Hot Dog Cart News

I just found this email from Steve Smith in my “Things to Post” file. Keep ’em coming slingers! My apologies to Steve for taking so long to get this on Hot Dog Cart News but better late than never, right?

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Hey Steve,

My name is Steve too. Great name!

Anyway, I had a custom Dawg restaurant last year that burned due to an electrical fire but the insurance didn’t cover hardly anything.  So I had to find a new way to reopen. I have owned my own landscaping company for the last 10 yrs and (the last 3 have been slow) its been hard to get off the ground again.

When my brother found your E-Z Built  hot dog cart design we figured, $#@!!! We can do that!! So we bought your disks, and built our own. We modified it a bit, but basically like yours.

I laugh now when I watch your video. At the beginning it says “Watch all the way thru before you start building.” I wish I would have!!! Ran into some snags, and when I watched it again, I figured them all out.

I hope you like what we’ve done, and thanx for all your help!!

Steve Smith
Droops Dawgs
Spokane, WA

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Hey Steve,

Yeah, great name! 😉

I really love what you did with my E-Z Built Hot Dog  Cart Video and Plans Package. Great job!

I designed the E-Z Built from the beginning to be easily customized. As you recall from the videos we base all the cart dimensions on what ever trailer you are starting with so you can truly build what ever size cart you want and you can equip it with whatever equipment you need.

Whether you want to sell hot dogs, tacos, shaved ice, or sandwiches, an E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart will serve it up in style.

Looks like you stretched yours out to fit an eight foot trailer and you really outfitted it well. You could serve a whole lot of food from this bad boy!

I also like your mascot graphic. It looks really pro.

And you know what I like most? Your pricing. Your prior restaurant experience must have shown you that you can charge more for a unique, high quality product and a great customer experience. Good for you!!!

Let’s hear it for Steve and Droop’s Dogs in the comments. He deserves some kudos on a job well done!

-Steve

P.S. If you want to get started on a shoe string budget like Steve did go to http://HotDogProfitsPremium.com where you can access over 50 cart building videos, 250 pages of mobile food business training, hot dog cart bookkeeping software and a whole lot more. Check it out slinger!

Click the pictures below for a larger view.

Hot Dog Cart Location Getting

Every year around this time I get a lot of requests to revisit one of my most popular articles.

You need to read this now:

https://hotdogprofits.com/blog/how-to-get-the-best-hot-dog-cart-locations-in-your-town/

You can comment/ask questions there too!

Go get ’em slinger!

-Steve

Enough fooling around slinger. It’s time to step up your game.

Bob writes…

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Steve, I really love this site. You and your followers give me a lot of great information.

I made a career change into this business in January and the location I got requires me to work WAAAY more hours than I had really hoped to work. I stay here because it’s secure. I’m just not sure if I’m spending my time wisely by being here.

So here is a quick rundown of my spot. I am inside a small college, set up in the cafeteria. I average about $1200-$1400 in sales a week.

I haven’t done many other events since I am at the school all day long but once did an open house where I sold $450 worth of dogs in two hours and profited $300!

After doing that event it got me wondering if I was spending my time in a bad way when I could make money so quickly at different places.

Sorry for the long post but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

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Hey Bob,

When I read your email, I immediately saw a HUGE opportunity that you are completely overlooking!

Your instincts are right on. It sound like you could make a lot of money doing events, however your college location isn’t something I would give up. It’s got way more value than just the steady weekly income you are making with it (which isn’t bad at all – congrats on that).

Here’s the first thing that comes to my mind – your daily location may have a great customer demographic for getting what we call “gigs”.

A lot of people use their daily location as a way to connect with the community and make them aware that they also do gigs – catering, private parties, store openings, car shows, craft shows, etc.

You need to find out if your college customers are are the kind of people that will book you for off site gigs. The only way to know is to test it.

Make up a sign and some fliers that promote your catering and private party services and promote the crap out of it.

When you start to get a lot of private gigs from your college customers then it would make sense to hire one of those college kids. Have them work your permanent location while you follow up on the gig leads and work the private events.

The end result is a steady stream of lucrative private gigs in your pipeline. Based on the numbers you gave me that could triple your income.

We call that “leverage”. Leverage is what allows you to work way less and make way more.

It’s what smart business people do every day. Others just sell hot dogs.

