Carlos has a brand new cart that he wants to rent out. What are your thoughts?

(We’re discussing the pros and cons of renting out your hot dog cart in the second half of this article. I’d love your input in the comments!)

rent a hot dog cart

Rent a Hot Dog Cart

Carlos writes…

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Hi Steve,

Thanks for taking a minute to talk to me today on the phone. I’m Carlos from Queens, N.Y. I purchased a BRAND NEW Worksman Model 5030 Hot Dog Cart on Feb. 13th, 2013. I am looking to rent the cart to someone serious about making money and who is also very responsible.

I purchased the cart from Worksman Corps. here in Queens, N.Y. They have been around since 1898. This cart is the NEW modern type hot dog cart. A photo of the cart can be seen here.

How should I go about this?

Thanks again for your help. I hope to hear from you soon.

Carlos

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Renting your own cart out…

If you want to try renting out your own cart, there are several ways to go.

  • Renting out an unbranded the cart by itself. In other words, there is no business name or logo on the cart. All you are doing is renting out the cart itself. It’s up to the renter to get his food, find a location, etc.
  • Renting out the cart and selling inventory (dogs, chips, sodas, condiments) to the renter. This is usually the case if you have built up a brand and have name recognition in the community. You don’t want to risk that reputation by letting the renter sell cheap product. He must sell your product and buy it from you.
  • Renting out the cart and selling inventory (dogs, chips, sodas, condiments) to the renter PLUS letting him use one of your established locations. This commands a premium fee because all the renter has to do is show up and step into a fully functioning business.
  • Rental terms. You can rent the cart out by the day, the week, the month, the quarter, the season (what ever that is in your neck of the woods).

Let’s also talk about this. If you have experience renting out your cart we’d love to hear about it.

What have you charged and for what term? Did you do a branded or unbranded rental? How successful were you and was it worth the hassle?

I’m curious to see how other folks are approaching this so let us know in the comments!

-Steve

P.S. As you can see there are more ways to make money in this business besides selling dogs yourself. But you have to get started first and learn the right way to do things.

Click here for free hot dog cart lessons by email.