HDCN reader Chad Wetzel writes,
Steve, As a newbie and someone that is learning and appreciating a lot about the information shared by your followers, I have a topic that I would love to hear more dialogue about? Toppings: What do your vendors suggest as must serve toppings? What are optional but great sellers? Do any of your vendors have unique toppings that have drawn fans? What is the best pricing model for standard (Mustard, Onions, Ketchup, Relish) vs. Gourmet (Chili, Cheese, Sauerkraut, etc.) dogs? Best brands of Cheese? Sauerkraut? Mustard? Etc. You get the idea, alot of questions but I think a fun and broad topic.
Thanks for your consideration,
Chad
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Great topic Chad!
I always advise newbies to keep it simple in the beginning. Stick with the standard ketchup, mustard, relish and onion. You will have more than enough stuff to keep you hopping in the beginning so don’t get carried away.
After you have been slingin’ for a while and you are nice and relaxed, then you can start experimenting with more toppings.
So let’s get to it and use Chad’s questions as a jumping off point for all things condiment related.
Whatcha slingin’?
-Steve
I’ll kick things off. You all know that I’m a Chicago boy so it will come as no surprise that I sling a mean Chicago style hot dog. Mustard, onion, neon green relish, tomato, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt. If you ask for ketchup I’ll give it to you but I’ll have to ask you to eat it somewhere else.
-Steve
Why require someone to eat a hot dog somewhere else if it has ketchup on it? Ketchup is the default thing to put on a hot dog.
LOL Steve, that’s funny. Me being a Cali boy we don’t take our hot dogs as serious as other States. Here in the Bay Area (multicultural) it’s no biggie seeing people put ketchup on their dogs. I myself don’t use ketchup or relish anymore (unless it’s a Chicago style from Al’s, Johnny Rockets in San Jose. They use Vienna dogs. I prefer to taste a good dog’s flavor/snap with mustard and sometimes a little kraut. (can’t believe I’m writing that, used to hate that stuff) I make my own kraut now by the way. I too am a new business owner just starting out and want to offer as many condiments to my customers. (self serve) I am a gourmet chef and I make a spicy ranch dressing. I keep this in my frig on my cart on the down low. I know about the mayo. I am also food safety certified. Not much competition here where I live but the guys I have seen sell “danger dogs” bacon dogs and others (Home Depot) offer Mayo. Here in the Bay Area they are “Yelpers” so they will take the time to review your business. Thank you for this great topic and thanks for the laugh Steve. (This Cali-boy does understand) #ketchupisforkids
Ha! Sounds like you have some tasty stuff happening on your cart. Bravo!
We opened our cart in January…we started with ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, chili and cheese and now expanded to offer things we got repeated requests for, mayo, sauerkraut, cole slaw, jalepeno peppers, hot sauce…still surprised that people arent as interested in buying combos we offer as I thought they would be but summertime may be different.
Yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, ketchup, mayo, relish, slaw, chili, onions, bbq sauce, jalepenos, kraut, cheese (cheddar melted), and if I see something that I find diff. and unique – I will pick it up and try. I also use salsa on occasion. I also have a mac and cheese dog.
Stadium Mustard! Im from Cleveland, Ohio and now living in Rio Ranco, NM and I brought the flavor with me. I have a griddle so I also cook onions and bell peppers for the sausages and sometime the dogs. Jalapeno’s are popular along with sauerkraut.
The must have toppings in my area are Ketchup, mustard, Relish and Sauerkraut. As time went by, repeated requests brought Mayo, Spicey brown mustard and hot sauce. I added Barbecue onions (very popular), chili, horseradish mustard and shredded 4 blend cheese. The barbecue onions go very nicely on a chili dog.
there are different kinds of mustard that can be served easily. Including some already mentioned, I offer a Creole mustard that is popular, Beer steeped kraut with a dash of chili powder and sugar, cant keep it. grill those onions (raw too) try charred onion mayo.. (I mesquite smoke mine, this is Texas after all) a good hot sauce, red and green will be popular. look around your area for something that is regionally made and put it in a squeeze bottle, see how it goes…. yeehaw!!!
