Hot Dog Cart Steamer

Why don’t we use roller grills and convenience store style steamers? Russ asked, so here is my opinion. I would love to hear yours in the comments!

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your great information as I move forward in planning a hot dog concession trailer. I constantly refer to your aids in educating myself.

Question: It seems like it is really less expensive and less hassle to purchase a hot dog and bun steamer, like the Advanco HDS-200 for my counter top. Put in the water, products and plug it in with a sufficient generator to power it and start slinging. What do you feel are the advantages and drawbacks to this system?

-Russ

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Hi Russ,

One disadvantage of these types of units is that they are very slow to heat up the product. They are designed for a gas station or convenience store where the clerk can “set it and forget it” all day.

Because it takes so long to heat the meat, you must load a lot of dogs all at once. This brings up problem number two – do you really want to serve hot dogs that have been sitting around for hours. And what happens to the buns after an hour? This unit claims to have a steam level adjustment so that might help.

Another drawback is that you would need to use a generator. Even the quiet (expensive) ones are a bit annoying and you can smell the exhaust at times.

I believe that it’s much better to heat up small batches of hot dogs throughout the day. The water pans on a hot dog cart make this quick and easy.

Cost. By the time you buy the Advanco HDS-200 and a good generator to run it, you will end up spending $700 or more. You can build an entire E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart for another hundred bucks. You will be able to serve fresh product a lot faster, and you won’t be reliant on electricity or gasoline.

The biggest disadvantage (this is HUGE) is the loss of your unique sales proposition. We need to separate ourselves from our competition by doing things differently than they do. The last thing we want to do is make the customer think that our hot dogs are no different than the ones they can get for a dollar at the convenience store. If they see you using the same machine as the gas station up the road, your perceived value just went in the crapper.

Running a fun and exciting cart with superior products and unusual condiments is what allows us to get three or four times as much money per sale. Look around at all the professional hot dog vendors. We all use propane and steam pans because it’s the best way to deliver a top quality meal – and an experience!

-Steve
HDP

P.S. Like I said in the beginning, this is just my opinion. I would love to hear from slingers who have successfully used these self contained units or roller grills in a street or festival situation. I’m open to new ideas. Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Image courtesy of Webstraunt Store