Hot Dog Cart News

This one is from Pete and it concerns pricing out your services for private parties.

In his email to me he describes a unique tiered pricing structure which he uses for “all you can eat” gigs.

Pete writes…

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Hi Steve,

Couple thoughts on pricing. It is a tough call doing the “Per Person” pricing. When it is an “all you can eat” gig and the local university football team are part of the party you can get cleaned out fast! (This happened when we did a rehearsal dinner) I’ve found that giving a discount over my retail price is a more fair pricing strategy. I normally give a 10% discount for small parties (up to 50) 15% (50 to about 100) and 20% for anything over 100/150 people. I also give a bigger % discount for returning customers that hire me year after year.

-Pete

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Discounts can be an effective sales technique but we need to be sure we are still profitable once the discount is applied. Your stepped percentage volume price break is an interesting concept which I haven’t seen before. I imagine it would help cover your behind when doing all you can eat gigs which are inherently risky propositions. For those of us with less risk tolerance, let me suggest an alternative…

One of the most fair pricing strategies is the “ticket” method. Go to Walmart and buy a roll of movie tickets in the office supplies section.

If the host is expecting 100 people, sell them 100 tickets in advance at your per meal price. A meal could be one dog, a bag of chips, and a drink – whatever you decide on.

This guarantees you a minimum number of sales which protects you in case half the guests are no shows.

When the guests arrive, the host gives each one a ticket which the guest then redeems at your cart for one meal. If the guest wants more food they can pay for it themselves or the host might agree to purchase additional tickets for this purpose.

There are several variations on the ticket pricing strategy but two things they all have in common is that you get paid first and you lock in a minimum before the event even starts. It feel pretty good to know there is no downside when you are heading out to do a gig.

What say you slingers? I’d like to get more ideas from you! Please share them in the comments.

-Steve

 

 

 

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the men and women who served or are currently serving in our armed forces.

America wouldn’t be the land of the free without your sacrifices.

I know that many of you who read my newsletter are veterans.

If I have spoken with you on the phone and I know you served in the armed forces I probably thanked you for your service. That’s something I have tried to make a habit of.

I have the utmost respect for you and consider each one you a hero. This is your day. You and your families should be incredibly proud.

If you are a reader who is currently active duty, in the reserves, or served in the past, I would be honored if you left a comment below and told me and the other readers about where you served and what your duties were.

That way I can thank you publicly. It’s the least I can do to repay a great debt.

May God bless you and keep you from harm.

-Steve

 

Aaarg, me wooden nickle fetched up at the post office last week!

Check out the newest promo from our friend Jim at Weiners on Water.

It’s a custom made wooden nickle that they pass out to customers.

1st Mate Jim writes…

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Ahoy on the Red Arrow !!

The wooden nickle idea turned out better than I expected!!

A couple weeks back I cruised by the dock of the tour boat Riverquest. In season they go by us several times a day & always wave & mention the Hot Dog boat!!

I motored up a talked with Captain Mark & Mate Mindy for a bit. I gave the captain a coin & he was very impressed with the throw back idea.
He saw me in the hot dog costume, but couldn’t get a good pic.

I sent him a great shot I had & they asked if they could post it on their website. How cool is that!! Free advertising. Ya never know what a little PR will go.

Yer Weiners on Water coin be on the way matey !! Check ye traps fe a fresh catch !! Har har harrrrr !!

Time to baton down the hatches in these parts… She’s a gonna blow !!

Pulled the tender out last week & getting things secure for the season. So I’ll be here on dry dock for awhile, waitin for the news.

1St Mate Jim.

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Very cool Jim! These really turned out nice.

Unlike a business card, these will be held on to for sure. Heck, they’re souvenirs!

Thanks for the oak doubloon, mate. I’ll treasure it (get it? treasure?! ha!)

-Cap’n Steve on the SS RED ARROW

P.S. Me hopes that fierce blow left ye well enough alone swab! Even Sandy should know better’n tangle with Weiners on Water!

Click on the pics for a larger version.

I love when I hear from our international readers!!! Vincent Meers is bringing the iconic American hot dog cart to the streets of Antwerp. How cool!

Vincent writes,

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Hi Steve,

Just to let you know I’m a follower of your newsletter and website. Me and my brother started a hotdog business on the side in August.

Following picture is a picture of our first cart (that’s me working for a test run in the city).

This cart is with a bicycle as you can see and we use it to sell hotdogs on Fridays to 3 companies in the Harbor of Antwerp.

