Brigantine Bans Water Weenie Vendor From Beach

Brigantine Water WeenieWeenie Watch on Brigantine Beach…. A local newspaper blamed City officials this week for our beloved ‘Water Weenie’ being shut down. ‘The city blew it, plain and simple’, says Brigantine Times reporter and head Weenie watcher; Tom Morgan.

According to the Times: for the past 15 years, the Weenie pontoon boat has been pulling up on the sand to feed hundreds of bare-foot patrons each day. Hot dogs, hamburgers, water ice, even t-shirts. It’s been a beautiful thing.

Inquiries to determine ownership of the Water Weenie over the past decade have been underway since the shutdown. No official statement from City Hall yet. If it’s determined that the Water Weenie has been conducting business on the beach for any length of time, City officials will likely have complete files of the ownership and management of this vending vessel. Requests for past Weenie documentation; mercantile, health, Coast Guard and NJ business are planned for this week.

Everybody loves the Weenie. So why did the City, after all these years of excellent service and yummy food decide to shut them down?

Seems like some weenie-haters phoned in a complaint to Brigantine Police. Same handful that cringe when hearing ice cream bells? The offended individual said people were involved with illegal ice cream sales at the cove, operating from some type of float or as Brigantine Councilman DeLucry aptly described it: “a floating apparatus”.

This head-scratching news comes on the heels of last week’s municipal crack-down on ice cream trucks operated by veterans at the north end seawall and other convenient, safe locations favored by families along the shore line. All of this hub-bub attracted the attention of ace-reporter; Ted Greenberg, from NBC-10 TV. Ted did an excellent story on the safety hazards created by this recent enforcement of a decades old,  parking ordinance that most could never understand the need for. SEE NBC 10 Video Here: Brigantine Ice Cream 

Meanwhile, fresh on the job as Brigantine’s new Police Chief, Tim Reed personally responded to “The Cove” area of Brigantine Beach to inspect permits, licenses and other requirements needed to operate a legal business on the beach.

Chief Reed said that neither party on the beach were compliant. They did not have proper licenses to operate within the Brigantine city limits.

It’s unknown if fines were levied and if the Water Weenie will be liable for ordinance infractions from past years.

Chief Reed also said in the Times article: “in order to be compliant and sell any type of food or ice cream at The Cove area, you need a Brigantine Mercantile Permit, an Atlantic County Board of Health Certificate, registration with New Jersey as a business, and a current Coastguard watercraft inspection”. Reed did not share which, if any of these items, the Water Weenie already had in place.

The Brigantine Police Chief is also quoted in the Brigantine Times as saying: “The City of Brigantine did not shut down the Water Weenie or the kids selling ice cream from the raft. We just told them to come back when they’re compliant.“ No word if the Weenie and the kid on the raft will need to bid and pay for proper vending rights (similar to ice cream vets), or if they’ve been granted municipal immunity.

The Water Weenie, a “Cove” favorite for over a decade, made this area overlooking the Atlantic City Inlet enjoyable and convenient for all. Most hope that the “Weenie’ and other vendors / attractions like this, will return, grow and flourish on this island you’ll love for life. [envira-gallery id=”25576″]

Brigantine Water Weenie Cove

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14 thoughts on “Brigantine Bans Water Weenie Vendor From Beach”

  1. Why in this day and age are Politicians ruining a good time-as well as a positive “summer family experience” that children will forever remember of Brigantine-due to a few negative complaints!?
    Come on Council, let’s get back to the priorities….making the majority happy (and not the few!) and concentrate on what the people WANT!

  2. The Water Weenie boat was originally started by a City of Brigantine employee. Then it was passed on to several different City of Brigantine employees (including a now-EX chief of police).

    Now that the people who own it…ARE NOT city employees… it’s being banned…….HMMMM

  3. Brigantine has an abundance of ordinances. They even required a permit to do a family photo shoot on the beach. Do they still permit (pun not intended) children to have the age honored tradition of selling lemonade on their house front sidewalks?

  4. Donna Lindenmuth Cowhey

    What about all the businesses that have the proper permits? Why should the weenie be any different?

  5. Past Water Weenie operator had a business on beach at cove for years. Never paid a dime to city in fees and never SERVED THIS GREAT NATION! Not sure if current h2o weenie served this country .

    Start working on next year ice cream vendor deal. Maybe allow any vet sell ice cream for free. One man or women ….one cart or carry a bag. Cut out the bidders who bid and make all money while workers get fleeced.

    City can’t allow outside vendors walk into Brigantine while our towns businesses pay expenses of business and taxes plus fees. Common sense and level playing field for all.

  6. I looked into this last year. The Weenie Boat did not have to pay that crazy ice cream fee. Brigantine’s Mercantile Office said they were not selling in Brigantine because they were in the water and therefore excluded.

  7. So Water Weenie was on a free pass while local establishments were paying high property taxes plus full cost of bricks and mortar business.

    Sounds like Weenie was greasing somebody or at last had a arms length deal while the 5 or 6 pizza & sandwich shops were getting hosed.

  8. I’ve been a year round resident for over 30 years. This island used to be a place people would dream of raising a family and enjoying the beach in the summer. Don’t get me wrong, Brigantine is still a beautiful island, but if you have children and plan to vacation here, plan to bring stuff from home for the kids to do. There’s absolutely nothing for kids on this island anymore.

    Bring back the fun or the year-rounders are gonna continue to pack it up and move else where, which I plan on doing after putting 4 kids through the school system here. Brigantine has nothing left to offer us. Sorry for the rant.

  9. Just wondering – did the Weenie sell food cash only? Did they give a receipt showing 7% NJ sales tax? Did they have their health cert posted in view as required by law ?

    Lot of crybabies whining about them being gone, but if other businesses have to comply with certs, licenses and PAY taxes..(on ALL of their sales) then the Weenie should too.

  10. So sad I have seen this island go from a fun place with restaurants & exciting things to do to a dead resort. My parents bought a home in 1976. It is now the Brigantine Historical Society Museum.

    It amazes me how thing have changed for the worse. No Diner hardly any restaurants. No ice cream on the beach!! Who ever heard of that!!

    This is Leaving very little for others to come to the island to enjoy 🙁

  11. Shit, everyone knows who owns the boat and who cares. Last year I was looking into opening something similar and our mercantile office told me “since they are in the water they do not need a mercantile license” All because of ice cream!

  12. The person who shut down the water weenie is the same person that had 2 kids illegally selling ice cream on rafts. And unbeknownst to almost everyone he had kids illegally selling ice cream on the beach at the cove and surfer’s beach last summer.

    That is right, no one ever paid for the rights to sell ice cream on zone 2 (34th street to the end of the island) last summer. And it is the same person that convinced the city 2 years ago to put the beaches out for bid.
    His name is Paul Vanderign. He breaks every rule and ordinance to his own avail; but micro picks anyone else who is or may be his competitor.He has the record for calling the most complaints to the police department during the last 5 years.

    If you do not believe me check it out for yourself. And ask the city council who paid for zone 2 last summer. Jennifer Blumenthal gave it to Vanderighn for free.
    And because he could not get it for free this summer he ruined it for the Water Weenie. He also had non-licensed ice cream carts on the beach for the first 6 weeks of the summer.

    You can also hear Tony LaPuella saying at the June council meeting that we gave you that section for free last as Vanderign addresses City council on the ice cream bid.

    https://brigantinenow.com/brigantine-beach-ice-cream-90000-loss/

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