Author: Steve

What can a hot dogger learn from a pancaker?

This morning we had a pancake breakfast at church, catered by a company called Chris Cakes out of Kansas City. Talk about creating a customer experience – this was off the charts.

They set up a huge flat top griddle and had a machine that poured four pancakes at once down the length of the griddle. At two minutes cook time, that’s 1440 pancakes an hour.

That was cool, but the best part was delivery. They flipped the pancakes onto our plates from 20 feet away. Check it out…

My pastor was the only person to drop one but that’s because he tried to catch it behind his back!

The effect was total customer participation and the feeling that we didn’t just get breakfast, we got a show. Everyone was laughing and smiling and eating and smiling and talking and smiling.

I know I’ll tell at least ten of my friends about Chris Cakes in the next few days and I immediately thought of our recent discussion of Unique Selling Proposition.

Chris Cakes has one. Do you?

-Steve

Japadog definitely has a USP – Unique Selling Proposition.
In other words, they have given people a reason to buy from them instead of the all the other “same old” hot dog carts. The USP allows them to sell at a premium price point.

You can tell by the long lines that people will pay for a quality dog and and a unique customer experience.

Do a little experiment with me. You’re not a hotdogger. You’re a customer.
Think hard about how you would feel standing in line at Japadog for the first time. I bet you would feel…

Excitement. Anticipation. A sense of adventure. A feeling of novelty. Extreme curiosity. Exclusivity. Luxury. Perhaps even decadent in a culinary way…

How many people would you tell about your street food experience over the next several days? What would make you talk about it so much?

How would you feel being the guy or gal that turned all their friends on to this new kind of hot dog? Do you think your friends would thank you for discovering this for them?

Yeah. They would. A lot.

That’s the power of a USP.

OK – come back to earth. Put on your business hat. Check out Japadog’s menu (click for a big picture). Pay attention to the price points – we’re learning something very important today.

Q: Do you have an awesome-can’t-fail-kick-ass-great-super-cool-
wowee-neato-keen idea for a hot dog cart, but don’t know where to start?

A: I cover everything you need to know at HotDogProfitsPremium.com. I’ll show you how to make your dream a reality. That’s what we do.

What is your USP? Tell me about it in the comments!

-Steve

Hi Steve

Well it’s just about done, all there is to finishing my hotdog cart is waiting on my signage. I’m calling my new retirement job the “Checkers, Street Grill”. I still can’t believe how easy your instructions were to follow and then borrowing a few ideas from some of the other hotdoggers that have bought your course. A lot of my flying buds can’t believe I really built this Baby! I’m taking it to the field as soon as I get her inspected and try out a few different dogs on those guys, a taste testing you might say. I’m going to have some fun!,and make a little money while I’m doing it!!! Looking forward to everyone’s reaction to this little gal.

Lee Vestal

They just keep getting better and better! Absolutely unreal Lee… I wish you the best of luck!

-Steve

Click the pic for a larger version…

Open only a little more than a week, the Red Bluff hot dog cart Danny Dogs is becoming the place to go for a quick lunch.

“This is cool for somebody on the go like me,” said Don Roach of Red Bluff, owner of Roach’s Plumbing. “You can’t beat it.”

Owner Danny Tannehill said many customers have come back and told him the one hot dog was like having a whole meal and definitely worth the price.

“The hot dogs are good, but the Polish dogs are way better,” said Tehama District Fair CEO Mark Eidman, who said he has already visited the stand a few times.

“Thumbs up from me,” said Shannon Hunt of Red Bluff who came back to compliment Tannehill on his cooking.

Many of them have become repeat customers.

“People say $4 for a hot dog is pricey, but once they try it they keep coming back,” Tannehill said.

Tannehill runs the business Monday through Friday with his wife Dotty coming to help out for lunch.

“Sometimes it gets nuts at lunch, but I love this job,” Tannehill said.

“You get to meet all kinds of people and everyone’s been really nice so far.”

In addition to hot dogs, Tannehill sells sodas, water and a bag of chips.

A former tree surgeon for 25 years in the Bay Area before coming to Red Bluff seven years ago, Tannehill said he loves the area.

Tannehill started his business, which has been at several local events, including the Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale, because he couldn’t find work.

“I’d been out of work for a year and a half,” Tannehill said. “The unemployment was running out and I said I’m going to create a job so I created this job for myself.”

The cart is just outside the Post Office on Walnut Street and is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tannehill caters for parties and special events and can be reached at 530-529-3848.

original article in the Daily News

Another one up and running – Way to go Danny!

-Steve