Yellow and brown spicy mustard, relish, onions, grated cheddar, tomato wedges, kraut, our own Road Dawg Onion Pepper Relish and our jail house chili.. and ketchup but you gotta ask for it. 🙂
oh, yes, I looked back at the picture above and see a bottle of sriracha.. mix it with ketchup 2:1 and you have sriracha ketchup, delicious.(if you insist on putting ketchup on a dog, and some people do 🙂
Yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, ketchup, mayo(in the small packets), sweet BBQ sauce, Louisiana hot sauce, sweet relish, chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapenos, vinegar based slaw, sauerkraut, and my best selling item- chili.
Whole Grain Mustard, Old Bay Cole Slaw, Carmelized Chipolini Onions, Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Barrel Cured Saurkraut, Chili & “Not Chili”~~Description Sells better than Deception~~ ..and the Standards:
Brown Mustard, Yellow Mustard and sorry Steve but I offer Ketchup~~I Give em what THEY want…. not What I want
Steve,
How Do you Feel about Green Ketchup I have an opening in my Condiment Tray…..
Hi Chad,
When it comes to toppings you can’t lose with the old reliables…mustard,hot mustard, ketchup and relish. On the relish sweet relish is the most popular but have a little dill relish on hand just in case. As far as brands for the above…none really taste that much better than the other. When it comes to kraut…get some that comes out of a jar or even the single serve packets for those who prefer kraut at outside temperatures. I got a lot of requests for mayo and jalepenos so I keep some around. Now with onions…I tried yellow onions and switched to red onions which cost a bit more but the sweet taste puts a big smile on my customers faces keeps ’em comin’ back. My oldest daughter lives in Illinois and gets spoiled with the kind of dogs that Steve speaks of !
Bottom line…variety is the spice of life when it comes to toppings.
-Robert
Mustard, ketchup, chili (no beans), slaw, kraut, sweet onions, pickled red onions, chow-chow, sweet pickle relish & banana-pepper rings.
This year we are adding cheddar cheese and bacon for a “Salty Dog” and hot kraut, swiss cheese & 1,000 island dressing for a “Ruben.”
Hey guys,
Just wondering, I have not heard of chow-chow here on the west coast, what is chow-chow?
chow-chow is (basically) pickled slaw. they have it at most grocery stores here in north carolina. It looks a lot like sauerkraut and tastes a bit like relish. comes in 2 flavors – sweet and hot.
Sounds good!
Welcome back Pocono!
-Steve
Isn’t a chow-chow related to the Sharpei?
-Steve
Rueben dogs – I dig it Jack!
Good stuff Robert!
Thanks Steve, …..been a busy year the bar is up and running so now it is time to tend to the goose that lays the Golden Egg….I dont know much about a chow chow but my psychiatrist made them remove all the SHARPei from my Cell
@ Chris J – vinegar slaw, Mmmm!
link to chow chow recipe. I buy it at walmart.
Thanks Jack!
Wow great topic huh Steve:
We are sorta newbies too as of last year, and really wantged to do chili but it was a nightmare proposition with the HD here in addition to the mess. We spent several hours and long days trying to figure it out as chili was always one of my favorites. We found this “Chili Dog” mustard by Plochmans who also make a “Chicago Fire” version.
We nervously added this to the cart and it was an absolute hit. I can probably count on one hand how many people have asked us if we have chili anyway. We also do melted shredded chedder cheese, Zweigles hot dog sauce, spicy and sweet mustards in addition to the traditional toppings.
Admittedly I really miss the chili gig, but not the mess!
Great tip Bubbadogz!
Oh yeah, hit that blue SHARE button at the left. Let’s get everyone to post their favorite toppings!
I am from Germany and when I had my cart here in Huntsville, AL I offered original Nürnberger Bratwurscht with brown or yellow spicy mustard on a german Brötchen thats how we eat it in my hometown of Stuttgart and it was a big (and simle) hit!
red onion sauce is good.
