Hot Dog Cart News subscriber Rick Richards asked me for some help with a problem.
First, we need to clarify something. Rick doesn’t have a problem, he has a challenge. What’s the difference? Problems suck. Challenges rock.
Rick writes…
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Steve,
I setup at a small strip mall on weekends but I keep talking to people and scouting out new areas. This week I went up to a new big construction site just starting up and talked to the owner. He was impressed and told me it would be ok but we would have to wait about a month, when the site is safer. He also mentioned he had talked to a guy with a burrito truck, so we would split the week up. They have approx. 115 workers and setup would be for lunch time only so it would be about a 3 hr gig including setup time and breakdown.
It’s just me (no helper) and I’m worried about getting them served quickly. I know I will have extra condiments set up so they can load and go. I had just bought and extra 2’x4′ folding table and needed an excuse to buy a 10’x10′ canopy, which I now own. What my concerns are is how much to cook. I serve Hebrew National dogs and the same brand Polish Sausages. I don’t want to hold them up as I cook more and I don’t want to waste a bunch. How would you setup if you were in my shoes? And how much to cook?
Oh I also am waiting on an appointment with the Chief of Police to get permission to setup in front of the county office building. This is something I could have checked into much earlier but I listened to the wrong person stating, “that would be impossible”. Should have checked it out myself…..duh.
Thanks for any assistance,
Rick Richards
DOG’N IT
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Hey Rick, Sounds like you just landed what professional sales people refer to as “a whale”. A whale is a big client, account, sale, or stream of income. We should all be searching for whales because they have the potential to take your business to the next level overnight.
The first thing to do when you hook into a whale is to take a deep breath and calm down. Whales are exciting, but they are also a bit scary, especially if you’ve never caught one before. Relax, you can handle it.
The second thing to keep in mind is that there will be a few kinks to work out. Don’t freak out if it doesn’t go perfectly the first day. You can’t foresee everything and each gig has a personality of it’s own. Be prepared to adapt to a new way of doing things. It won’t be rocket science, just pay attention to the flow of customers, identify bottle necks, and figure out how to improve the process the next time.
A simple way to aid the flow of customers is to have your condiment table set up a few feet away from the cart. This “clears the aisle” and keeps people moving through. Take the money, hand them a plain hot dog, and move ’em out. Once they have the dog in their hand you are off the hook. If they have to wait in line for condiments they won’t blame you, they’ll blame the guy in front of them. Of course if the condiment line gets too crowded, you’ll have to address this issue.
An easy way to double the capacity of your condiment line is to make it two sided. Set up your condiment table in such a manner that it is accessible from both sides.
You should be able to handle that size crowd by yourself with no problem. I would have four dozen dogs hot and in the steamer before the bell rings. Don’t steam the buns unless you have a separate, dedicated steamer. Buns take up a lot of room and your steamer capacity will be at a premium. Keep an eye on your hot stock and add more dogs to the boiler when you start running low if the line warrants it.
Don’t be bummed if you have a lot of stock left over when the rush subsides. Make a note of how many you served and shoot for that number next time. After a few days at this gig you will have a really good handle on expected quantity. It’s much better to have to eat a few dogs than to make customers wait.
In fact, when I had my permanent location and an employee running it, it would get ticked off if I showed up for tear down at the end of a shift and there were no dogs in the steamer. The employee thought she was saving me money by not having to throw out stock, but if a customer had shown up at that moment, they would have had to wait seven minutes. Seven minutes feels like seven hours when you are waiting for “fast” food. Nine times out of ten they walk. And they don’t come back.
And finally, I think the most important lesson we can take away from this letter is the last paragraph, “Oh I also am waiting on an appointment with the Chief of Police to get permission to setup in front of the county office building. This is something I could have checked into much earlier but I listened to the wrong person stating, “that would be impossible”. Should have checked it out myself…..duh.”
How many times do people tell us something is impossible – and we just believe them? The fact is that the person you asked thought it was impossible. What do they know? A lot of times, not much. Always question what you hear. Poke around. Turn over rocks and kick through leaves. Persevere.
