Donna Tidings writes,
“Still trying to get ideas for selling something else on the cart that will work. Would love to hear from others (tried grilled pretzels, meatball dogs etc) looking for another product to add – please share.”
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Great question Donna!
So how about it? What else are you selling from your cart besides the standard hot dog, chips, and sodas?
Tell us what kind of wild and wonderful cuisine you’re slingin’ in the comments below.
-Steve
P.S. I know a guy who slings a mean walking taco in Indiana 😉 Yeah, you heard me.
I tried Italian sausage with a tasty heated marinara sauce. I did’nt have cheese though and that kind of made if fall flat. If I did it again I would have to have cheese. What I want to know is, how do you serve hot pretzels when you only have propane to work with?
Thanks
I find Italian sausage & peppers are a good seller.
A large coffee dispenser for ice coffee in the summer works well in New England. If I were in the south, I would do ice tea.
Take precooked pulled pork and bring it up to serving temperature. after putting pork on roll spoon on some manwhich sloppy Joe sauce. very simple and you will be amazed how delicious it is. people will be asking what is your secret recipe. I’ve also have a lot of luck with Italian water ice during the summer months. if you’ve done your homework the pros will tell you if you want to make money in this business keep it simple. this is a hotdog cart. if you try to make it into a gourmet restaurant you will find yourself spending more time cooking and cleaning and prepping food. spending more money on your inventory and making less profit. people love hotdogs. if you want to get fancy offer a few extra toppings. try cheese sauce onion peppers and sprinkle a couple of corn chips on top. very tasty. or my favorite but some coleslaw on top of a hot dog with your favorite toppings.
man that looks good
I totally agree with Vinny regarding keeping it simple. In my book I tell people to start out with the basics. If you feel the need to get fancy, wait until after the bugs are worked out and your operation is running smoothly. But be sure to track your time and costs associated with the new products. That will tell you if you’re doing it for money – or just love;-)
-Steve
Vinnymaddog has it right! Everybody thinks if I add another item I’ll appeal to more people. You might, but the more you add the more you stand to have left over. Do 1 or 2 items and do them well! Quality product done very well works always. Keep it fresh!!
I agree, what we do is hotdogs, it took a lot for me to learn that. I tried Hot Coffee, Lemon Aide, Sweet Tea, Hot Coco, Pigs Feet, Dill Pickles, Cracker Jacks, cooked peppers and onions, chili and worst of all Rosted Peanuts. Shame on me but I have been looking at French Fries..What I keep returning to is Hot Doggs, Big Doggs and Sausage Doggs, chips, can drinks. I do add mustard, ketchup, onions, sweet peppers, hot peppers, kraut, cheese, my special sauce and mayo if I must (note I hate Mayo). Keep it simple stupid (KISS). GOOD!! GOOD!!
There is a local peanut purveyor here and I buy peanuts in the shell. 25lb bags and re- bag..lot$ o profit. Simple is always best…
Hello Donna, my menu is simple but full, I start with sabret hot dog, 1/4 pounder Hebrew hot dog, 1/4 pounder dog with easy chesse, kialbasa, brats, chili dog sabret or hebrew, spicy sausage, italian sausage with green peppers, jumbo pretzels, italian ice along with 17 different flavors of soda.
If I need more then this some thing is wrong. I dont do any pulled pork, here in Fl you need only sell precook food, all smoked.
Tony
I think Bratwurst could be a good seller. Here in South Carolina, we are limited to “pre-cooked” foods only.
A the local Gordon’s Food Service here in Indiana they sell pre-cooked brats since I am limited to pre cooked foods as well This makes brats an item I can carry. Look in to it.
Bernie
snappershotdogs.com
That’s a great looking bun. Where do you get the big bun and what is the cost? Polish or Keibalsa sausages work well also in my area. GFS has a 40 count box for around $21. Add some grilled onions & peppers and it is awesome.
OK Donna, us women gotta stick together so I will tell you all of my secrets. LOL
I use the Sam’s club beef franks in the blue box. They will hold forever without exploding and still taste good even 4 hours after going into the steamer! NOW-HERE-IS-MY-SECRET=I don’t cook my dogs in water, that smells nasty and looks worse! I cook them in Beef Broth, I use the liquid kind, not the cubes, and Swanson Cooking Stock from Martins is what I buy. People are all the time trying to figure out why my dogs are so good! “What Brand” they ask me, and I tell them, but I don’t mention the broth. HAHA!
