Hi Steve,
Wrote a business plan last November, bought your book, cash tracker and cart plans. Started building in January.
Finished the cart 2 weeks ago and it is amazing. Passed health inspection no problem, the inspector was really impressed with the cart.
Got an opportunity to put in a proposal on a concession bid for the city and found out last week that I won the bid and will start this Sunday pm! The city was very impressed with my business. I got the exclusive vending contract to take care of all events at a large ball field complex here.
The location is a good one, I will be in the center of 4 fields under a big overhang and protected from rain, electric is available and the restrooms are right around the corner. Also city takes care of garbage and recycling. Sunday thru Friday there are 1,000 adult softball players that will be passing by my cart.
In addition to the adult softball league I will be doing all weekend tournaments scheduled at the park. These tournaments are huge all day affairs that start at 8am and go till 9 pm.
Your blog has helped keep me motivated when I was dragging, and your book, cash tracker and ezbuilt cart have truly helped make it all possible.
Thanks Steve,
Dave Nawrocki
www.redcartfood.com
Fort Collins, CO
Congratulations Dave – awesome job! You’re going to sell a ton of hot dogs this summer! Thanks for sending in your story and photos.
Speaking of photos, dig our fancy new HDCN photo viewer. Get a bucket of popcorn, sit back, and click the pics.
Anyone else want to be famous? Send me pics of your hot dog business and your story. You may just find yourself in a future issue of HDCN. Stranger things have happened…
-Steve
What an awesome cart! Great job, it is so cool! Congrats on the bid. That is a hot place! We open ours on the 17th of April. Final inspection tomorrow. Good summer for these dogs!
Good luck Steve
Steve,
I have now been out for two weeks and have gotten alot of positive response. Its the spring season, we have had several rain/snow outs, but it is going well. My first tournament is in 3 weeks and I cant wait!
Thanks again and I really love your new photo viewer!
Dave
The L5 you have works great, enjoy, have fun, make money and enjoy life.
Duggs Doggs
Dave,
Congrats and good luck. Success in this racket is largely about landing the good gigs! Baseball and good hot dogs should be a winner!
Between my Wed and Fri nights, if the weather is good, I net $700 – $900. The Friday day gig in the park with live Cajun music brings in a couple hundred net (I have to split 50/50 with the science museum that sponsors it), and starting this Sat. is the spring season for “Movies in the Park”, sponsored by the city. I have to pay $50 to do it, but net over $500 after that and supplies. For 3 hours of non-stop sales. Can’t see the end of my line. And I am home by 2130. 0ur annual Festival International is the last weekend of April, and last year I netted over $600 each day for five days in a row.
Was the only food vendor recently at the annual Craft Fair in St. Martinville, the most picturesque Cajun town. Great weather, sold 300 dogs, 100 Frito pies and 100 BBQ sandwiches.
Good looking HDC!
Way to go Dave! You’re getting some great breaks right off the bat. You’re going to be rolling in dough – literally and figuratively 🙂 Cute cart too!
Best of luck Dave looks like you have a great set up hope all goes well,but what i see here i do not think you will have any problems.Jeff
Nice looking cart Dave. That sounds like a great gig you got with the ballpark. Do you have people helping you when you when you are there? I would like to do some ball game stuff but I don’t have employees.
Good Luck!
Russ
tell us about the BBQ sandwiches, I’ve tried BBQ chopped / precooked from local Sysco & its to sweet for texas taste,
Great job on the caart and landing the gig at the ball field. I did my first gig on Saturday, it was a Easter egg hunt. I sold 400 dogs. It was alot of fun and everyone loved the cart. Best of luck to everyone this summer.
Go Get ’em Dave,
Spring has sprung and Softballers love their Hot Dogs. MAKE EM LOVE YOUR DOGS. Good Lookin Cart! Nice Job.
Pocono
You can tell you “Red Cart” was built with a labor of love. Also, I notice the additional items you have in the background, other than your usual chips and sodas, for people who simply don’t want a hotdog. Great Idea!
We Started building our cart today!!! Going great so far !!! Talked with the health department got the thumbs ups!!! Also got a couple of spots to set up already!!! Keep your fingers crossed for us guys!!!
Thanks steve for everything so far!!!
Dear Dave – your cart looks great! Very nice concept – simple and unique! Best of Luck with ALL you do, great menu as well, love the local support…I smell success!!!!!!!!!
Susan and Rena
Awesome looking cart Dave. It would look even better with a Red Sox logo on it, parked outside Fenway. Good luck, you’ll do great.
Steve, the photo viewer looks excellent.
Oh Wow Dave! You have won the HD lottery!!! Just out of curiousity, was the bid a certain % of daily sales? Or was it money out of your pocket up front?
I am just starting out as well, got a good street spot in front a new upcoming flea market place and concert festivals, but in a very small town of 5,000 people population.
It is highly doubtful I’ll ever sell more than 100 dogs a day, LOL… but it’s good to go w/ low expectations so I’m not too disappointed.
I did get in May Fest and midnight madness and Oktober Fest, so that will be more than 100 dawgs. 🙂
The sad news is those 5000 people don’t play baseball, or if they do, they don’t do it around here.
Best of luck!