– Steve

P.S. Do strategies like this excite you? Can you see how simply changing the way you think about your business can double it over night? You need to become a better business person as well as a better slinger. Here’s how…

There’s 80 pages of pure Hot Dog Business Management and Strategy Training inside my 250 page book “Carts of Cash”. Start reading on page 171.

This is for everyone who is undercharging for their hot dogs.

I offer you the following proof that people will pay a lot more than you think for a truly great product.

Surefire M3LT flashlight. $395

Le Livre Chocolates by Debauve and Gallais. $550 for 35 pieces.

Salvatore Ferragamo woven silk tie. $190

Glenlivet XXV 25 year old Single Malt Whisky 750ml $349

Continuum Caliburn stereo turntable $90,000 – $120,000

Kind of makes charging $4 for a gourmet hot dog a lot less scary.

-Steve

Carlos has a brand new cart that he wants to rent out. What are your thoughts?

(We’re discussing the pros and cons of renting out your hot dog cart in the second half of this article. I’d love your input in the comments!)

Rent a Hot Dog Cart

Carlos writes…

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Hi Steve,

Thanks for taking a minute to talk to me today on the phone. I’m Carlos from Queens, N.Y. I purchased a BRAND NEW Worksman Model 5030 Hot Dog Cart on Feb. 13th, 2013. I am looking to rent the cart to someone serious about making money and who is also very responsible.

I purchased the cart from Worksman Corps. here in Queens, N.Y. They have been around since 1898. This cart is the NEW modern type hot dog cart. A photo of the cart can be seen here.

How should I go about this?

Thanks again for your help. I hope to hear from you soon.

Carlos

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Renting your own cart out…

If you want to try renting out your own cart, there are several ways to go.

• Renting out an unbranded the cart by itself. In other words, there is no business name or logo on the cart. All you are doing is renting out the cart itself. It’s up to the renter to get his food, find a location, etc.
• Renting out the cart and selling inventory (dogs, chips, sodas, condiments) to the renter. This is usually the case if you have built up a brand and have name recognition in the community. You don’t want to risk that reputation by letting the renter sell cheap product. He must sell your product and buy it from you.
• Renting out the cart and selling inventory (dogs, chips, sodas, condiments) to the renter PLUS letting him use one of your established locations. This commands a premium fee because all the renter has to do is show up and step into a fully functioning business.
• Rental terms. You can rent the cart out by the day, the week, the month, the quarter, the season (what ever that is in your neck of the woods).

Let’s also talk about this. If you have experience renting out your cart we’d love to hear about it.

What have you charged and for what term? Did you do a branded or unbranded rental? How successful were you and was it worth the hassle?

I’m curious to see how other folks are approaching this so let us know in the comments!

-Steve

P.S. As you can see there are more ways to make money in this business besides selling dogs yourself. But you have to get started first and learn the right way to do things.

Sometimes the rules are unnecessarily tough. But not this time.

Hot Dog Cart Hand Washing Sink

A customer of mine who goes by the name of “Hot Dog Mike” sent me a copy of his health department’s hand washing sink requirements for hot dog carts. You’re going to love this.

(I posted a picture of the actual handout at the bottom of this article.)

When Mike first read it, he laughed out loud. It was so simple.

I think it’s great because it accomplishes the goal of sanitary food handling without the typical government mandated overkill. This set up will get the job done just as well as a system that costs hundreds.

I have a similar story to Hot Dog Mike’s.

I am fortunate to live in a county that doesn’t believe in hindering people who are trying to make their own way. My inspector told me all I needed was a water jug with a spigot that can stay open with no hands, some soap, a bucket to catch the water in, and paper towels. That’s exactly what I used when I got my start all those years ago.

Of course I added a sink to my first home made cart as soon as I could.

Mike went ahead and installed a sink on his E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart too. The way we teach you to make it is simple, quick, and pretty inexpensive as well.

Check out the pics of Hot Dog Mike’s E-Z Built – he did a great job! Be sure to tell him so in the comments!

– Steve

P.S. Did you know you can build your own hot dog cart using commonly available hardware store parts just like Hot Dog Mike did? And if you get stuck just call me. I’m available to all my customers by phone or email. Just ask Hot Dog Mike.

 

Erica Anglebrandt just got a hold of me in the hopes that I could hook her up with a hot dog slinger.

She wants a hot dog cart at her wedding reception this summer. Nice!