We also vend Nachos with Cheese Sauce. We put the nachos in the steam table, covered loosly, (if you cover them tight, they get soggy) We have the liquid Nacho cheese in a can from Sams (that we also offer on our dogs) and we of course have hot dog chili in a can (I use Hormel no beans) So you can get a Chili-Cheese Nacho from me with a soda for 4 bucks. And I make about 3.00 off of each one. We sell tons of them.
I also vend hot soup. I use a 12 oz cup, charge 3.00 with your choice of a warm biscuit (pre cooked from sams club) or cornbread muffin (made from scratch by the dozens, frozen until I need to use them) I make Chicken with Rice, French Onion and “Hamburger Stew” a Southern-style veggie beef soup. I sell out every time.
When I am doing events I also add baked potaoes and salad. The vendors at the events seem to prefer these to the hotdogs. I charge 3.00 for a loaded baked potato.
I also sell coffee and hot chocolate which I make in old fashioned percolators on a second propane stove that I carry with me.
Remember, keeping it simple is a good idea. But simple is a different concept for different people.
Hope this helps! Visit my website and email me if you’d like! I will tell you all of my secrets!
GOD BLESS!
Wanda
Wanda You saved my life just just starting and just did not like Sams Hot dogs tried your way and all well Hugs and kisses Trevor
I sell hot & sweet Italian sausages with grilled onions & peppers and it works good. The flat griddle that is mounted on my cart helps make them easy to do. I buy the sausages precooked from a local wholesale Co. They don’t take much long to brown up than a dog and they ate very tasty.
we do itailian beef. A pan of au jus is all you need for cooking the beef. There is also the tamale which we put in our steamer. Both are big sellers in the mid west.
We started with the basics, which included our hallmark Coney Island. We then added brats, polish and a spicy cheese sausage. What changed per our menu was driven by customer demand. This has expanded our menu to include; chili dogs, coleslaw dogs, cream cheese dogs, Pico de Gallo dogs and more. We keep the same “dog” lineup, but simply dazzle them with condiment options. This year we’ll be adding a pretzel dog.
Lots of great tips coming in – you folks ROCK!
Keep it coming…
-Steve
During my first year I tried cheese, chili and kraut dogs. Since I only do fairs and fests I find I cannot compete against the “big trailers” so my product (1/4 pound Nathans) are a walking product. Out of 300 dogs I would sell may be 3 chili and less cheese, kraut did not fare much better. So instead I offer brand name products (coke products, tea, and larger bags of chips asst)
This year I at the this time only have 23 selling days lined up (some I am the only dog vendor) I should double last years sales because people now will look for me. Also, a few of the sites have 30,000 people a weekend. Since I can sell for less and and the only one with “comfort food” I found out the beer tent people upon leaving at the end of the nite need something (every one else has packed up by then). It makes for longer hours but, the sales made make up for it.
Good luck to all this upcoming season.
Jerry
I have a small hot dog trailer with 2 full steam tables. I have success selling boiled peanuts and BBQ sandwiches. However, the best thing you can do if your in a situation where it’s possible is add shaved ice to your menu. High profits and high demand.
I have 12 + dogs on the menu just due to condiments. Mustard (yellow+spicy brown), relish, ketchup, onions, bacon, bbq sauce, red onion sauce, sauerkraut, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and my own chili sauce. This is a “simple” menu.
What I added after I got used to and comfortable with just hot dogs was “pre-cooked” Kielbasa, Red Hots and “hot ” Italian Sausage all made by a local meat company (47 years and a great reputation)
I tried cookies, candies etc but no real success. I have 5 styles of chips on hanging strips, 9 sodas,
iced tea, flavored seltzers and water (20 oz.)
It’s simple, offers variety and all out of a 4′ x 4′ Willy cart.
I’m with Coneyman. We sell 6 varieties of dogs and add two regional specials that change depending on the availability of fresh produce, buns, etc.
A quote from Gene and Jude’s – “If you focus on one item, you can get it right every time.”
There are really 100s of ways to dress up dogs and sausages with different breads and buns (toasted NE style buns in DFW were a smashing success!)
Our “Not Dog” (vegetarian Dog) w/ “Not Chili”
(Chili made with mushrooms) is taking on a Cult Following…..We love Vegetarians!