Louise
Hey Louise,
100 dogs a day with chips and drinks would make you about $300 a day, or $6000 a month net. I’ll bet that’s more than most of your neighbors make working twice as many hours (and hating what they do). You’re on the right track!
-Steve
Thanks Everyone!
It has not been all easy to this point. Getting a biz started is alot of work. And I work full time. But when I get set up and selling dogs I have a blast.
I have already changed my original menu due to watching my customers as they come up to the cart. They dont have time to read alot and dont want to. A quick glance, order, go. Ok with me, I took off the chili, homemade cheese sauce and nachos. Focus for now will be on regular dogs, jumbo dogs, brats and polish. And awesome fresh steamed buns. Got a skillet set up and carmelize onions, the smell is awsome and they taste great on a sausage. Kids drive sales. I give em a free tootsie pop, they love it. Added Airheads candy so the kids have something they can buy for a quarter. Coffee and hot chocolate are going good to on the chilly nights.
Lucky Dawg, I will have help with the tournaments, and will need it. Dawg House, 400 dogs at an Easter egg hunt is incredible! Louise, the contract with the city was a permit fee(small) and very low % of gross monthy sales that goes right back to adult softball.
Thanks again everybody, things are a little slow to start but am seeing a gradual increase. And cash tracker is an amazing tool. I am so glad Steve put that together.
Red Cart Dave
today was my first day selling dogs, I am so exhausted I cant even tell you about it lol going straight to bed
Dave:
I forgot to mention that I absolutely LOVE your logo! So simple, yet catchy. IMHO, no matter what the name of the HD cart business is, people still call it “That yellow cart over there”, “That guy in front of that store”, “Those 2 gals on that corner”, etc… They never call it by the business name. Again, just personal observation.
It sounds like you’re well on your way to success, plus you’ve just made your life a lot easier w/ that menu change.
Steve, I meant I ‘doubt’ I’ll sell 100 a day, but if I do, I’ll be thrilled. It’s just such a small town, and there is another HD cart who’s quite the professional and has a long line of devout loyal customers.
I’ve always been self-employed, and this will be a 2nd seasonal business for me. Unfortunately (or luckily, depending on which way you look at it), my regular business is picking up pace quite a bit and leaving almost no time to spare.
Worse comes to worse, I’ll be forced to run the HD business on a part-time basis. We’ll see..
PS: Yanks Franks, frankly, your blog was much fun to read. You are a talented writer, and I enjoyed your humour. Goodluck w/ your start-up! I’ll send my Maine friends your way.
Louise
Welcome to our world. Hope you enjoy the work and make lots of dog dollars. I like the matching coolers.
Rick
Hot Dog Heaven of Springfield
Louise and everybody we are in a small town in sw arkansas pop 1764. Even wthout the diamond mine tourists and spring break tourists we are selling 100 hot dogs a day. 6 days a week will double at least in the near future. our repeat business is awsome some folks are here everyday. SoDON’T judge the results by the population. Just serve the best product possible and smile all day long.
Gonna be a “weinerful summer”
Jim & Kay
THE GREAT AMERICAN DAWG WAGON
thats what im talking about LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
Very nice cart, love the colors! Awesome job on landing a prime location. I’m only setting my cart up on Saturdays but I’m hoping that once the weather warms up the catering part of the business picks up. By the way, what viewer is everyone talking about, I’m hoping to catch a view of my cart on there!! Anyway, I wish you much continued success Dave!
Esteban
Stevie’s Red Hot Wienies
i start building on sunday, the local health department seems to be in disaray. i am trying to find a location, i wish my wife was more supportive. what is the biggest challenge that a new hot dogger faces?
oh, my name is Big City Hot Dogs I want to sell vienna beef from chicago and sabrett from new york.
Gordon,
You have named the most common challenges that we all faced when starting our businesses. You’re in good company.
The good news is that none of these obstacles are that hard to overcome. You just need to be persistent.
Persistence is the secret sauce in life.
You don’t have to be overly smart, talented, good looking, or born with a silver spoon. Thank heavens for that or I’d be screwed 😉
Just never give up. Find a way. Make it work.
Others will try to shoot down your idea. That’s another part of being an entrepreneur. Get used to it. You are doing things that others are afraid to do and that can be make people uncomfortable.
They always come around after they see you succeed. Then they act like they were behind you all the time. It’s kind of funny to watch.
Don’t depend on support from others. That puts the power in someone else’s hands. Believe in yourself with all your heart and you can move mountains.
You can do this. It’s not rocket surgery. Follow each step in the action plan one at a time, check it off, and move forward.
Soon you’ll be outside in the sunshine with the smell of hot dogs in the air, listening to music and chatting with customers…
And making more money in four hours than most folks make in eight.
-Steve
I wholeheartedly agree Steve, you have to be persistant and perservere through the tough times, just keep the faith and believe in what you do.
Esteban
wow! just wow!
Yate’ Dave, Just want to thank you and Justin for being such good friends,you both are family in my world. thank you for also honoring my Wife(Ginger ) and Daughter( Mikaela) to many wonderful lunches. I miss those Buffalo and Elk sausages, they are the Best, you spoiled me . Thank you again. So happy you are doing so good. Aho Mi’ tahki ahse( thank you to all my relations)