Author: Steve

Please don’t let this become law.

I just got an email from HDP reader Mike Saffreti. Mike tipped me off to a new piece of legislation being proposed that will require mobile food vendors to wear hats shaped like the foods that they serve from their carts.

The purpose of this bill is to allow the food buying public to see what is for sale from great distances. Consumer advocates say that customers should not have to walk more than 100 feet in order to find out what foods are offered at each street vending cart.

It’s just one more piece of legislation in an already over-legislated society. I say WE DON’T NEED THIS! In fact, I’M MAD AS HELL!

However from what Mike tells me, this new law is bundled inside a much larger bill whose purpose is to limit the amount of creme filling inside pre-packaged snack foods. It’s being touted as one more tool in the fight against obesity.

Unfortunately that means it’s almost sure to pass – unless we fight back now!

What does this mean to you?

Most of my readers are hot dog slingers and as such we are lucky. There are a couple of companies that already make hot dog shaped hats. If this law does pass, we won’t have a compliance issue.

My real concern is for the shave ice and sno-cone vendors.

There are no sno-cone hats that I am aware of.

In order to comply with the new law these poor souls would be forced to wear actual sno-cones on their heads.

Imagine the brain freeze that these folks will incur!

The bill’s sponsors responded that brain freeze is temporary and does not cause lasting damage. They actually had the gall to tell sno-cone vendors to “just breathe deeply through your mouth during your entire shift.”

The blatant lack of concern for our frosty friends is simply insufferable. It leaves a baaaad taste in my mouth.

What can you do to help?

Slingers, it’s time to stand up not only for our rights, but for the rights of our brothers-in-ice.

I need you to leave a comment at the end of this post telling the bill’s sponsors what you really think about their b___s___ legislation!

You may use a false name when commenting to protect your identity.

Thank you for your support Slinger!

-Steve

P.S. We have decided to extend our 100% Done For You Free Website Offer.
Click here to get yours.

Let’s talk ribs!

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Hi Steve,

I’m locking up a new location at a flea market and would like to introduce ribs to my menu.

I’m not sure how to go about pricing.

I have sold them at another location and did great but it was more of a private club type of setting. The flea market will be a new venture for me any idea’s on bringing in ribs into such a setting? This flea market sees up to 30,000 people during the week.

Thanks,
James

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Ribs! Mmmmm. I love ribs, but I have never attempted to serve them from my hot dog cart.

I’m assuming that we are talking about cooking them in a pit, then just keeping them warm and serving them from your hot dog cart?

What are the health code considerations? (I see a lot of roadside BBQ pits on trailers here in rural Missouri and they don’t appear to be heavily regulated, even though the meat falls into the potentially hazardous category. That always baffled me but I never checked into it. They sure know how to cook, though. Delicious!)

How would you price the ribs?

What are we missing here?

I have some contacts in the world of competition BBQ so hopefully some of them will pop in and share their experience and know how.

Let’s hear your ideas in the comments Slingers!

-Steve

P.S. Check out Jame’s rig! (click pic for a larger version).

Money follows speed.

Need to make money fast? If you find yourself in that situation you are not alone. I’m going to show you how to fast track your hot dog biz as I answer a great question from a Hot Dog Profits Premium member.

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Hi Steve,

I have always planned that when I turned 40 I would start a business of some kind because I want to teach my children entrepreneurship in a business we can do together.

The hot dog business seems perfect because it’s low investment for a reasonable return with flexible hours.

So, I’ve been taking my time trying to make everything perfect for my little business – but now my situation has changed. I need cash fast, and my little orderly business plans are out the window.

So……. my question to you……I don’t really want to cut corners, and I tend to be a perfectionist, but I’ve got to move my behind on this. Can you counsel me how to go fast?

I am watching the videos in Hot Dog Profits Premium and putting my plan of action together. Like is this possible to be slinging next week? What am I looking at here from your experience?

Elpi

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Hi Elpi,

Yes, you could be making money a week from now, but only if you…

ACT. FAST. TODAY.

Taking massive action right now is the only way to be wildly successful in a short period of time. You simply can not wait for everything to be perfect.

You gotta be the cheetah.

Get out there now, do something fast, make big mistakes, learn from them, and move on as quickly as possible.

(Mistakes are a natural byproduct of growth. If you aren’t making any, you’re not pushing hard enough.)

How fast can you get your hot dog biz up and running? Dig this…

I have a student who joined HDP Premium on a Sunday evening and started going through the course work. He got so excited that he went out on Tuesday and booked a gig for Saturday.

Problem was, he didn’t have a cart yet…

Time to be the cheetah.

So he busted his behind and built an E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart from our plans and videos in just 3 days! When I asked him how he did that, he modestly replied that he was former military and he was used to doing what ever he had to to Get Things Done. No biggie.