“Colorado Cuisine with a taste of Southerneze “.. LA Taco Dog(that’s Lower Alabama) –dog on a 6” flour tortilla, Southwest chili,shredded cheese, and Alabama coleslaw.
köstlich!
-Steve
Sounds Howlin’ good, Hank!
One of the mustards we serve is Kosciusko Mustard. It’s made by Plochman’s and it’s really smooth. Once I talk a customer into trying it, they get it every time.
Last year was our first. I had sweet relish and Dill relish. Two of my biggest surprises were, almost nobody wanted dill relish, and it was shocking how much chopped onions we went through. I’m thinking of selling chopped onions and putting hot dogs on top for those that want them.
from philly peppoer/hash is an philly turn of the century topping along with the normal toppings of ketchup spicy mustard along with plain. cooked onions and also raw with kraut and slaw keep us busy-we also have sweet peppers and onions that with always have with the italian sausage people seem to like that on their dogs-KEEP SLINGIN THOSE DOGS
If you are allowed to make your own condiments, here is a wonderful and easy recipe that was given to me by an Old World German woman. Other doggers have tried the recipe and love it.
On the subject of chili…
During the cooler months I’ll use homemade chili on the cart. Otherwise I have found a hot dog chili sauce (generic brand sold at Wal-Mart) that is absolutely awesome ! It is very cheap but oh so delicious ! It’s basically a chili sauce w/o beans which makes it easier for the customers (and me…lol) to stack on the other fixins to compliment that dog. As a matter of fact… I just had some for lunch…ummm !
-Robert
Hey Jack,
That Ruben dog might be a big hit on St. Paddy’s Day this year !
-Robert
the hole idea is KEEP IT SIMPLE guys .
butlers hot dogs
My biggest seller is chili (no beans) topped with cream cheese. Seems kind of weird but I will tell you its delicious. Another big seller is a plain dog with cream cheese.
How about the old california dog by Carl’s jr.They used to serve it in the 80’s. Carl’s made his millions selling hot dogs at first from a hot dog cart in south L.A. It was a Hot Dog with musturd Raw onions chopped and wedges of tomatoes and a large wedge of pickle. It was a great taste combination! Try it
fresh diced sweet onions, grilled onions with some carribean seasoning, wickles relish(no hfcs), local made salsa, jalapeno, and a dog made with cream cheese, bacon, roasted and diced green chilies and some hot sauce!
Cindy thanks for recipe i will love to try that,we carry several kinds of mustards just gives the cart a little more character and people flip when they see all the choices.Even have people calling friends while at the cart asking people if they want a certain flavor mustard. JEFF
chow chow, anything that did not make it to the table during the growing season was canned and pickled into chow chow, lot of receipies out there just google it, and enjoy
Can not stress it enough – Keep it simple – I am going into my 2nd year and loving it but it’s alot more work than folks think it is. So have some fun make lots of money and get use to your SIMPLE operation.
Yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, ketchup, mayo, sweet pickle relish, mayo based slaw, chili no beans, kraut, raw chopped Vidalia sweet onion, the same grilled along w/sweet bell peppers, grated sharp cheddar cheese, adding this year the makings for Chicago style, New York Style & the Reuben Dog. Here in North Carolina our biggest selling toppings are for the Carolina Dog (mustard, ketchup, slaw, chili, onions & cheese)
Here goes: Mustard, Ketchup, Sweet Ralish, Mild Yellow Peppers, Hot Jalapenos Peppers, Fresh Cut Raw Onions, Warm Kraut, Celery Salt, Mayo and my Secret Special Sauce (It’s a Secret) and last but not least Kraft Easy Cheese.
