used to that sort of thing, living in Minneapolis. :0 Good to know that stuff doesn’t fly in Bville.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:18 am
[...] councilman Dan Gustafson works on a food truck, a little love for Smalley’s Carribean Barbeque, a first look at Mojo Monkey Donuts in St. [...]
October 28th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Matt:
Anything flys in Burnsville the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce wants to FLY!
We have way too many people who are uninformed and/or do not care. Many of these folks get their news from places that spin everything the way the Mayor wants it spun!
Thank you all for exposing these donkeys!
October 28th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Matt,
Quite honestly if some of the conflict of interest things had happend in Minneapolis or St Paul it would have been front page news and there would have been indictments.
October 28th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
That he managed Chapter 7 bankruptcy after the means testing seems odd. I’m actually shocked.
Good luck with the food truck I guess.. One of the benefits of the low overhead is you can go out of business so much more slowly. My guess is he has some private investors, buddies helping him out who figure they might make a little money.
October 31st, 2011 at 7:01 am
[...] heels of word that previously bankrupt Burnsville City Councilmember Dan Gustafson quit his job and began work on opening a food truck, I heard from a reader that he’s now planning to produce a weekly community TV show on [...]
October 31st, 2011 at 12:14 pm
How much income can a successful food truck generate, even given a popular location? Reason I ask is that one of our vendor’s reps is attempting to do that now and trying to hit his customers up for a “donation” so he can secure financing (he needs 10k more and he’s not even offering an equity stake in return! Just freebies like free sandwiches for life or something).
Anyway he is going to be investing around 50-60K on this (his girlfriend will be in charge – another decision that likely dooms this venture from the start) but I don’t see how you’re going get a decent ROI on this venture anytime soon. It takes a lot of Roast Beef sandwiches (his specialty) selling for $7.00-10.00 each in a limited time (11:00am through 2:00pm 5 days a week) to generate cash flow to even begin to cover his day-to-day expenses, let alone paying the bank each month.
And what about the cold months? Do people run out to the street on cold January days to get their lunches?
What am I missing here? I know that these are all the rage now but is there a way to make money on this that’s not obvious to me? Are the trucks affiliated with restaurants in a better position as they have something to fall back on?
October 31st, 2011 at 12:35 pm
n52,
Generally food trucks are not out in the winter months but at least one (YumMi) has noted they plan to be open throughout the winter. I have heard from others that Nate Dogs plans to do the same thing. Both of those “trucks” are tiny trailers (Nate Dogs even more so) which may be more maneuverable in poor conditions than the larger trucks like World Street Kitchen and Vellee.
As for the business aspects of it, I have no idea. But IMO the trucks affiliated with brick and mortars aren’t any better positioned in a market like this one.
October 31st, 2011 at 1:37 pm
nurd52,
I have not done all the math on the food truck thing, but I suspect that if you can gross 750-1000 bucks a day you can probably make a little money. Figure the cost of making the food at 50% (including your generator, gas and such) and the remainder of that at 20 days a week to pay the financing off on the food truck, which at that price might be 1500 a month or something in that area leaves a decent profit for working those limited hours. They do even better at well attended festivals.
That said, the market is getting pretty saturated. The places with the best food and service will the last ones standing, just like anything else.
Remind me, who is paying 10 dollars for a roast beef sandwich? That’s nuts.
October 31st, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Lefty:
It ranges from $4.50 to $9.00 for the sandwiches and $2.00 for sides so I was slightly off. He’s only got 13 days left to fund it using kickstarter.com’s resources.
October 31st, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Dan is going to surprise us all and sell the naming rights to his food truck. These naming rights must be worth at least as much as the naming rights for the PAC Dan gave us!
November 1st, 2011 at 10:29 am
n52, there’s apparently a CityPages article about this via MSP BizJournal: http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2011/11/can-food-trucks-survive-the-winter.html
November 1st, 2011 at 10:35 am
50,000 to 60,000K sounds like a pretty big investment to get started. It seems like a person could buy a used panel van/truck and the equipment to make food inside of it for quite a bit less than that if they wanted to start on a bare bones type of operation.
You could easily buy a used UPS truck for 10,000 (probably a lot less). I guess to each thier own, but it seems like the draw of these things was initially the very limited capital it cost to get one up and running.
November 1st, 2011 at 10:07 pm
So what did Dan do with the cash receipts from his business? It looks like he did not pay anyone! Could it be that his creditors rolled over and did not pursue assets that he may have stached away? He may have gotten lucky. Remember, even a blind squirell needs to find an acorn every once in a while.
March 30th, 2012 at 7:02 am
[...] truck and included several possible names including: Government Cheese Curds and Chapter 8. Reader MSPD received the most reader votes on his comment which suggested Councilmember Gustafson try “DanDan’s Rise and Whine” or [...]
July 5th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
I’ve been a resident of Burnsville for the last 14 years. I know several elected officials around here at both the local and state level, and I have also been a state delegate to the republican party. I have never met Dan Gustaffson so I have no opinion on this matter. I am a small business owner myself. Running a business is never easy. I do know, however, that the government makes an already difficult thing even harder with all their taxes, rules, and regulations. They make it more difficult for the little guy while giving all kinds of exemptions and breaks to the big corporations. This whole system of ours is designed to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. It is NOT capitalism, but rather corporate cronyism. Sooner or later I’ll meet Dan and I’ll get his perspective on this. He’ll probably tell me a completely different story than what’s on this blog. Perhaps he got screwed by the system just like a lot of us have. If people don’t like the way things are run in this country, then they need to quit bitching about it and get off their ass and do something about it. Run for office yourself if you think you can do it better. Otherwise shut your face! As far as working for somebody else, I don’t like it either, at least not with the jobs that are out there today. I don’t mind working for someone else if it’s a pleasant environment to work in, I had a great job in housing construction with a good company until the government destroyed the housing market and my career along with it. The only jobs left out there are bottom feeders who treat their employees like slaves and don’t pay them anything. I’ll work for somebody else, but by God, you’d better treat me with some respect if you want me to treat you with respect. It’s a two way street, you can’t expect someone to treat you with respect if you don’t show respect to others, and that includes employees. Far too many of these employers, especially large corporations, are run by pompous arrogant pricks who act all high and mighty, like they’re better than everybody else. So, yes, there are some of us who don’t like being told what to do. It isn’t that we think we’re anybody “special,” it’s just that we want to live with dignity and not be kicked around like a dog. It’s called self respect. This is why I run my own business. I’d work for somebody else if there was someone to work for besides all the assholes that are out there now. Is Dan Gustaffson a bad guy? I don’t know, I’ve never met him, and until I do, I will refrain from making judgment.