Hot Dog Cart Umbrella Wind Strategies
Steve,
One problem I’ve been having, especially this season, is the wind breaking my umbrellas while I work. It’s fairly windy where I set up and I’ve already gone through 5 umbrellas this year. The ones I use are supposedly heavy duty, but even the company I bought them from says they are not intended for use in gusty winds.
I hate having to take mine down when there’s more than a casual breeze. The umbrella is sort of an iconic symbol of the hot dog cart, after all. But I also get tired of paying to constantly pay to have the spokes welded. Is there a solution, a strong umbrella your readers would recommend?
Thanks,
Dave
Dogs For Dogs
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Hi Dave,
I agree with you – you should never fold up your umbrella any time that you are open. It’s a sales killer.
You need to draw attention. It’s the first step in the sales process. If they don’t notice you, they won’t buy from you. Period.
Your umbrella is an important part of the attention getting process!
Here are two articles that I wrote a while back that will definitely help. Be sure to read the comments because some of the best info is shared there by the many pro hot doggers that hang out here at Hot Dog Profits. I have the BEST readers – thanks guys and gals!
Hot Dog Cart Umbrella Wind Solution Update
Hot Dog Cart Umbrellas and Dealing With the Wind
Now go wind proof your hot dog cart umbrella!
-Steve
Both those posts suggest the key is trying things down better, but I’ve seen others with my exact cart setup with bent/broken umbrella holders on their carts after the wind collapsed them because physics usually prevails. So I will generally close the umbrella, but leave it in the stand rather than try to over engineer a solution.
Put a big “OPEN” sign on all sides of your cart to make sure they know you are not shutting down… I have some signs with velcro and some made of magnetic material so it sticks to the bun shelves better than an umbrella can ever stick to my cart in wind.
Thanks Tbone!
Aye matey.
When she blows on the river sometimes it’s just to much.
Being out in the open there isn’t any thing we can do but bring in the sails !!
We have tried bungees but the wind is too strong.
Better to bring it in than replace it.
Like Steve says, it is an eye catcher & we fly it when ever we can.
Good luck mateys !!
1St Mate Jim.
Reef ‘yer brella swab!
Aye Stevee !!
Ye don’t mess with Mother Nature Or the Ole Sea Hag !!
Arrrr har har harrrrrrr !!
1St Mate Jim.
I have used a vinyl fabric umbrella to great success. All depends if it is 50 mph the ketchup and mustard might not stay on anyway? All umbrellas to be honest have a life span but the vinyl ones also clean up like new. Don’t know the make and uncertain of colour availability but mine is red and white. Love the rainbow umbrella pictured but it is amazing how readily customers identify with red and white. Should last at least several seasons these things are quality stitched, clean like a breeze and built to withstand high winds without damage. Money well spent IMHO
I guess I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve only lost one and that was a cheapy from Big Y. The cart umbrella that came with it has held up extremely well, sometimes taking gusts that rocked the cart. It’s held up for 6 seasons and we get some pretty stiff wind here in the spring.
Push cart USA has a red and yellow Frankford umbrella for $151 and it holds up well here in Pennsylvania. Sometimes I leave it up all night long and it never breaks unless you forgot and drove away like I did lol that is why I had to buy another. Sometimes the wind will gust up to 50 or 60 miles an hour here.
Thanks gentlemen. Those are really good ideas to keep your umbrella from breaking up. I am just getting ready to launch my business so these ideas are very helpful. Thanks again.
Barb
I have had the same umbrella for six years. I had the misfortune of a rib breaking last year while holding the umbrella down in the wind(hard to make a sale with only one hand plus the wrapper or bun keep blowing away) I went home and fixed the umbrella by using alum tape and and old steel rib from a pop-up tent that had broken (in the wind). To give the pole(wooden) more support I found a piece of PVC (pipe/tube) and alum taped to the upper part of the pole (with the female end inside) leaving about 6/8 inches of tube to guide the other end into then screw both together. The new design has greatly made the pole stronger no need to worry about the pole snapping off or holding, bungees mounted on the sides hold the umbrella in place. Now, to fix the wind blowing the wrapper or bun out of my hand.
“sell em’ all”
One thing that really has helped me is to bungy cord the umbrella to the cart in a couple of spots so that if a gust of wind comes up all areas of the umbrella are secured evenly.
Haven’t lost one yet and we get those ‘micro -bursts’ from time to time here in the Denver area.