Besides hotdogs, bratwurts I sell precooked cheeseburgers. I sell just as many of them as hotdogs. I also sell cookies. I always have 3 different kinds, they are jumbo in size and they sell for $1.00. I always get a postive response from them. I display them in clear cookie jars with lids that seal tight, and they stay soft and yummy.
where is a good place to get the equipment for italian ice
I’m up here in Portland OR, I just serve 3 dogs
All Beef, German Style and Polish I buy fresh and local. I do add Nathans 1/4 lbs when I can get them fresh. I dont sell any “previously frozen” products. I have added a spicy chilli and cheese. Tried NY Style sauce it did not sell
It all sounds good. Steve, I’m 3 days away from finishing my cart. Touchin’ up some paint and getting the pretty stuff all cleaned up. I will send some pictures.
I will keep it very simple as well. I like the idea of using beef broth. When it comes to mustard and the “red stuff”, do yall’ use name brand varities ? I’m taking notes. I’m looking forward to getting started…
this dog looks good.
I do different stuff at private parties. You want grilled chicken, roasts, pork chops etc? You name it. It works better for the party scene
But on the cart on the street Hot Dogs, Polish Sausage and Nachos works just fine. I found it easier to have what people expect. The specials I tried never sold that good on the street.
We use a push cart and also at larger festival we have two concession trailers setup for hot dogs, when using the cart we sell can drinks, bottle water, chips and snow cones, you will need to purchase a small generator or buy a snow cone machine that will run off a battery. In warm weather we sell about as many snow cones as hot dogs, and considerable more profit with the snow cones. I can a Honda 1000 watt generator, quiet and very fuel efficient. Will require a extra table for the machine and syrup but they are not heavy and very simple to use, we limit our syrups to three flavors, normally orange, grape and something red or blue, if they want you can do a rainbow, too many flavors and they will spend too much time decided. Has worked well for us. With the trailers we sell along with hot dogs, nachos, fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed lemonade and orangeade, hot soft pretzels, popcorn in the cooler months along with coffee and hot cocoa. Good luck
Keeping it simple is extremely important.
Some times a couple of new toppings will make a lot of difference .
For example, you would not believe how many people will take Mac N Cheese on a dog!! The kids love it. It’s very easy & cost almost nothing.
The same goes for baked beans. Give it a try. They will be back for more !!!
1st mate Jim.
Thanks Steve, and everybody always getting great ideas. My cart will be done sone. Will send Steve some photos so he can post them.
I too am planning to sell water ice and ice cream. I like the Nelson Co. Neil Williams of turnkeyparlor.com has been very helpful. He acts as a distributor for Nelson. I’m leaning toward ice cream as a major water ice retailer (Ritas) is close to my planned site.
I’ve been doing this for 23 years and it’s so true. I have Hot Dogs, Keilbasa, Italian Sausage Pepppers & Onions, Meatball Subs and in the winter I run specials like Soup or Mac & Cheese. Summer I have Ice Cream but The Hot Dog Man should stick to Hot Dogs. Ice cream is a waste for me end up loosing more than I sell sometimes. The Dogs, Keilbasa & Sausage are the best bets for me. All depends on your area as to what sells better. I make all my own Homemade Toppings. Make your Dogs your own style. Something they have to come to you to get. Also carry the usual Chips , Cookies or Brownies any little thing that you can upsell without a lot of prep. Come up with an Idea that makes you Special, apart from everyone else… Most of all Have fun doing it. Don’t make it a job Make it a Pleasure…. Big Lenny
Due to the strictness of our area, we are limited to what we can have. I offset that by using name brand. Hebrew National All Beef and Johnsonville Bold hot and spicy sausages. This year I am adding 7 different mustards. My condiments are onions, sweet and dill relish, diced tomatoes (new this year), jalapena pepper slices, dill pickle chips and kraut. The kraut and chili I charge xtra, the other condiments are free and the customer loads his own.
Oh I left out the chips(reg. and barbecue) and 5 different sodas and bottled water.
Hi Everyone!
I’ve been dreaming of a weiner wagon for awhile now. Today I make and sell Kettle Corn.
To ad extra $ I sell Gourmet Beef Jerky. I couldn’t find any local that I liked so I got set up as a distributor for Jeff’s Gourmet Beef Jerky. It is moist and tender and not at all like the stuff you get from the plastic jar at the gas station. Everyone that tastes it buys at least one bag. I sell each bag for 6 to 7.00 each at retail so there is profit, even at my wholesale price.
I also sell my small bags of Corn to a couple weiner carts around town and they sell out everyweek.