My own personal rule of thumb is five “no’s” before I go. And a lot of times I don’t stop at five.
Good luck Rick, I know you’ll do great and this will lead to more good things for you. You’ve got a whale, matey! Grit your teeth and give me your best “Aaaargh!”
If you have any tips for Rick, leave them in the comments. Thanks!
-Steve
A thought on having extra hot dogs is to take the extras and immediaetley refrigerate them to reuse the next day. If they are steamed they should hold their juices and texture. The next day you can recook them. Hot Dogs are precooked before you ever warm them and my health department has provided me the blessing to reuse if properly handled. I also checked with a major hot dog manufacturer and they said there is no chance of food poisining if handled correctly. I would suggest confirming this with your health department and good luck.
That is awesome advice, I’m in the same boat! I had to serve 80 people at one time and prepped 120 dogs just in case people wanted 2. I also set my table up farther away so the line didn’t get stuck. My latest job requires me to get an extra burner to store cooked dogs in an extra half pan.
Rick,
Thanks so much for posting and asking for help. My wife and I will be retirng soon and entering the hot dog business. I have always wanted to sell hot dogs and I’m thankful I can finally do it. I wish you the most success. Even though I will be a “rookie”, if you need encouragement feel free to contact me. Encouraging others is my strength; I’m a minister (LOL).
Great article. Nice info to have as a newbie in the burgeoning phases of building my cart.
Great direction Steve. One other hint comes to mind. You would be surprised at how many of those construction workers have smart phones. Send out a flyer with your phone number, tweet, etc. and allow them to order ahead. Bag their lunch with their name on the bag and collect the money at the express line. Often they will round up the charge just to pay and run.
I’ve been in sales for many years and finally jumping ship to start slinging this summer. In my experience, the most successful people I know are the one’s who didn’t know that it couldn’t be done.
My uncle taught me that you can ask a hundered times and get 99 no’s… but what you are looking for is only one yes!
They are right, prep for a huge crowd, you can chill them down if you don’t use them all. All beef hotdogs hold the best (and dont turn green in the steam)
Don’t heat your buns, you dont have too. Set them in the sun, and use the solar energy.
Bring extra condiments in containers that you just open and drop on the table, that way you are not loosing customers to having to wait for you to re-fill condiments.
Why don’t you talk to the burrito guy and one of you set up on one side of the construction site, and you on the other. That way you could both work the site at once, everyday!
And remember, construction workers love candy and candy bars. Load em in a tupperware container, freeze them and then toss them into a cooler. They will hold the cold right through lunch and you dont have to put ice near them (which will ruin them if it gets to them)
God bless in your new venture! Dixie!
Don’t give up on your county building idea. I was told no by a number of people. I finally petitioned the mayor’s office and got my spot across from the courthouse. Monday I go back to work!
Dixie, I like your idea for the candy bars, I think I’m going to implement it this year! Thanks. Everyone on here has some awesome ideas, I hope everyone on here continues to post and they continue to have much success! I know that this is the year that Stevie’s Red Hot Wienies is going to turn the corner and become huge!
With a big crowd like that, I find the big containers of ketchup and mustard from Sam’s club with the pumps installed to be very handy. Takes quite a bit to empty those things.
On the original post though, I used to set up at a local airport by the hangers and sold dogs during their lunch hour. There were 3 lunch shifts, one at 11:00, one at 11:30 and the final one at 12:00. I too, work alone so it got a bit overwhelming the first time I did it. I was lucky though, someone who was waiting for her order jumped in and gave me a hand taking orders and money. Needless to say I learned from that experience so I decided that they would put their own condiments. I also made the mistake of not having enough food cooked so I was caught with my pants down but again, I learned from that first time! Always have enough food ready when your customer is ready and in a hurry!
It works for me!
Can you serve 20 dogs in 6 minutes?