Just for Steve: Ketchup is for the kids dogg, Mustard and Onions is a Yankee Dogg, Warm Kraut is a German Dogg, Speical Sauce is only for a Great Sausage Dogg, Jalapeno and Yellow Peppers on a Dogg is a Mexican Dogg, Sweet Ralish on a Dogg is just a southern thing and Mayo on a dogg is just plain strange but the customers like it. Kraft Easy Cheese is just good to me and now the customers like it too….
Duggs Doggs
Good!! Good!!
Keep it simple. ketchup, mustard and (spicey), relish, bar B Q sauce, hot suace, chopped onions (I buy frozen already diced) sour krout, cheeze and Chilli. I used canned chilli and a food procesor so it pours right on the Hot Dogs! I use a Pre-Cooked Italian Sausage with the Frozen diced onions and peppers. SIMPLE. I have a half season under my belt and should be opening again this week. Good Luck!
wow I tried logging in before from my phone but had no luck, any how I serve sabretts along with a hebrew 1/4 pounder with all the toppings other then chilli for free. I serve a very nice italian sausgaes along with a spicy one for those that like it hot. Brats, kielbasa and some nice jumbo pritzels. all of which can come with onion sause, kraut, spicy relish, sweet relish, some nice seet peppers etc…
but Steve is right guys, you need to know your cart, your spot and what people want.
Tony
Wow, looks like this thread took off. Some really good ideas here!
If you are in a situation that allows you to have homemade chili you can’t go wrong with Cincinati Style chili on hot dogs. It’s got a sweet chocolaty, allspice, kind of flavor that is addicting. People always buy the 2nd dog because their brain is trying process the flavors. If you google Skyline Chli recipe you can find the recipe. Make large batches and freeze it. Do not ever put any kind of beans in hot dog chili or you will lose customers.Sprinkle shredded cheese from Sam’s Club, squeeze a line of spicy mustard and spoon on a tablespoon of finely chopped sweet onions. This constitutes the perfect hot dog. (sorry Chicago but this is the real deal). Patrick
keep it real. and keep it simple. I went to the restaurant Depot and purchased to squirt dispensers one giant bottle of mustard and one giant bottle of ketchup. I save money by buying in bulk. I purchased relish by the case and onions by the sack. I quickly learned in this business keeping supply costs down generates higher profit margins. I constantly get different customers suggesting different toppings. if I were to satisfy everyone’s favorite topping it would cut into my profits and some of it would go to waste by the end of the day. I serve up a high quality beef dog and I also throw in a beef cube in the cooking water which seems to enhance the flavor. I use an average hot dog role that I get a deal from at the price club. steam the roles of little bit and you have one delicious hot dog. even though I did not have some of the toppings they requested nobody complained about the quality of my product. I will occasionally bring in an extra topping only if I can get it had a good sale price. to further save money I will be contacting the Coca-Cola bottling Co. to see if I can get a discount rate for beverages. in return I will advertise their logo on my cart. I will be doing the same with the chip vendor. and I’ve already done this for my hot dogs. you’ll be surprised all you have to do is call and ask for a sales representative and nine times out of 10 they will be more than happy to help you out. my hot dog vendor even supplied me with a very nice umbrella for free and some other advertising goodies. as long as you agree to promote their product they are more than happy to give you free bees and discounts. more money in your pocket not to mention a more professional looking business .
sonic got the right toppings but the worst dogs they taste like a salt stick i use a herford beef 5to1 from sysco
Great thread! One of my favorite topics because in these parts I am known as the “King of Condiments”. When I first started I used the typical ketchup, mustard, relish & onion that everyone else starts with. MORK as I like to call it. But as my business started to grow I started adding flavors, primarily because I was getting bored. You might say, I am my most frequent customer although I’m not much of a tipper.
So all you “Keep It Simple” types beware you’re gonna cringe when you read this. If KISS works for you great, but I’m ADD so I need a lot more variety to keep me happy.