We have a big menu with 10 different type of hotdogs and 1 with even the famous New York Red Onion Sauce which is very popular among the clients.

In the picture you can see our Crunchy Black Peppa which consists out of potato chips and black pepper sauce. Topped with freshly grinded pepper.

We also have a second cart that we use for parties and events and next week will be the first week that we are going to sell hotdogs on the street in Antwerp city. We are going to tackle the student neigbourhood.

This is a cart very easy to use, very maneuverable and very light. The cart in the harbor is very heavy so not that practical to move around the city.

Any more tips for us? Is it American enough or have you got some extra’s 🙂

Because we are still thinking about a couple of things like where to keep our money save and how do you estimate a certain amount of sandwiches for a day selling.

Met vriendelijke groeten,

Vincent Meers

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I love it Vincent! Both of your carts are very nice and your Crunchy  Black Peppa dog looks delicious.

Is it American enough? Absolutely!

I keep my money on my person at all times. Here is a hot dog cart money handling video that might help you.

Estimating how much to bring for a  daily street vending spot is really just a matter of experience. After a few weeks you will know what your average daily sales are and you can adjust your stock accordingly.

As far as estimating how much food to bring for a day’s selling, I wrote an article on that subject a while back. It is mainly  concerned with festivals and big events. Hot dog cart food estimating.

You and your brother are off to a great start Vincent!

Veel succes in uw bedrijf,

-Steve

Hey there,

Every year about this time I send out a video that shows you how to winterize your hot dog cart. You need to do this to avoid some expensive damage, especially if you are using an on demand water heater.

Watch this today!

-Steve

You MUST see the pictures of this Hawaiian hot dog cart at the end of the article. You’ll be blown away.

Derek writes,

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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 where 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 video 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. Home run buddy!

Please keep me posted as you grow your new business and let me know how else I can help you!

-Steve

Click the pictures below for a larger view.

Simple, cool, useful, and easy to make…

Click the pictures for a larger view.

Thank you to Kevin of “Wicked Dogs”!

Long time Hot Dog Cart News readers will remember Kevin S. Kevin got the start up money for his hot dog biz “Wicked Dogs” on Kickstarter by making a highly entertaining video sales pitch that pulled in the funds necessary to build a very unique E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart (pics below) and finance his other start up costs. Wickedly Creative. Kevin is one of those people who has the drive and ingenuity to make things happen. Since the moment I saw his video I knew he would be successful.

Fast forward to this month – Kevin is officially open for business! He writes…

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Steve, Sorry it’s taken me so long for my report but I’ve been crazy busy with this new, fantastic hot dog cart business! First things first…I could not have gotten where I am today without your help.  From your Hot Dog Biz 101 book that I bought almost a year ago, to the E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart dvd’s on how to build my cart to you answering every email that I bombarded you with – I thank you so much for helping me change my life!

As you know my first day was last Monday. I secured a great spot downtown and it’s a location where another woman was for 20 yrs. The only reason she quit was because the city did not communicate very well with her and she arrived one day to set up and the sidewalk was all torn up because they were remodeling the Federal Bldg. Needless to say she decided to retire….ha ha! The Friday before my grand opening I walked 3-4 blocks in every direction from where I was going to set up and stopped into every business.  I introduced myself, gave them a copy of the paper menu I made up and also gave them a punch card with the first dog already punched. Monday seemed to go pretty well….for the grand opening I gave people the meal deal free when the bought the dog. The first day I had 60 sales and ended up with $230 in sales. 

The second day was less people but since I wasn’t giving away the meal deal I ended up with $250.  My best day so far was last Friday (I think Fri’s will probably always be pretty good) and had $284 dollars.  Since I started I’m averaging $204 a day and 43 sales.  I’m confident that it will build and just keep growing. People are loving the “recipe” dogs and asking for them by name….exactly what I wanted.  I’ll be tracking the 5 different varieties I offer for awhile and see how they do….make adjustments where needed and do some tweaking. I have to say the E-Z Built cart is working brilliantly!  I couldn’t ask for anything more and I get compliments on it almost daily….thank you again Steve! Sincerely, Kevin S. Wicked Dogs

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Congratulations Kevin!!! You did such a great job, not only in getting your funding, not only in building one of the nicest E-Z Builts I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, but in persevering through obstacles and overcoming hurdles. I’m happy to have had the opportunity to help you a little bit along the way. You rock! Let’s hear it for Kevin in the comments slingers! -Steve Click on the pictures below for a larger image.