From Tax Codes to Hotdogs: How a Furloughed IRS Lawyer Turned a Dream into a Delicious Reality

For Isaac Stein, this is a dream come true.

While on furlough due to the government shutdown, an IRS attorney has seized the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong aspiration: running a hot dog cart.

Dressed in a business suit, Stein has been serving up hot dogs from his “Shysters” cart in the heart of Washington D.C. ever since federal funding stopped on October 1. Alongside the hot dogs, he offers Moon Pies and RC Cola to the city’s residents.

His business, humorously branded as “The Only Honest Ripoff in DC,” is the culmination of a passion ignited when Stein was just 12 years old. It all started when he ran a concession stand at a basketball game, a memory he fondly recalls.

“While my peers were captivated by the game, I found my excitement in selling chips and soda,” Stein shared with Reuters.

Initially meant only to be a “fun weekend project” which the 31-year-old shelled out a five-figure some to secure, it has now become not only his means of employment but a sense of community.

“There’s a connection with people. There’s the small talk of asking people about their day. It’s like reading vignettes in a novel. You feel really connected,” he said.

“My office job is wonderful but a lot of the work is very solitary,” he confessed.

The cart offers “The Only Choice: Correct Hot Dog and Drink” which includes a steamed frank, spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut. He also offers Chicago-style giardiniera.

 “If someone recites the historical significance of RC Cola and Moon Pies, I give them a nickel off,” Stein said of what was once termed “the working man’s lunch.”

With Post Wires