The #1 Hot Dog Cart "How To" Guide | HotDogProfits.com
UPDATE: Contest has ended. Mark Stricklett is the winner!
Hey slingers,
The best caption to this picture (as determined by me) wins a free Hot Dog Cart Junior CD. Contest ends Saturday at midnight central time. Leave your caption in the comments. I won’t publish the captions until the contest is over. You can enter as many times as you want.
Ready, set, go!
-Steve
This just in from HDP Premium member Noelani and her family in sunny Hawaii…
Hey Steve,
You are our Mentor and We Mahalo you very much from Hawaii. We have started selling hotdogs about a month now and we are having FUN, and making money $$$$ business is awesome. We sell Nathan hotdogs we not only sell hotdogs we sell chili-dogs, chili cheese nachos and chili bowls with rice and hotdogs. We Hawaiians love rice. We just recently did a test run on cheeseburgers. FAILURE LOL and it was too much work. Too time consuming.
We are in the process of adding yet another item, waffle dogs. What makes us busy is our sauces. We have made sauces and I just recently started with a pineapple relish, and mango relish, soon to add coconut relish, guava relish, kiwi relish and papaya relish
We are in a local swap meet 3 times a week….it’s kind of a grungy location but I don’t mind they bring in a good crowd for 3 days a week.
Noelani, Hot Dog Profits Premium Member
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Great job Noelani! Your E-Z Built cart turned out great and I’m glad you are having fun and making good money too!
Noelani and her family are some of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting inside the Premium area. They displayed a great “can-do” attitude all through their start up and have really begun to take off in Hawaii.
Let’s hear it for Noelani and her crew in the comments, slingers!
-Steve
Click the pictures below for a larger version…
Heck yes! I just got this short email from Hot Dog Profits Premium member Lisa…
“Took a little over 2 months to build but I’m a girl, so there was a sharp learning curve. Just need a longer 5 foot propane line which I didn’t have at the time of the photo. Was fun building!” -Lisa H.
Way to go Lisa! What you may not realize is that you are not alone. We have a LOT of ladies inside HDP Premium who have built their own carts using the videos and plans in the member’s area. HDPP isn’t a just a “good old boys club”, that’s for sure. Anyone can do this and start their own fun business. Young, old, male, female, it doesn’t matter. All you need is the desire to sling hot dogs and make a better life for yourself.
I’m super impressed, Lisa! You are now a genuine “slinger” and your E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart looks awesome!
-Steve
P.S. Let’s hear it for Lisa in the comments!
Dan writes, “My town has very tight limits on street vending. Any other ideas?”
Oh, yeah. Do I ever…
When most people think of getting into the hot dog cart business, the first thing that comes to mind is street vending. They picture themselves with a daily location, regular customers, sunshine, and good times. And that is all very true.
However, some cities have limits on their street vending permits that make it more difficult to be a daily street slinger than in other towns.
But please, my wanna-be slingers – if that’s the situation in your town don’t worry. There are a LOT more ways to make money with a hot dog cart than daily street vending.
One of my favorites is catering. Talk about a “sure thing”. You always know how much food to bring and how much money you will bring home. You can schedule a catering based hot dog business around the other things in your life like work and family time. It’s a great way to go!
Other types of hot dog vending that would fall under the catering category include store grand openings, corporate events, business lunches, car dealer promotions, etc. A lot of my slingers make $100 an hour doing store opening events that we hook our members up with from time to time.
Today’s lesson? Just use your imagination and those pesky street vending rules won’t bother you at all.
If you want to start a hot dog catering business we cover the ins and outs in the “Carts of Cash” section of our HotDogProfitsPremium.com training website. We have all the contracts and checklists you need as well as ideas on how to price, market and position your hot dog catering biz to get the best gigs and make the most money.
I even share with you my secret weapon for doubling your profits without having to any more work. Hint: It involves more fun for your customer and their guests. Win-win.
Plus you get personal help from me. I’m inside the member’s area every day answering everyone’s catering questions. If you want a proven blueprint to success that you can simply follow step by step (with someone holding your hand when you need it) then this is for you.
I’ll see you inside Slinger!
-Steve
Hey Slingers,
There are two things that I hear from my readers every day. Literally every day,
#1: “Steve, I’ve been wanting to have my own hot dog cart for years.”
#2 “Steve, I’ve been up and running for a month now and I’m having so much fun. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long to get started!”
Well, what are you waiting for? The perfect starter cart? The perfect deal? You’re in luck. Today you can have both.
I just got an email from Jim and he’s got a great opportunity for one lucky wanna-be slinger…
“Hi Steve, I need to sell my Ben’s Big Dog Cart. Includes 3 burners, sink, 5 gal water tank, 7 1/2 gal waste tank, water works off 12 volt pump, removable tow bar, cooler, bread box, single flip top, condiment table on rear of cart, Sabrett Umbrella, 7 gallon water tank, 2- 60 quart Igloo coolers and miscellaneous utensils. Price $2,500. Located in Warwick NY 10990. Email contact jamescl1118@yahoo.com”
Jim’s loss can be your new career. Email him directly at jamescl1118@yahoo.com.
Don’t snooze, you’ll lose. Deals like this don’t come around every day.
-Steve
Click the pictures below for a larger version…
“The most patriotic man, ladies and gentlemen, is sometimes the man who goes in the direction that he thinks right even when he sees half the world against him. It is the dictate of patriotism to sacrifice yourself if you think that that is the path of honor and of duty.
Do not blame others if they do not agree with you. Do not die with bitterness in your heart because you did not convince the rest of the world, but die happy because you believe that you tried to serve your country by not selling your soul.