In addition to ketchup & mustard, I am now up to 10 different mustards and 8 different hot sauces. I use name brand sauces in recognizable bottles. I use the smallest size bottle that the companies make to display the sauces but buy in the big bottles to save money and refill the small ones. I line these up on my customer side shelf for everyone to see and they’re all self-serve. I market this as our “Signature Mustard & Hot Sauce Bar”. I have had people approach the cart and tell me they weren’t hungry but they saw their favorite XYZ sauce and couldn’t stop thinking of how good a dog would be with that sauce on it.
On the service side of the cart I keep the following: fresh diced onions, sweet relish, sauerkraut, homemade cole slaw, shredded cheddar, hot salsa, jalapeno & banana peppers, & of course chili (coney sauce). This year I’m adding pre-cooked bacon, a sweet mango/pineapple chipotle and a black bean corn salsa. This selection allows for a myriad of different taste combinations and regional style dogs.
I’ve learned what quantities to put out to avoid excessive waste. On my cart I have a deep narrow condiment cooler. I keep everything in 12, 24 & 32 oz containers in the bottom of the cooler. The lid to the cooler is the condiment server and it fits into a SS tray with handles on each end for quick removal. I got away from ice and have switched to reusable freeze paks. I get them free at Restaurant Depot every time I’m there. I put paks in the cooler with the large containers and in the condiment server. Everything stays good and cool and fresh and because it’s all so convenient it only takes a second to refill the individual containers. That way I’m not dumping out a bunch of stuff everyday.
I also found an easy way to deal with chili. I found a heavy ceramic or stoneware type open top cylinder that sits in water (doesn’t float) in my deep water pan where I boil the dogs. It’ll hold about 12-14 ounces of chili and because it’s shorter than the half pan my lid sits flush. I use a notched lid so I can leave a half oz SS ladle in the chili to serve with. Because it’s stoneware it retains heat well. So I don’t have to run my propane all the time. Just like the condiments I make up about 1-2 quarts and put into a plastic container and then freeze. When I go out I put it in my meat cooler where it remains semi-frozen all day. Heat some up to get started and then add small amounts at a time throughout the day. Again less waste if you don’t use it all.
In order of popularity on my cart: the undisputed #1 is yellow mustard, followed by: diced onions, ketchup, chili, sweet relish, cheddar cheese, sauerkraut, peppers, etc.
I also occasionally grill peppers and onions if I’m doing italian sausage or warm sauerkraut for bratwurst. Here’s a few tips I can share. My signature chili is nothing more than 2 different canned hot dog sauces mixed with a little “secret” spice added to make it my own. Cole slaw can be expensive and doesn’t keep well. Buy a bag of the long coarse cut cabbage. It’s fairly cheap, keeps much better than the finely chopped cabbage or the cole slaw itself and has a wonderfully different texture that people are not used to. Before I head out I take a big handful and add (in equal portions) mayo & slaw dressing, a little sugar and/or salt to taste. It only takes about 5 minutes to make fresh cole slaw. Because it’s such a small amount if I don’t serve any that day it’ll keep for another day or I’ll eat it for dinner but it’s rare I bring any home.
For crying out loud…market your condiments. What makes you different than any other hot dog vendor in your area. Any blind monkey can steam or boil a dog, it’s the condiments that turn the tube steak into the entree de force. I have setup right next to other dog vendors and cleaned their clocks because all they had was MORK.
The one exception is large high volume events. I still put out the sauces and mustards for eye appeal. But I set up 2 condiment stations with onions, relish, sauerkraut and big pump ketchups & mustard where they can help themselves. At these events it’s all we can do to stuff a dog on a bun and smile as we are taking their cash. Hope y’all have a great season.
I have an apple chicken sausage that I serve with mango chutney and gorgonzola cheese.
I also ave a wasabi mayo dog and a dog that comes with bacon, cream cheese and pureed jalepenos.
For a newbie like me, this is like paying for a semester’s worth at the Harvard Hot Dog Business School without the high collar. From what I gather, it seems like you start out with MORK (I’m gonna use that Fat Daddy) and slowly introduce more variety for testing. Being creative and original can by your ticket to success or income loss so start small and keep your costs and prep time down. Use short cuts like cold packs, self-serve stations, pre-prepped or cooked products and sauces like the Chili Dog mustard by Plochmans to maximize profits. Most of all though, having fun and doing it with a smile is always stressed. I’m thankful for everyone here. Cheers!