I told her she came to the right place. All the best slingers hang out here.

She writes…

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Hi Steve,

We are looking for someone to set up outside our reception hall as our late night snack! 

I was thinking maybe 9pm-midnight?  I would provide tickets to our guests to redeem their snack.

Our wedding is Saturday July 20th at Club Monte Carlo. The address is 50265 Van Dyke Ave, Shelby Twp MI 48317.

The venue is booked solid so there is potential for cash sales as well!  Thank you so much for your help!

Erica

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If you want to book this gig shoot Erica an email at elangleb@comcast.net and tell her Steve at HotDogProfits.com sent you.

-Steve

P.S. Want to start a hot dog cart so you can sling dogs at gigs like this? Here’s everything you need to know.

One of a Kind Hawaiian Hot Dog Cart For Sale. Turn Key Business!

Read this now. Don’t book mark it for later. Time sensitive doesn’t even begin to describe this. You are looking at a totally unique mobile food concept that you can literally step into and start selling tomorrow.

You may remember Derek Falk, the owner of the Hawaiian Hot Dog Company. He built this rig from my E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart Video and Plans Package. When I saw the pictures I was totally blown away.

Not only is the cart one of a kind, the product is too. Not content to sell ordinary hot dogs, Derek sells a

Derek has done really well with his business but as you are about to read, he is in a situation where he has decided to sell.

Derek writes…

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Hi Steve,

I have just found out this week that I have been promoted at my full time job, which requires me to relocate and travel very regularly. I have been going over and over in my head how I would be able to continue slinging dogs on the side at special events and farmers markets, but I can’t figure out logistically how I could continue doing it, so it’s with real hesitation that I’ve decided to sell my business.

I’ve been operating for the last seven months and sales are incredible and we literally have to turn down requests for weekend catering gigs so that we don’t double book, (I’ve been only working the cart on weekends), but unfortunately I love my other job as well.

I need to sell the cart fairly quickly, so that I don’t have to end up just storing it somewhere before I leave. Could you please let your fellow doggers know about this sale.

I’m selling my entire operation which includes:

•  The cart, which is completely custom from the frame up, is Cal Code Compliant and has a large refrigerator, ten condiment pumps, custom fabricated spike toaster, custom iPad register stand, dual propane tanks, hand washing sink, hot water heater, burners with automatic safety shut off valves, complete internal power supply with inverter, two large deep cycle batteries and internal battery charger, large 140 can capacity cooler, chrome rims, detachable trailer tongue and much more
•  All banners and signs, which include a large 2’x 5’ outdoor vinyl banner with an outdoor banner stand and a custom Tiki menu board
• Recipes for all of our sauces, which include four tropical relishes, three garlic sauces and mustards. (Of course you can change the menu to whatever you want, but one of the draws to our cart is the Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs. We have people drive from across the county and even from neighboring states just to get these dogs.)
• All digital logo files
• Approximately 15 screen printed t-shirts of varying sizes
• Our website HawaiianHotDogCo.com, which you can easily update yourself
• And much more!

This is literally set up for someone to immediately go out the next weekend with a unique cart that draws attention and makes money. From this cart I sell only 4:1’s at $5 for the dog or $7 for a meal. On an average weekend, within a 4 hour period at the local farmers markets we have approximately 70 – 100 transactions.

Like I had mentioned, I’m not selling my business for lack of interest or because I think it’s too difficult. It’s quite the opposite. This business is extremely fun, you get to meet really good people and although it can be hard work, it is rewarding.

Thanks so much Steve!

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Deal of a lifetime? One of a kind opportunity? Your only chance to own a business like this?

Yes. Yes. And yes.

Check out the pictures below then continue reading for all the details.

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The following is an excerpt from the original article we ran on Derek’s business. It gives you a great feel for how this unique food concept works…

Hello Steve,

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so when I visited the Hawaiian Islands a few years back and ate one of the best hot dogs I’ve ever had at a small local restaurant, in the back of my mind I always thought, “How awesome would it be to do something similar, but put it on a mobile cart?”   I always had the idea festering in the back of my mind, but never acted on it because I thought a hot dog cart couldn’t be very profitable.

After many years, my brother finally said, “You should just do it.”  I did a little bit of homework and was surprised at just how lucrative a business like this could be.