Those were grim days, the days of 1776. Those gentlemen did not attach their names to the Declaration of Independence on this table expecting a holiday on the next day, and that 4th of July was not itself a holiday. They attached their signatures to that significant document knowing that if they failed it was certain that every one of them would hang for the failure. They were committing treason in the interest of the liberty of 3,000,000 people in America.
All the rest of the world was against them and smiled with cynical incredulity at the audacious undertaking. Do you think that if they could see this great Nation now they would regret anything that they then did to draw the gaze of a hostile world upon them?
Every idea must be started by somebody, and it is a lonely thing to start anything. Yet if it is in you, you must start it if you have a man’s blood in you and if you love the country that you profess to be working for.” ~Woodrow Wilson, Presidential Address at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1914 July 4th
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Happy Independence Day my slingers! God bless you and God bless America!
-Steve
Can a hot dog cart be successful on a busy highway?
Hi Steve,
I’m in a bit of a dilemma, I committed to a space and have been there for a month. I thought it was going to be a great spot. But I have not broken 50 bucks each time I’m out there.
I’m on the corner of a popular car sales lot, traffic is constantly moving by at 55 miles per hour. I put out signs to let people know hot dogs and cold drinks coming up to try and slow them down, but I have not experienced any change.
My product is great and I love slinging. I’m hoping you can guide me.
Tam
Maxys Delicious Dogs
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Hi Tam,
I had a similar situation with my first hot dog biz, King Weenie Hot Dogs. I was set up in the parking lot of a small strip mall. There was a used car lot, a furniture store, and a tanning salon.
The strip mall was located on Hwy 47 which is a two lane blacktop road. The speed limit is 45 miles an hour and there was no stop light or stop sign at the entrance to the strip mall.
Even though there was a ton of traffic on that highway, not many folks were stopping to get a hot dog, so we put signs out a couple hundred feet up and down the road just like you did.
They still didn’t stop.
Thankfully, one day a customer came in and said that he had driven by us almost daily for a month. He always meant to stop in but by the time he saw our signs he had no time to slow down and make the turn into our parking lot.
So he drove on by and tried to remember to stop next time. But he always forgot until he saw the signs again as he blew past us.
A-HA! The next day we put signs out over a quarter mile away from us in each direction. People saw the signs and had time to slow down and turn in. Our sales increased almost immediately.
Sometimes it’s the little tweaks that can turn a loser location into a money spot.
Good luck Tam!
-Steve
A stand in hot dog cart for less than a grand? Watch the video below my slingers, it's brilliant...
I always love to see what my students do with the E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart Video and Plans Package that is included in our Premium Membership. We designed the E-Z Built to be easily customized, but today my jaw is on the floor.
HDP Premium Member Mark Hentrich used the videos and plans to build a stand in hot dog cart for less than $1000. How did he do it?
Hollow core doors! The front, the sides, the roof - the whole thing is built with hollow core doors... GENIUS! The back uses a full size door in the center and narrower bi-fold doors for the wall panels on either side of the door. The sinks, steam tables, plumbing, electric, etc, were all build from our plans for pennies on the dollar.
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Hello Slingers
Here is a short video of my $950 inclosed cart which includes a griddle, a 7 cu ft fridge & freezer and a steamer & gravity sink. This cart is working out super great. It takes me less then 10 minutes to set up & tear down. It even fits in my garage.
I have been hitting 2 car dealer ships one day a week. I clear between $85 and &110 in one hour.
I have custom buns I pick up every morning. They are made special for me. They are 1 inch shorter then a store bought bun and 3/4 in taller this gives plenty of room for the 14 toppings I offer,
My the best sellers are the Reuben dog– swiss cheese kraut and 1000 island dressing on a buttered bun toasted on my griddle #2 is the Chili dog on a toasted butter Griddle bun and #3 is the Mac and cheese dog topped with bacon bits also buttered and grilled. I sell then for $3.25 and I clear $1.90 per dog & make I make $4.36 on a 2 dog order.
I presently have 9 locations I can set upon and around Big Rapids.
So long for now
Mark the dog slinger – Hot Dog Profits Premium Member
” Have buns Will Travel”
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Great job Mark! I'm super duper impressed. Glad things are going well for you business-wise too!
-Steve
P.S. You can build any kind of mobile food vending cart that your imagination can come up with. No welding, no riveting. Our E-Z Built package is the place to start. Order today and you'll get access to our complete hot dog vendor video training series too!
This cart could be yours… Hey Slingers, I just got an email from HDP Premium Member James Doran telling me about his hot dog cart. After seeing it, I have to say that I am really impressed. This thing is a full-on money maker, no doubt about it.
This cart is like a professional kitchen on wheels. It has three warming pans, an onboard fridge, sink, water heater, and more. You could serve just about anything! And the construction is top of the line. All stainless steel, heavy duty casters, and talk about clean!
If you have an indoor spot, or want to get into indoor vending, you really need to check out this unit. I don’t think you will find anything even close to the quality and size of this cart for under $15,000 – and James is asking less than a third of that.
If you are interested you better move quickly. This cart won’t last long at this low price.
Price:$4900 Location: MI Phone: 248-765-6673 Email: jamespdoran@yahoo.com
Stand-in Colorado Hot Dog Cart. 96″ x 36″. Three covered warming stations, built-in SS refrigerator, SS sink and water heater. There are tow 110v plugs for cash register and or light. Very good condition. Located in Rochester MI. Buyer responsible for pick-up or delivery.Includes extra warming pans, cash register, 220 cord and a few more items. $4900 Located in Rochester Michigan. Contact James at 248-765-6673 Thanks!