I also being from NC, Buns On The Run likes to keep it simple also. Mustard, Spicy Mustard, Ketchup, Vidalia Onions, a great chili bought at a local meat market, Jalapeno’s, Shredded cheese, sauerkraut for Brats, pickle relish and of course slaw.
I have thought about having a specialty dog, but in my area, most folks just like a dog with mustard, chili, onions and slaw.
To the usual mix we added fire roasted tomatos and celery salt. It was a pretty big hit.
relish green type,onions,mustard,and sour cream,covered with chili yumm
I spent most my life in central NY and moved to GA 8 years ago. They have no good hot dogs down here. Since my programming job went to India and have been unable to find gainful employment, I’m really thinking seriously of starting up a business.
The best dog ever is one on a New England style roll, toasted and buttered, with a Hoffman Sausage German frank, grilled not boiled, with only mustard and sweet relish. I believe putting to many different toppings takes away the flavor of the franks.
Thanks for all the great tips! I’m from Hawaii and I found an old ’70’s NYC Admar cart that I just got done refurbishing (amazingly well built cart, only a couple of rusty screws and of course the burners decintagrated long ago. Funny, it used to have a fountain drink setup too). For regional condiments I am planning to offer Banana Ketchup (filipino style), Mayo/Mustard mix (it’s a local thing), Thai sweet chili, Teriyaki, Wasabi Mayo, and pineapple relish. Debating on the chili thing. Oh, and of course I will still have “MORK”… but no Mindy:-)
Great Topic! This is my second year in the business, and I am hoping for a banner year. The 100 degree temps last summer killed my sales for 3 solid months, and keeping food fresh was almost impossible. I’m gonna look into those freeze packs, because ice was a huge expense.
What is the best grilled onion recipe?
Thanks,
Tod
When it gets hot out – sell cold. Shaved ice, lemonade, sno cones, are all easy to do and can bring in as much moolah as hot dogs do.
-Steve
Here in south Fla. we have pink sauces (mix ketchup and mayo) its very big in the latin comunity and pineapple relish. my best seller is still grilled onions and sweet chili dog
Just started selling hot dogs,bratwurst&bavarian
smokies, of course I have mork also saute onions & saurkaut I,m starting simple hope
to add cheese,chili,slaw,and bacon.
I jus’t started on Maui, Great ideas, thing a little diffrent out here, but dawgs r sellin!!$$$$$
Keep it SIMPLE is the name of the game. Gotta move the people through. Mustard,(brown, yellow, di-john, Grey poupon), onions, sauerkraut, chili, ketchup(terrible). That should do it. Good roll and a natural casing dog and you got it.
John in Virginia
I’ve been lurking around here for months soaking up the accumulated hot dog wisdom like a sponge. 8 years ago I moved to Columbus Ohio with the dream of getting my own hot dog cart. Well, life got in the way, had a good paying job when the economy is better, and lost it when the economy tanked. Somehow I managed to completely forget about my dream. Still trying to figure out how that happened. I now work 2 part time jobs where I have to take orders from 20 year old kids (I’m 37 btw) go home in a lot of pain and clear maybe $750 a month if I’m lucky. Yeesh, shoulda stuck with my original plan. Well, my eyes are back on the prize now and I’ll be picking up Steve’s trifecta of products as soon as I can pick up enough temp labor hours when the weather cools down next month. Ok, enough of my boring life story, I have questions.
1) I cannot for the life of me find the post again, but to the guy who gets frozen chopped onions: could you tell me what brand you use and how much they cost?
2) I keep hearing about people who serve hot pretzels here and there. To those that do:
how do you pull that off? Is there some gas powered pretzel gizmo I haven’t found yet, or do you boogerjack some method with your steam pans or what?