I put all my ideas onto paper.  I knew exactly how the cart should look, what the menu should be, etc… Then I went out to see how much I could have a cart like this built for.  I was getting quotes for anywhere from $20,000 – $30,000 dollars!  I about fainted.

Undeterred, I figured, “I’m pretty creative and handy.  I’ll just build it myself.”   I spent countless hours researching online and finally came across your website, www.HotDogProfits.com.  I purchased your EZ Built Hot Dog Cart videos, the EZ Built Metal Secrets video and your Carts of Cash book.  If it wasn’t for all of your videos, books, blog and website, I don’t know if I could have done all this.

Well, here it is!  I just recently finished the construction of my cart and ever since it feels like I’ve been running nonstop.

Everything on this cart is custom built, from the frame on up.  I live in California and operate near the beaches of San Diego.  The health codes here are extremely strict and I had to provide so many additional features such as commercial refrigerator, Plexiglas food compartment and many more.

After fabricating four prototypes, I finally designed a spike toaster that could be ran off of propane and maintain a constant 275 degrees to toast our buns.  I then had to find a manufacturer that was NSF certified to make restaurant / food grade equipment.

Long story short, this cart was definitely a labor of love.  It took almost a full year to construct, but with only three weekends under our belt so far, the blood, sweat and some painful tears were all worth it.

People love our Hawaiian style hot dogs, they love the look of the cart and we’ve already been asked by multiple people to cater their private parties, which should be a lot of fun.  I’ve even been asked by other vendors if I could build them a cart.

Here’s how our menu goes:
1. Grab a soft, freshly baked Hawaiian Sweet bread loaf that’s been toasted from the inside out.
2. Choose your favorite Hawaiian tropical fruit relish
•    Coconut
•    Mango
•    Pineapple
•    Banana
3. Add a flavorful Secret Garlic Sauce
•    Mild
•    Spicy Jalapeno
•    Hot Habanero
4. Squeeze in some mustard
•    Pineapple mustard
•    Yellow mustard
5. Throw in a big 1/4 lb all beef hot dog
6. Enjoy with your favorite flavor Hawaiian Sun and a bag of Hawaiian Brand kettle chips.

It’s so freakin good!!

Steve, thanks so much for always responding to all my emails so quickly and I’ve also got to thank my dad who made the long trip from central California to our house, multiple times to help me get this thing started and my wife and kids for motivating me to keep going when things got stressful.

Derek
Hawaiian Hot Dog Co.

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Derek, I simply don’t know what to say…

Impressed. Blown away. Thing of beauty. These phrases don’t do it justice. This has to be the new King of the E-Z Built Hot Dog Carts.

It’s very humbling to see what you have accomplished with our videos and plans set and I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and answering your questions as they came up. I knew you were up to something big, but I had no idea how big until I saw your pictures!

I always say, “Don’t sell a hot dog – sell an experience.” Derek, you knocked that one out of the park too! Your bamboo cart body covering, tiki decorations, island feel, colors, signage – even your coordinated chips and drinks give the customer a seamless Hawaiian Island mini vacation every time they come to your cart.

Pineapple mustard? That’s what I’m talking about. Home run buddy!

This entire business is for sale. Do not wait, it will sell quickly. Contact info below.

-Steve

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Hawaiian Hot Dog Company Cart and Entire Business $18,000

If you are seriously interested in purchasing this business, please contact Derek at HawaiianHotDogCo@gmail.com

Tell him Steve sent you.

 

Here’s a great idea from one of our Hot Dog Profits Premium Members…

Hey Steve,

Idea for all the slingers out there.

It’s tax time so I’m setting up Saturday at a tax preparation office. This company is giving 50.00 cash to each client so when they come out the door they won’t be broke. 

I’m taking a stack of flyers with me to hand them as they go in. I’m offering them a good meal at a great price:)) and I know they’ll be able to pay for it.

Gene Owens

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I love it. I really love it. Did I say how much I love it?

In fact, I think it’s Gene-ius! 😉

Just like Gene said, Liberty Tax Service has what they are calling their “Cash in a Flash” offer going on now so if you live near one of their offices you might want to see if you can set up there.

Pitch it to them as a way to draw customers. In my town they have a guy dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. His job is to jump up and down by the street so I know they are open to anything that can get them more attention.

Thank you so much for sharing your awesome strategy with all of us slingers Gene! See you in the Member’s area.

-Steve

Check out Gene’s flyer by clicking on the image below.