Hot Dog Cart News

Hi Steve,

I have a new gig coming up this winter with my great little hot dog cart, HOT DIGGITY. I will be at a Mall in Marin County, CA where I operate the cart. The Mall wants me to have Mall hours, which are considerably longer than I normally operate. I boil my hot dogs and I can only imagine how the water will look after 8 hrs or service. Other than changing pans and water are there any other tips or suggestions you and your readers might have for me?

Thanks Joan Miller Mill Valley, CA
P.S. Steve, you did a great job on my website!

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Good question Joan (and I’m glad you like the website we built for you!) There are two schools of thought here.

One: The “dirty water dog” crowd swears that the longer the water goes unchanged, the more flavor it imparts to the hot dog.

Two: The other group swears that “dirty water” will scare away customers.

The fact is that as long as the water stays above 140 degrees the entire time it will be safe, however it does look a bit… dirty.

I usually do one to three hour gigs so my water isn’t an issue, but I bet we have plenty of readers who will chime in on this one!

Have at it slingers!

-Steve

Here comes the cold stuff – and that’s great news for hot dog sales! You’ll sell more hot dogs in January than you do in August, all other things being equal.

Why? Simple – hot food sells better when it’s cold outside. I know when it’s 100 degrees out sales on my cart drop dramatically.I must admit that even though I’m a major hot dog fan, I just don’t want much hot food when I’m sweating my you-know-what off. In fact my favorite hot weather food is a cold braunschweiger (liver sausage) sandwich with raw onions and an icy cold beer. Or three. Yes, I’m German.

However, when it cools down to where you need a jacket, I can sell a LOT more hot dogs. Which brings us to today’s topic:

How do we keep the cart cooking when the mercury falls below 32 degrees?

Here is a post that I publish every year about this time that will help you deal with the cold temps at your hot dog biz.

-Steve

I just got a call from my friend Kenny Grant in South Carolina. Last night someone stole his enclosed utility trailer. Inside the trailer was his E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart and a lemonade stand. See the pictures below.

We’re not sure if the thief plans to use them or sell them so please keep your eyes peeled. Kenny’s E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart is easily recognized by it’s full length sneeze guard. Also keep in mind that the thief may paint these before trying to sell them.

If you see either of theses units on the street, at fairs and festivals, or for sale on Craig’s list or eBay please call Kenny at 864-419-0021.

Thanks slingers!

-Steve

UPDATE: The carts have been recovered! The local police got a tip about a stolen trailer at the same time that Kenny filed a report. The two descriptions matched up and law enforcement officers located the trailer and arrested three individuals. They had already sold the hot dog and lemonade carts but had not collected payment. When the police stopped them, they were on their way to meet the buyers and deliver the carts.

Thanks so much for all your support, help, and prayers. HDCN readers are the BEST!!!

-Steve

Hot Dog Cart News reader Marge Pugh writes…

Hi Steve,

Here is how I chose the name for my hot dog cart business – poll your friends and family for names to choose for your cart.

I polled everyone I knew…wrote all the names down…then rated them 1 – 5 from least to best name I liked.

Once I narrowed it down to the top three I put the names back out there for a vote.  Then…voila!  Top Dog was born! Simple yet sophisticated.

Its just darn good old fun to get your friends and family excited for you!  It really keeps your momentum going.  Plus…you can’t believe some of the names they come up with…such as….Now that’s a weiner!  The grass is greener under my weiner!  Hot Damn Dog!

Seeing all these texts kept me giggling the whole day through.  

-Marge Pugh
Top Dog Hot Dogs

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Awesome tip Marge!

I did the same thing when I started my business all those years ago. My friends and family were coming up with a lot of really catchy, funny, and sometimes just plain weird names.

But then my name choosing process got hijacked.

When I told my wife that I was going to have the best hot dogs in my county she stopped, looked at me and said, “Who do you think you are? King Weenie?”

That was it. Game over. She even drew the original mascot which we used on all of our promo materials. Here is one of our gift certificates…

How did you name your business? Let us know in the comments slingers!

-Steve

I just got a nice testimonial from one of my customers along with some pics of his E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart with gold leaf lettering and gold fenders. Very classy!

Parker writes…

“My name is Parker Fields Jr. I’m 40 years old and have been in the construction business 25 years. I was ready to make a change in my life and said goodbye to the hard back breaking work. I was looking up hot dog carts and came across HotDogProfits.com. Well lets just say it was one of my best investments ever. Steve takes you step by step through the whole process. I’ve enjoyed the compliments on my cart and the people who buy my hot dogs. So if you are looking for a change get his CDs, DVDs and books. Thanks Steve for making everything so simple!”

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You did a fantastic job on your E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart Parker!

I’ll bet you don’t miss that hard construction gig. It’s OK for the young studs but as we get older it takes it’s toll on the body. Hot dogs are a lot lighter than 4×8 sheets of 1/2 inch drywall, steel beams, and bricks. 😉

Thanks for the kind words Parker. I’m glad y0u like my training materials.

Let’s hear it for Parker in the comments!

-Steve

Are you available to do a gig tonight?

I just got a call from a really nice lady in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She is coordinating a book fair at a local school and their hot dog vendor fell through.

She needs a hot dog vendor with a cart and umbrella to serve dogs, chips, and drinks at the school tonight (9-25-12). The event starts at 5pm but you will need to get there earlier to set up.

You must have health department approval and insurance.

If you can do this gig please call Alain Sears for details at 602-214-8669

Thanks slingers!

-Steve

In keeping with our Halloween theme, Lynda writes,

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Hi Steve,
I just landed a gig and need the help of you and your readers.

It is a Hallowe’en Haunt at a plant nursery for 18 days in October from 5-10 p. They transform the nursery into a spooky walk – thru experience and I wonder if anyone has some Hallowe’en recipe ideas.

I am going to make mummydogs, which are chunks of weiner with spices on them, wrapped up in strips of phyllo paper, baked and served with mustard and ketchup for dipping, and ‘eyeballs’ which are made with a white chinese fruit filled with yogurt, a blueberry on top for the iris and will drizzle cherry juice over so that it fills the cracks of the fruit.

It looks like a bloody eyeball, but tastes much better hopefully.

If anyone has any ideas of something quick, scary and eye catching, I would appreciate their input very much.

Thank You,
Lynda

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Wow, that sounds really cool. Please send me pics when you make some, I’d love to see them!!!

How about it slingers, any Halloween hot dog recipes?

-Steve

When I was a little kid in Texas my parents took me to a haunted house which was being held at my grade school.

I wasn’t scared to go because, after all, it was at my school. I went there every day. It was totally familiar. What could go wrong?

Plenty as it turns out.

First, it was dark. Real dark. Like, night time dark…

Second, as soon as I entered the building I realized that Continue reading “Halloween Hot Dog Cart Gigs – Line ’em Up Now.”

Here’s an interesting project (more pics below)…

Hi Steve,
I have a used hot dog cart that needs refurbishing. I have two more sinks and an umbrella (not shown). It needs a pump, water heater and a faucet. I also have pans for it and an umbrella  (not shown).
Thanks, Melissa

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This is pretty cool. I can see a lot of possibilities for this rig. It looks like the frame is pretty heavy duty and it looks like it has 12″ wheel with bearing protectors.

Nice platform to build your dream cart on with a running head start. If you are interested, please email Melissa at littlejonigreen1970@yahoo.com

Just for the sake of discussion, how would you finish this cart if it were yours? How would you equip it and what foods would you serve from it? Let us know in the comments.

-Steve

Click the pictures for a larger version.