3) I don’t know if I’m even allowed to do chili yet, but if so I had an idea I was hoping for input about to see if it would work: what if you took some of those standard dispenser bottles everyone gets from the restaurant supplier and cut the cone thingies on the lids down so that the hole is bigger, fill with chili and chuck ’em in hot water. I keep seeing posts about various and sundry ways to avoid lots of mess and burnt chili. If this idea could made to work, then the chili would be kept under tight control while serving, be kept from direct heat and hot metal, and be easily stored if not all is used. What do you guys think, am I off my nut or could this actually work?
4) Here is my list of potential condiments, which do you guys think would sell best to start out with?
TOPPINGS ideas
Plochman’s Yellow Mustard
Plochman’s Spicy Horseradish
Plochman’s Chili Dog Sauce
Plochman’s Honey Dijon Mustard
Plochman’s Spicy Peppa Mustard
Plochman’s Premium Dijon Mustard
Plochman’s Chicago Fire Mustard
Cleveland Stadium Mustard
Loeb’s Onion Crunch
Hormel Bacon Bits
Sabrett’s Red Onion Sauce
Betty Crocker Bac-Os
Kraft Easy Cheese Cheddar
Kraft Easy Cheese Sharp Cheddar
Kraft Easy Cheese Cheddar & Bacon
Kraft Easy Cheese American
Heinz Ketchup
Heinz Ketchup Kickr’s
Vlasic Sweet Relish
Vlasic Sweet Roasted Red Pepper
Vlasic Hot Jalapeño Slices
Vlasic Mild Banana Pepper Rings
Vlasic Hot Banana Pepper Rings
Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
Tabasco Hot Pepper Sauce
Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
Tabasco Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce
Tabasco Buffalo Style Sauce
Tabasco Habanero Pepper Sauce
Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce
Tabasco Sweet & Spicy Pepper Sauce
Tabasco Teriyaki Sauce
Super Hot Sauce of the Week from HotSauceWorld.com
Ore_Ida Chopped Onions
[Swanson beef broth for boiling dogs]
I know, right? That’s a lot, but bear in mind I’m already designing a mega-condiment rack to add to my cart and all of this stuff comes in it’s own containers/dispensers so it’s mostly grab and squirt.
Apologies for the super-long post, but I’m one of those guys who don’t post often but run off at the keyboard for ten years when I do.
Many thanks and best wishes.
Anyone from Toronto? Looking for the hot pepper mix from a yellow truck downtown near the CNtower. Any help appreciated. Thanks
Wow! We were looking for information on what type of onion to use when you can’t do fresh ones and I got lots of input there. My husband and i are retired and needed some extra income and thought this would be a way to generate that and have fun too. Have enjoyed reading all the comments and learned a lot. Thanks!
This is the place to be for the best hot dog vending info. My readers are the reason why – they are the best. That now includes you, Jeanie – welcome!
WOW… What else can I say? Great group we have here.
Yes we do. I always say I have the best readers in the dogosphere!
Hey all! Do you think it is too risky to make homemade salad dressings with a mayo base? Im thinking about making thousand island dressing. I just worry about the shelf life. ;}
If done right it will be safe. Keep it below 40 degrees at all times. Before you try this, run it by your health inspector first.
Also, any suggestions for a condiment dispenser? How big of a insert size is good? Pint? Quart? I guess it depends on how busy you get but I keep seeing my self constantly refilling the condiment tray. Just a thought Thanks :}
Having to constantly refill is a good problem ;-). Most start out with the pint size and move up in size as their business increases. Good question Christine!
Hey everyone, great topic and great feedback. It really is a tremendous help to gather all the opinions and fact patterns of each vendor’s own experience. I’ll be starting up very shortly in my spot. My question is on grilled/cooked onions: Will freezing in batches have a negative affect? How often do those of you make your onions that are cooked, especially if not allowed to grill on cart? It would be ideal for the week’s batch to hold for a week well refrigerated, so that no more than one trip to commissary is needed per week. I’ve read that you should not really hold onions more than 3-5 days in fridge though. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (As for chili, I will be making in larger quantities and freezing) As for sauerkraut I will be using fresh daily I would imagine.
