Hot Dog Cart News reader Rick Petersen purchased my E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart Video and Plans package, but he had something else in mind. You can see his pictures below.
A shaved ice cart! Shaved ice and sno cones are great sellers at fairs, festivals, car shows, craft shows. Anywhere that a crowd is gathered. You can do smaller events like block parties, birthday parties, and still make some great money. The profit margins are huge and you can be in and out super fast.
Serve any foods that you want. The E-Z Built plans were designed from the beginning to be customizable. You can set it up with any equipment you want, to serve any food that you want. From tacos to funnel cakes, the E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart Video and Plans Package shows you how to build the food cart of your dreams.
If you already have a hot dog cart, don’t overlook adding shave ice or snow cones, especially when the really hot weather starts slowing down your dog sales.
Great job on your shaved ice cart Rick! Anyone else doing something different with their E-Z Built? Send me pics and a short description. I’d love to see it, and maybe I’ll even put you in Hot Dog Cart News! You can send them to steve@hotdogprofits.com
Thanks!
-Steve
Click on the picture below for a larger version.
That’s a different idea. I have thought of it myself. There are always lines for a snow cone!
I would like to know a bit more about shaved ice. We do fresh squeezed lemonade now and unless I’m mistaken isn’t it just a matter of running the lemonade through a blender along with ice? Anybody have any more information that would be helpful. Can you add flavoring to the lemonade such as (cherry, strawberry etc.) before or after blending?
Very nice. Are you using an electric grinder? If so. generator, plug-in or 12v?
Rick,
This is awesome. I am curious which brand of ice shaver are you using? I have made snow cones for a few years but am looking to upgrade to shved ice and have no clue which machine to get.
Wow… great job! I was just thinking about something like that the other day. Proof that it can be done… we owe it all to you, Steve…. you got the ball… or should I say? The CART rolling!
Great looking cart Rick! I have customers all of the time asking for Snow Balls! I know you’ll do well. Good luck bud!
Steve I agree adding snow cones to a hot dog stand, I setup most days near a local museum that attracts a large number of kids, and half my profits come from the snow cones, kids love them and it takes adults back to their childhood so they enjoy them also, and as you stated the profit from snow cones is huge as compared to hot dogs.
Thanks everyone.
Hatsuyuki HC8E Cube Shaver from Hawaiian Five-OH. You can get bags of ice any place.
It is electric for available electricity or use a Yamaha 2000 watt generator it is very quiet. There is two large coolers in an insulated compartment. They roll out with a split top lid doors . I need some idea on how to get hot water with a 500 or 800 watt heater if it is available. It was fun to build.
Timely. I too am planning on adding “Snow Cones” to my dog wagon. Dogs and polish saug. are not enough at festivals/events. I have watched the long lines at the guys who have cones.
Steve, could you do an article on the machines, and whats the difference between “shaved ice machine” and the snow cone(nugget type) machine? Same machine with different blades or what?
We do shaved ice as well and I will most likely build a cart to make it easier for set up in some events. My main question is I dont see where he keeps the ice. We go through about 150-200#’s when we sell 150-200 8 oz., servings so ice storage is a big issue.
@Dick C.- You can make a slush drink with the blender. We had a couple of the slush machines that you see in the corner store but the weight and cleaning was a big hassle. So what we now do is we use our shaved ice and just add the mix to the cup for a slushie. It is faster cheaper and you can carry more flavors.
We also do fresh squeezed lemonade, when it is poured over the shaved ice you have a frozen lemonade…we have been at events with up to 9 other people with lemonade and out sold them all due to utilizing our shaved ice machine.
@ Rick P.- would love to see some more photos of the unit. Great idea…
What a great idea ! Hope you will give us more details about this !
This is a great idea. We’re adding a Gold Medal snow cone machine that is hand cranked and use It it as a freebie add on to certain jobs, mostly kids birthdays. At .17 a serving, it’s something parents love and separates us from other caterers – very kid friendly.
Forgot to mention… Currently we utilize a small push style cart for the snow cones but after seeing this we will be building a tow-able one.
We set up in the warmer months with apartments and car dealers and do a customer appreciation day where the snow cones are FREE for a specific time frame, usually 2-4 hours.
We charge our customer a flat rate which comes out to about $200.00 for 3-4 hours in that time we usually give out about 50-75 per hour, our cost usually runs about $50-60.00 so we net a nice profit for afternoons when we are not selling other items.
We also work with churches and non profits when they have a car wash. This gives their customers something that the other car washes can not match, so we all benefit.
What a great twist Rick.
Maybe on a hotdog boat too !!
If we only had the room.. Arrrgg !!
1st mate Jim.
If you go to 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com you can download an entire education about selling shaved ice (free) which explains all the different types of machines, how to mix your flavors, cost projections, etc. If you have a Sam’s Club nearby, ice is less than $3.00 for 20# bag. You can use a small freezer either on electric or run on a deep cycle battery which should keep it running all day as ice should be kept really cold. All this explained in their booklet. Good luck.
The Snow Magic shaved ice cart has two side doors where we slide in coolers which each will hold four 20# bags of ice. We will post more detailed pictures on our face book page: Snow Magic Ice.
Aloha Rick…here in Hawaii, the rules ( city ordinance, sanitation, insurance, and the like) are very strict…this I have gone with shave ice instead of hot dogs ( dogs maybe later). Could you guide me in making a shave ice cart out of the hotdog cart? I’m told to have health dept take a look at the schematics before I build. ANY & ALL kokua (help) would be greatly appreciated. This almost 70 gal is not dead yet…lol
We used to sell shaved ice down in FLorida. If you have a small chest freezer, you can plug it in over night, throw it in the back of an SUV or small pickup and packed with ice it will stay frigid cold for 24 hours without being plugged in. We used block ice with a Hatsuyuki machine. Did the trick for us in 100 degree heat!
Thank you so much for this information. I have been going over and over in my head trying to figure out an inexpensive solution to maintaining and storage of ice for a cart. 🙂
You can find used chest freezers for $100 or less on Craigs List. That’s where I got mine.
Nice job. We are actually modifying one as a lemonade cart instead of our tent set up for smaller events etc.
That’s a great cart Rick. Thanks for the idea.
I have a Snowie brand shaved ice machine and a cotton candy machine that I could mount on a cart together or individually.
Is it possible to get some larger photos to see more detail and to see how you store and dispense your flavors?
Dan
diesel_dann@yahoo.com
Has anyone used a propane fueled generator? Heard that since they didn’t have the issue of gas going bad in the tank that they were easier to run with. Comments?
I have no personal experience with propane generators but I have heard good things.
Hi everyone how can i get my hot dog cart buners and wire up grade please anyone email me dimplerbogle@yahoo.com
At 1800shavedice.com you can not only get an education, but order all your supplies, including Snowy Ice Shavers.
I use their 12 volt Snowy with a deep cycle battery which runs all day. The machine is about $1900 and uses ice cubes. A chest freezer connected to a deep cycle battery with an inverter? would keep your ice frozen all day. No electricity needed. Sounds like a lot, but if you’re located in a good spot it will be paid for in no time. Good Luck