One of the best hot dog cart paint job I’ve ever seen – I absolutely love it!
Joyce Frederick wrote in to tell me about her hot doggin’ success story, but what grabbed me was the paint scheme on her cart. You MUST check out the pictures below!
The wraparound shelf is nothing short of genius. So is the recessed water heater and the three compartment sink set up.
The Frederick’s cart just oozes quality and attention to detail. I DIG it!
Joyce writes…
Dear Steve,
I’ve been meaning to email you for a couple months now….it took a while due to funding and worker availability, but our hot dog cart got up and running this June. Just wanted to thank you for providing my family with this great opportunity. Can’t even remember how we found you, I think we just decided that a hot dog cart was a good business to get in, and found your website through a search.
Your E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart plans were easy to follow, and as you can see, we modified them slightly. Your plans make it easy for simple modifications. We had a great health inspector who went through the process with us and got us licensed according to the new health code regulations that will be in force this November. Thanks for the good tips on that!
For being in business only a few months, we are off to a great start after some minor set-backs. We live in the Oklahoma City area, and we were hoping to take our cart into the city to set up, but it’s not allowed. Nevertheless, we got a great gig every Friday & Saturday night at one of the biggest nightclubs in the area.
We also have been to several festivals and other events. In fact, last weekend, we out-sold the local football team’s booster club! We do that by following your advice–great presentation, a squeaky-clean cart, and selling quality hot dogs, polish sausages and hot links.
We added a grill, as you can see. After steaming the hot links and sausages, we throw them on the grill for a crispy crunch, and throw them back in the steam pan to keep them moist.
Just signed up for the newsletter, can’t wait to get more involved in the hot dog community. Feel free to post my pix on your page–we’re proud of our little cart!!
Thanks again,
Joyce Frederick
Freedom Franks
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The red, white, and blue paint job on your E-Z Built cart really got to me. What a great idea Joyce! I was truly moved when I opened your email and saw the photos.
Maybe it’s because of my love for this great country of ours. Maybe it’s the fact that we can start our own business and earn our daily bread the way WE want to. Maybe it’s because…
We have the choice to be self sufficient and make our own living – without the boot of THE MAN on our necks.
Great, great job Fredericks! You should be very proud. You did it!
Readers – let’s all help Joyce by sharing this on Facebook. Just click the blue button at the left.
-Steve
P.S. I’m seriously thinking of re-painting my own cart after seeing this.
Click the picture for a larger version.
Awesome. Hot dogs and America. Now that’s tastey. I wish much continued success! Keep Doggin’
Great looking cart. I was extremely interested in hearing how you steam, grill and them steam again. Do ;you use skinless dogs? When steaming is there water in your pan or is it strictly steam?
I´m with Steve on this one. We could ALL repaint our carts in Old Glory, red, white and blue. Super and simple idea that goes well in any setting in America. Every American holiday is a shoe-in for this motiff! Very good indeed.
Amazing looking cart! Good luck, Joyce.
Great looking cart – we wish you the best. FYI – in your picture I noticed you have your propane tank laying on it’s side. Please look into this. I have always heard that your tank should always stand up. Again Good Luck !!!!
The cart looks awesome! It’s my understanding you are not suppose to put a propane tank on it’s side.
That is a great idea for the water heater. I am currently designing my cart too. That has made my creative juices start to flow again! Thanks for the photo’s, Steve!
WOW, love the colors. WOW, love the reinforced doors. WOW, cool insert for the water heater (I’m trying to get approval for one on my cart). I have the same questions as Mr. Charron plus one about the shelf/sneeze gaurd(?) to the right of the pans. Does it stay up or fold down in travel. WOW, your table tops are incredible, are they painted wood or made of the same material as the NSF style cutting boards? Regarding the gas tank-it’s a no no setting on its side in this neck of the woods. WOW, now I’m hungery.
Mr. Tiki
DO NOT USE A STANDARD PROPANE TANK ON IT’S SIDE. Most tanks are meant to be used in the vertical position. The propane in these tanks is liquid except at the very top where it changes into a gas. If you mount the tank on it’s side you will be sucking liquid propane into the valve, causing the regulator to freeze up or worse, all the gas in the tank could discharge through the safety valve at once – NOT something you want to be near.
There are special tanks that are meant to be mounted horizontally, but be aware, they are pretty pricey.
-Steve
Love the cart. I think you are right on with the steam-grill-steam table process. I use what I call the bath-grill-bath method. First bath is to thaw and bring up to temperature, grill to give snap and steam table bath to serve from. In both baths I mix in a beef soup base but don’t tell anybody. I have customers tell me that they buy the same wiener but it doesn’t taste the same as mine.
Some motor homes have propane tanks that are mounted side ways, but are made for that. It looks like it’s working ok for now. I’m not ragging on you, but want to keep you and your cust. safe. great looking cart
Fantastic paint job ! I love it !
Great looking cart. What brand of dogs are you using?
Steve, what “man is on your neck”?
Gotta say I’m with RON/Kingman on this one. If you have one of those special gas tanks designed to lay on it’s side, you are OK in every aspect, and people, I feel that it would never have passes HD if it wasn’t, or hope so at least.
I’m still working on getting started (again) on building my cart, and I love the idea of the recessed water heater. There is, as far as I am concerned, way too much wasted space there on the top of the cart, and this would be a GREAT idea to use THAT space and look as beautiful as your cart looks.
I agree with everyone on the color scheme, I got all choked up when I saw that, and I vote that as one of the TWO best color schemes of all time (RON/Kingman is a definite tie with yours).
I wish there were more photos, I am very intrigued by the wrap around counter, and since I am basically starting over with my cart, that may be in the plans. You did a great job on the design and how you placed the sinks and it sort of looks like everything is hidden, well at least out of sight.
Congratulations on an awesome cart! I am sure that you will be the same as the rest of us and learn as you go, and this is a great place to learn from others as we have.I cant tell you how much I like the color scheme that you have chosen. The planning to recess the water heater, the wrap around counter and sneeze gaurd show that you have done your homework. I will be keeping an eye on Y’all to see whgat else you come up with for your second cart!
Jon and Angie
Po’Folks
Thanks so much everyone for all your great comments and wishes! Sorry it took a while for me to respond; our little cart has been busy lately! Thanks, Steve, for catching the full meaning behind our name. We stand for the American ideal of freedom and keeping the boot of the man off our neck as much as possible! It’s our way to break out of having to work for someone else who dictates how much we can earn.
Thanks also for the kudos on the build. My husband John designed the add-ons and the paint scheme, and everyone who sees it loves it! The countertop is beveled, painted wood. It took a few tries to get it done correctly so the paint wouldn’t peel up. We finally used outdoor house paint and a spray-on indoor/outdoor clear coat. The sneeze guard is permanently mounted upright, and handles going down the road nicely. We mounted some led lights on both sides up under the little shelf to give lighting to our customers and also onto the steam pans. The stars are cut-outs, not stickers. They give it a really 3-D look! Alot of work, but worth the effort.
Right now we serve Ball Park all-beef franks, but we are looking into Nathan’s. They don’t seem to shrink up like the Ball Parks do. We steam only, health inspector said boiling is a no-no.
As far as the propane tanks go, thanks for all the concern. We had originally planned it that way (our error) because the first sinks we had planned did not give room to set it upright. We take the tank off and set it down when we use it. John is planning a new way now….we’re always tweaking it a little it seems. I’ll send Steve a couple more pix on how we built in the sinks etc.
Thanks everyone! Please feel free to ask anything more, and you can also contact us on facebook too!
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE HOW MANY HOT DOGS TO BRING FOR AN EVENT?