That is awesome! And that is exactly how successful slingers think and operate.

So think about what you are going to do TODAY to move you closer to your goal.

Then stop thinking about it – and DO IT. Make sure it gets done today, come hell or high water.

Do that every day and you will accomplish more in one week than most folks accomplish in one month.

To your success!

-Steve

P.S. Readers – tell me what you are going to do TODAY to be the Cheetah. What will you do to TODAY to either start your hot dog biz, or to take it to the next level. Let’s hear you in the comments!

Hey Slinger!

My good friend and HDP Premium member Roger Kotte just got a new location at a car wash. He wants to come up with a “signature” hot dog for that location.

Roger writes…

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Hey Steve

We’ve been asked to set up at a car wash.

Any suggestions on a name for a dog that would go along with a car wash like “Wash Dog” and any suggestion for toppings for that dog.

We Appreciate U

2 Blessed 2 B Stressed
Roger Kotte

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How do you make a signature hot dog? Come up with a unique combination of condiments and toppings, then give that dog a name and put it on your menu, ideally with a picture of that hot dog.

Smart hot dog slingers do this to create word of mouth advertising, and to distinguish our hot dogs from the run of the mill gas station hot dog. This allows us to charge significantly more than the gas station or convenience store, plus it keeps customers coming back to get the dog that they can’t get anywhere else.

As long time readers of Hot Dog Cart News know, I serve many signature dogs from my own hot dog cart. My most famous is the Buffalo Cruncher which is a black angus beef dog topped with ranch dressing, Louisiana hot sauce, and French’s crunchy fried onion. Yum!

OK, folks – give Roger your best ideas for a signature hot dog with a car wash theme in the comments!

-Steve

P.S. Here is a great way to make a digital photo menu for your hot dog cart.

My motto for aspiring hot dog cart operators has always been, “Don’t just sell a hot dog, sell an experience.”

One of the best ways to do that is to create your own “signature” gourmet hot dogs using unique combinations of toppings. Then be sure to give each hot dog creation a catchy and memorable name.

For example, I serve a dog on my own cart called The Buffalo Cruncher. It’s a 100% black angus beef hot dog topped with ranch dressing, Louisiana hot sauce, and French’s crunchy fried onions. If you like hot wings, you’ll LOVE the Buffalo Cruncher.

By creating a unique hot dog with a catchy name you are setting yourself apart from the competition and creating customer loyalty. I have many customers that come to my cart once or twice a week because they just love the Buffalo Cruncher and my cart is the only place they can get one.

Well my good friend and fellow hot dog slinger Esteban Guzman (Stevie’s Red Hot Weenies)  is taking this concept one step further.

He just sent me a video of his latest hot dog cart marketing tool. How cool is this?!!!

Stevie bought one of those digital picture frames and loaded it with pictures of his hot dog creations. The frame will sit on his cart so folks passing by can see how delicious and unique Stevie’s Red Hot Weenies are. Now THAT is an attention grabber and experience enhancer all in one!

There is only change I would make. I would use a photo editor to print the name of each hot dog on the picture. That turns the slide show into a digital photo menu!

I’m definitely going to be using one of these on my own cart this season. I suggest you do too, slinger!

Thanks again Esteban (mi hermano de otra madre!) What an awesome idea you came up with and were nice enough to share with the Hot Dog Profits community!

-Steve

P.S. If you like this, click the blue Facebook button below to share it.

Hey Slinger,

I have a great money saving tip for you today.

As you may or may not know, you can get one year of our Cash Tracker software (the only bookkeeping software built specifically for hot dog vendors) for no charge by taking advantage of our free website offer.

By the way, this isn’t just a website. It’s a total marketing package including customer email list building software. Get those email addresses so if you move you can tell your customers where to find you!

Every website needs a hosting package to get it online.Yes, even a free one. No worries, hosting is cheap. It’s normally about $7 a month but today only you can get it as low as $2.72!

1. All you need to do is sign up for a website hosting package by clicking here: http://HotDogProfitsPremium.com/hg. Don’t wait because they are having a one day Presidents Day sale. Today only you save 45%!

2. Then forward your confirmation email to me.

That’s it. My marketing team will build you a great website that you can use in your own hot dog biz, and I will give you one year of Cash Tracker, no charge.

How can we do this for free? The hosting company pays us to build your site in exchange for bringing them a new hosting customer. They pay us so you don’t have to.

Win!

If you were planning on getting these two great tools for your business, today is the day to do it.

You can find out more about our free website offer by clicking here:
http://HotDogProfitsPremium.com/website

To your success,

-Steve

 

Here are some old time valentines that you can give to your wife or girlfriend (husband or boyfriend for you ladies).

Not at the same time of course. 😉

That was a joke. Hello? Is this thing on?

Right click and open in a new window or tab to print.