Just a thought
Bo
We haven’t got going yet but are excited about getting started. We’re putting the finishing touches on our cart. Look forward to reading everyones ideas,,,,the information is a great help. We are going to keep it simple but will offer good quality. I think that’s the best way.
We do 2 Italian Sausages, one I call the Queen and one the King for size differences. I serve them with (or without) peppers and onions.
Occasionally we have done Cheese steaks. I don’t call them “Philly” because I don’t want to categorize it..they’re different everywhere. We serve ours with rib that we slice thin and keep in au jus and they can have melted cheddar and peppers/onions on top.
Hamburgers are good as well. I have pre-made them and kept them steamed and in some places, use my grill.
I have one good seller among my Latin crowd at the nightclubs …..Savoya which is a red, sweet onion sauce on a dog topped with potato stix. They love it!
Talk about restrictions, here in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, the only thing you can sell on the cart are hot dogs, Pre-cooked sausages, chips & cheezies, canned soda, bottled water, and some condiments.
No bacon, no chili, no pulled pork, no cheese of any kind, no mayo, no sno-cones. Can’t prepare (slice or fry) onions, peppers or any other vegetable or shish kebabs. The risk is the Health Police will report you to the local licensing authority and pull your cart license.
Further there are 17 (seventeen) legal sized pages regarding the rules in the by-law for hot dog carts, plus proof of passing the “food handlers course”.
No wonder I’m Kranky!
On the positive side, I had carts a few years ago
but I now realize that I made every mistake possible. I had to give up the business when I was diagnosed with cancer. (now cured)
I noticed while in the business that when Moms with little children stopped, most of the little ones would take two small bites and accidentally drop the rest. So I started to offer a regular sized dog to the kids (just like they get at home), plus I cut it in half as well. Parents loved it as I only charged a dollar. Didn’t make much profit on this product but they came back more often and my tips increased. I also went on the internet and learned to make balloon animals and hats in my spare time at the cart. The kids’ always wanted to go for lunch to the man with the balloon animals.
I will be reviving my cart business this spring with a whole lot more knowledge than I had before. Thanks for your help folks.
Tons of great advise and good ideas!!
I have done meatball subs with cheese for events – Huge Seller!!!
Happy Hot Dogging!
Since we already have all the cheese, onions and chili we added two items that don’t take up much storage.
We also sell Frito Pie and Nachos…all you need is the small Frito bags from your supplier open from side and scoop in what they want.
Nachos just get a big bag of tortilla chips from your supplier and do the same.
We just get them from Sam’s so we don’t have to have to much inventory. We sell out of them at most events and find that they are both a good ” Walking are food” which is essential at events etc.
I am about to start up, here in CT. I have made a simple homemade chili for the dogs & a simple sweet/ hot relish, by taking a 12 oz jar of sweet relish & simmering it with a finely chopped jalapeno. This has been described to me as a flavor journey, as it starts out sweet & tangy then gets hot. I will offer the canned cheddar cheese & onions & jalapenos, as well as condiments in bottle and packets.
I love Wanda’s input about the beef broth. I will have top give it a trial run before I start.
I plan to sell hot dogs, kielbasa links & red hots, along with chips/ cookies, soda, water & Apple & Eve juice. The KISS mentality is the best way to keep the profit margin high.
Wanda, Wanda, Wanda, you got my brain on overdrive with your beef broth secret! I went to the local Jewel Osco and compared cubes with broth and found that the cubes are mostly chemicals and broth is-well-not. As I was wandering the store with my brain a buzz a came across the spice and rub products. Click! What about spices or a rub added to the water or broth? Experiment time. Oh my brain hurts and I’m going to Sooper Lube to sell dogs today. Snow in the forcast too! Have fun everyone!
We sold shave ice back in 2001 and did have a very good profit margin but living in Ohio the season for shaved ice was 2 to 3 months. When it is real hot out side you will be swamped. but when it is 70 degrees you will be slow. I used the fowling company and got great service and a great quality product.http://www.hawaiianice.com/
I use dales marinade as my flavor savor for my dogs, just a cap full or two does the trick. I sell all Boarshead brand dogs, jumbo dogs, jalopeno dogs, polish, brats, and kosher dills. The price is a bit more, but it a recognized brand here in Fl and Ga. The regular condiments, along with jalopenos, kraut, have done well. I do a precooked pulled pork b-b-q sandwich on a seseme covered hoagie bun, along with grilled onions and peppers for the polish and brats. The onions and perrers on a flat iron grill, the brats on a b-b-q grill, the rest are in water and can be grilled easily. I also steam my buns or add them to the grill. “No one likes cold buns, I don’t care how good looking he or she is!!’