Hey Mark,
Yes you can freeze cooked onions in batches. As far as batches in the fridge, that should pose no problem from a health safety perspective however taste and consistency may suffer. Make up a batch, put it in your fridge and do a taste test each day. You will find out how long you can keep them.
OMG…This is so great! I can’t believe I found this page. I’m not a Vendor but this year for Easter I have decided to do “Out to the Ballpark” as our theme, and I was looking for conidments/topping ideas to jazz up boring old hot dogs. I can honestly say that I found all the info I needed right here. Thanks so much!
50 years ago, when hunting/backpacking into the wild (well okay a mile from civilization) I packed light, so a few slices of bread, a small container of peanut butter, container of jelly (usually Mom’s county fair prize winning chokecherry), for PBJ sandwich for one meal, and for second meal, hot dogs, but would usually forget Ketchup, mustard to top the dogs. We’d toast the white Wonder bread slice rare (wave it over our camp fire a couple of times to singe the outside leaving inside slightly moist and tender) spread jelly and eat, yum. The Wimmer’s brand hot dogs were either boiled, fried or grilled depending on what utensils we had available.
Sounds great!
Hi, I am new to this hot dog cart life and we plan on opening our cart this spring, should be fun, thanks for all the info that is here we really appreciate it. Now, it is my turn for putting some information out there. I want to address the concern people have about mayo and keeping it cool outside. Most, if not all mayos, have a high PH of around 4.2 – 4.5 and if the mayo is a commercially made it was definitely made with pasteurized eggs which makes it virtually impossible for those pesky little micro-organisms to invade the dressing and make you sick.
Years ago some people made their own mayo and may have used unpasteurized eggs which of course could possibly cause issues, leading to the horror stories of people getting sick from potato salad left in the trunk and other interesting events. My mother worked for the health department for years and I have been Serve-Safe certified for many years (we owned a restaurant a few years ago) and in all the Serve-Safe classes I have taken they have told us that mayo does NOT need to be refrigerated even if it is outside.
With that said, your local health departments may have rules and or regulations that require mayo to be refrigerated for some reason and of course you must follow their policies. With all this said, please check with your local authorities and follow what they recommend or require and you won’t go wrong.
BTW, is there anyone out there who can break down the cost of purchasing the needed items, including condiments, and the best selling prices so I may try and figure out our possible profit. Thanks for your time.
Thanks Art! I used your excellent comment as the basis of an article. You can read it here:
https://hotdogprofits.com/blog/keeping-mayonnaise-cool-on-your-hot-dog-cart/
Ps I use mayo packets. They don’t need refrigeration but I do.
I serve everything you suggest. You are right on with the two condiment tables. Great idea. I will be doing that 4th of July. Thank You
Have been retired for 7 years. My husband restored a 1938 bread truck,
And we have a cart, steam and barbeque. We work hard, when we work.
After 7 years in business’s they look for us.
I love all of these ideas. Check us out Divcodogs.com
Beth Top Dog
Heinz came out with a jalapeno ketchup, very popular here. I also make my own “Fry Sauce”, another winner.
I sell a lot of Pa Dutch corn dogs but not with corn batter, I grill dogs and put in a bun and spoon thick creamed corn over top. Also like Rubin Dogs too.
Our church runs a stand to make money for different non profit organizations in town. Also make a unique variety of burgers.
I am having a tough time finding kraut that is tasty. I prefer Bavarian with the seeds. Has more kraut flavor. The plain sauerkraut just doesn’t taste good, to me anyway. I keep it heated in a small slow cooker on warm but doesn’t take long for it to get bitter.
I have a local meat packer that sells me a jalapeno and pepper jack cheese stuffed jumbo dog. Oh my are they good.
I know what you mean. I like the Bavarian kraut with caraway.
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