When you find yourself in legal trouble, avoiding an attorney with a bad reputation is a good idea. However, if you’re in Washington, D.C. and find yourself facing a stomach demanding an immediate solution, a shyster might be exactly what you need.
For most of the hundreds of thousands of federal employees who have been furloughed by the Trump administration’s government shutdown, it’s a time of angst and concerns. For Isaac Stein, an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), it was an opportunity to take a shot at his longtime dream of running a hot dog cart on the corner of First Street and M Street NE. With his tongue-in-cheek name of “Shyster’s Dogs,” Stein is hoping to bring joy and hot dogs to all in a difficult time.
If It Will Feed Nothing Else, It Will Feed My Revenge (and Hungry People)
The shutdown of the federal government has sent close to three-quarters of a million federal workers home while keeping close to the same number on the job without pay. While the legislative branch continues to bicker and quarrel in a search for common ground, the pain is truly felt by those who temporarily no longer have a day job to go to.
Standing firmly in the “gonna-make-lemonade-with-these-shutdown-lemons” camp, IRS lawyer Stein saw an opportunity to open the small business he’d always wanted since taking a turn working at a concession stand when he was a kid. His law degree came in handy as he navigated the permits, licenses, and inspections needed to get his side gig started, along with five-figures worth of start-up costs. That took most of the summer, and he was still at the IRS when his side hustle opened in September. On October 8, 2025, it became his everyday job as he was furloughed.
Have It Your Way (But It’ll Cost More Because You’re Doing It Wrong)
It may not help him with job searches on LinkedIn, but Stein clearly intends to have a good time with his for-now full-time gig with his food cart. His menu, which proclaims Shyster’s Dogs to be “The Only Honest Ripoff in DC,” offers an item called “The Only Correct Choice.” This is a hot dog served with spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut. Other toppings, such as Chicago-style giardiniera (which is a relish made of chopped vegetables and spicy oil, and, yes, we had to look that up) or pickled onion, are available but cost more than the stand’s signature offering.
Keeping with Shyster’s Dogs’ cheeky sense of humor, “Overpriced, Mediocre Merch” and dog treats shaped like hot dogs are also available. While running a dirty-water dog stand doesn’t offer insurance or a retirement plan, Stein says that he enjoys the experience of meeting people and providing cheap eats. When the shutdown ends, Stein intends to continue slinging tube steaks and playfully chiding diners on the evils of putting ketchup on hot dogs on weekends.
Related Resources
- How To Open a Restaurant in 10 Steps (FindLaw’s Starting a Business)
- First Steps To Start a Business (FindLaw’s Small Business Law)
- Can You Get Unemployment if You’re Furloughed? (FindLaw’s What To Do After Losing a Job)