Put 20 on in the tank, take the 20 and put them in the bun, now put the bun in a foil bag like they use at the baseball stadiums. Your 20 up while you have 20 more cookin for six minutes. Get yourself a food warmer, gas or sterno, get a full size pan with grate and cover, keep em warm in there, Repeat with the nex 20. You can use as many as you have room to cook for. The foil bag saved me allot of time and help in a rush situation.
Good Selling!
First of all, thanks Steve for posting this and thanks for the advise. I want to thank all of you for taking the time to help with your ideas, which are great and for helping me not feel so overwhelmed. I’ll post after my 1st day at the site to let you all know how things went.
Thanks again.
Would it be advisable to not carry chili or kraut for the simple reason of time?
Just an after thought.
Critical Non Essential…1st Time..Over Staff…Bring extra staff till you get it down pat.You can have all the product you want to bring, but if you can’t get your product to the customer, what good is it?
I am a firm believer in working in an organized controlled manner, with a high sense of customer urgency. Yes you will be compared to the other guy…sorry that’s life. Construction site? bring a well clothed female that knows how to work and understands why you are there. Bring a wild tip bucket too.
joe
This has been one of my favorite episodes Steve. Very informative and encouraging. I really like the input from other HotDoggers. Run for it Rick!!! You sound like you really got it going on…
Richard, good point. As long as the dogs don’t stay in the “danger zone” (between 41°F – 135°F) for more than four hours they will be fine. Personally, I would try to get them back under 40°F in an hour or less.
Sounds like you’re doing great Brian!
Thanks for the source of encouragement George. Good stuff.
Wonderful tip Jack. Thanks for your input!
“In my experience, the most successful people I know are the one’s who didn’t know that it couldn’t be done.”
Quote of the day. Thanks Mike! True, true.
You are right Ron, this is a numbers game.
Great tips Wanda! I always look forward to your input!
Mary Jane – You Go Girl!!! Congrats on not taking no for an answer!
Great advice Esteban!
Judging from what you told me on the phone, this IS the year for Stevie’s Red Hot Weenies. You have some big plans, my brother from another mother!
I use those too Eltz. Great for assembly line doggin.
Great process Gary. In a big crowd situation having a process is mandatory.
Rick,
I would try the chili and kraut. You can always ditch it if it proves too cumbersome. Apply the chili yourself. Put the kraut on the condiment table. See how it goes…
Not a bad idea Joe, especially in the beginning. Thanks for your great comment!
Glad you liked it Chuck. Thanks for being here!!!
Great Job!!! I was searched out by an old customer from my Pizza place. He found out I was Working feasts and corners. He is opening 18 mini golf courses and wanted me to sell my Pizza slices and Hotdogs.
Only I would have to serve from his out building and pay a high rent. So tk save money I pitched him on a food cart, how much the customers would love food cart! I really had to sell him on Idea. After a couple weeks of going back and fourth and coming up with a way I can sell Pizza slices as well as my Home made sausage and Hot dogs, and telling him he should use the outbuilding for Icecream and give me small area I can make dough and cook pizza with a 110 20″ stone deck oven he was convinced. Now original offer was for all locations. I am starting with 5 on a 5 year contract with option to add carts on my own pace as I wish or not! The best thing is the rent!! I’m only using what was dead space in his outbuilding to prep so my rent is 5% but if I end up in all locations and hit a certant # it will go to 15% I already know 5 is enough. I guess what I’m saying is stay consistent with your food. If you sell a nasty dog and get regulars don’t change a thing, If you sell great Dogs again Dint change a thing! In my opinion the biggest reason people fail in the food industry is do to a change in product. That’s all products mayo,cheese,condiments everything must stay the same for the life you your business . Good luck great job and don’t sweat it play with your dogs sometimes running out of dogs is a good thing as it gives the illusion of wow that guy sold out!! It must be good. It will take about 3 weeks to get a solid inventory
Great job Anthony!!!
I agree with Joe – construction workers + nicely dressed and cute female = $$$!