I had a great italian sausage with peppers and onions.i sold maybe 1 to every 20 dogs. I tried crustables PB & J ,tons of kids,solf maybe 10 in a week. Dogs are what sells where i am on a cart. stick with what works.
I used to go to a hot dog cart that sold “Frito Pies”. They just opened a single serving bag of Fritos and poured chili, cheese and whatever hot dog toppings you wanted (jalapeno, onion, etc) and stuck a plastic fork in the bag to eat with. It was an awesome way to repurpose items already on the cart and create a nice profit.
I had my cart at the local college home football games. I sold hot dogs, chili dogs, cheese dogs, chili cheese dogs, bacon wrapped dogs, and all theses dogs could be topped with a grilled onion/bell pepper topping. I tell you, these dogs sold like crazy. Basically, the hot dog was the same but it was the variety of toppings that made the sale. It was a blast and cant wait til next season.
What a gold mine of ideas! I have my cart, am getting my permits, will be starting up in May (it rains a lot here in Portland) and go through Sept for starters. Hope you guys don’t mind, I am STEALING everything I here.
Sorry, I mispelled it: I am stealing everything I HEAR (retired language arts teacher, how ironic!)
I have 8 crazy hot dogs, brats, polish and itailian sausages. Pulled pork once a week. i set up every day all spring and summer. my town only has about 6000 people but things are going very well and Im buying a second cart this year!!
Congrats on the expansion Hot Dog Guy Mark!!!
-Steve
Man, that looks mighty tasty…
Here in SC, the rules are a little more lenient…you can only serve pre-cooked items-unless-your commissary allows you to cook in their kitchen (which mine does). My menu is very simple; Nathans all beef hot dogs; sausage dogs; Nachos & Frito Pie. Having been raised in Texas, Frito Pie is a staple dinner item at least once a week. It is virtually unknown in SC-so-I made them available very quickly and sales are rapidly rising. We have 2 specialty days each week-Taco Salad Tuesday and Tuscan Tuna Thursdays. Both days are a sell-out. We offer 8 canned reg/diet drinks, tea, lemonade and Water. I also have a shaved ice push cart we are putting into play April 1st!
I just started buiding my cart..All this ideas are great thanks. Will post picture when completed..
Does anyone know the best way to bbq corn on the cob .. need some new ideas for my cart .. need a unique idea .. in canada thanks ..
Here, in Georgia, we used a local restaurant as our commissary, until they closed. Environmental call us imminently to either rent a space somewhere or build a small commissary in the basement. We built the commissary and it’s the best thing we’ve done. We’re inspected twice a year there and twice a year at the cart location.
That would be nice to have your commissary so close at hand. Thanks John.
We have a small push cart so are somewhat limited as to the number of items we can offer, but I did begin serving a grilled pre-cooked brat, served on a grilled corn tortilla (rolled around the brat and fastened with a toothpick), then provide a 2 oz portion cup of salsa for dipping. Works great and has been popular so far.
Sounds good!
Wow… what great ideas and comments everyone has. My husband and I just bought a concession trailer and we haven’t a clue about anything within the food industry, as I am a nurse and he is a producer. It’s something fun and different we wanted to do together with the kids and make some extra cash. We only plan to do festivals and fairs in the local area. We really didn’t have a clue of how much really goes into it. All the health code inspections and regulations, licenses and such. However, we are really excited. Our first fair is one of the largest here in Michigan. I hope we didn’t bite off more than we can chew. But we are doing different style dogs such as, Chicago style, Hawaiian, Beans on dogs, mac and cheese dog, Nacho dogs, also selling Nachos, pop, chips, candy bars and such. I wish we would have thought about the Taco Pie thing, I think here in Michigan they call them “Walking Tacos”. Too late now as we have already turned in our menu to the venue.
You’ll do great Holly! Great experience for the kids too!!!
Hey, everyone, I’m new to the scene of hot dog carts but have owned a food truck and am planning on doing Jumbo dogs, veggie dogs, and reg size for kids, polish and spicy plus also adding S’mores to the menu and of course chips, drinks and lots of toppings. I love reading everyone’s ideas.
Welcome aboard Melanie!
Thanks, Steve! I’m glad to be here!