Hey Steve,

I’ve been thinking about steady forms of income and have thought that factories during lunch might be the way to go. How would you suggest going about talking to the factories? Should I call and make an appointment first? Also, who should I talk to, someone in HR? I don’t know if you’ve ever had any experience with taking the dogs to a factory environment, but at the very least I know you would have some advise.

Thanks again in advance,
Nathan K.

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Hey Nathan,

Yes, factories represent a great opportunity for us doggers. You have a captive group of customers all in one place at one time.

A good strategy is to go to a different industrial park or factory each day. Go to the same ones on the same days so the employees get to know that Nathan the hot dog guy will be at their factory every Tuesday, for example.

To get permission to set up, just walk in and ask to see the HR person. Tell the receptionist that it’s about an employee perk that you want to provide for them. Dress nice of course and bring pictures of your set up.

Tell the HR person that you would like to provide a lunch alternative for the employees. Tell them that you can serve lunch right in the parking lot once a week so the employees don’t have to leave the premises. HR loves that because it cuts down on people returning late if they have to drive somewhere.

Then ask if the company might be willing to buy lunch for the employees once a week. HR is always looking for something to do to boost employee morale and a free lunch is always appreciated by the workers. Pitch it as an inexpensive benefit that makes management look good.

The great part about this tactic is that if the company is paying, twice as many workers will decide to eat at your cart that day. This not only doubles your sales, but builds your brand awareness in the community twice as fast.

Let me know how you do!

It’s share time slingers – what strategies, tactics, and pitches do you use to land industrial park or factory gigs? Let us know in the comments!

-Steve
For advice on getting started in the hot dog cart biz, click here.

Steve,

Long ago before I ever thought about selling hot dogs, my son, who was 5 at the time, came up with the idea of selling hot dogs and lemonade on  our street.  Things were going just fine on his first selling adventure when the neighbor lady called the cops on my son.  Funny things is the officer that received the call was chowing down on one of his hot dogs and drinking lemonade.  He then proceeded to march over to the ladies house and tell her that my son was not doing anything wrong and to mind her own business!

Thanks,
David Ficke, Casey’s Hot Dogs & Entertainment

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LOL! I love it. Thanks David!

– Steve

 

Hot Dog Cart Breakfast Ideas

Are you serving breakfast from your hot dog cart? HDCN reader Bruce Z. is definitely considering it. I wrote an article recently about Bruce’s metal E-Z Built hot dog cart and the unique finish that he applied to it. We got a lot of comments from folks who were blown away by the results.

Bruce followed up with me a few days ago to tell me that he’s been hitting the streets with his awesome cart and doing well, but the part of his letter that really grabbed me was his idea about offering something for the breakfast crowd. He writes…

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Hi Steve,

Just wanted to say thanks again for the nice article you wrote and all of your great programs which enabled me to build and enjoy my own business. I couldn’t have done it with out you.

Just to let you and my fellow slingers know, I purchased the 20 inch aluminum flashing at Lowes not Home Depot. I have to tell you after building the cart and getting the compliments, that I didn’t care if I had even sold a hot dog!

Now I’m working a farmers market Saturdays 7:30am till 12:30pm and I’m loving it. I’m not getting rich, but I’m doing well. My girlfriend and I got lucky when we came across a specific hot dog ( not a major brand ) and the flavor is unbelievable. The expressions and compliments on how good they taste that we get from the customers when they bite into them makes it all worth while !!! I keep the brand classified and Top Secret !!!

I wish the hours for the farmers market were till 2 or 3pm as allot of people walk up in the morning and look at their watches and say, “too early for a hot dog”. I went last night and heated up a couple of dogs & buns and put sugar free pancake syrup on them (don’t make that expression until you try it ), NOT BAD !!! That may be a solution to a breakfast sandwich for the morning crowd.

Thanks again Steve for all your help,
Bruce of  “Bruce’s Hot Dog Cartel”

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Once again, great job on your E-Z Built Bruce! I really like your idea of transforming a lunch time staple into a breakfast item by adding the maple syrup to it. I LOVE putting syrup on my breakfast sausages and a hot dog is really just another kind of sausage. Makes perfect sense to me.

O.K. readers, we’re brainstorming in the comments today. Let’s say that you just landed a big breakfast gig for a week from today. What can you come up with to serve all those early risers?

I know that health department rules vary wildly, so let’s just assume for this brainstorming session that we can serve whatever we want. This will help us come up with things that we may not have considered before.

For those of us with relaxed health inspectors, we can take these ideas and run with them. For those with tighter codes, perhaps we can modify the ideas to work in our particular situation. For example, bacon is a breakfast mainstay and would be a great ingredient. Cooking raw bacon on your cart would not work for most of us (imagine how the smell would bring in the customers!) but there are precooked bacon products on the market that many health codes would allow.

The point is to just throw a bunch of ideas against the wall. Then each of us can each pick and choose those ideas that will work in our particular situations.

We don’t need to confine our ideas to just hot dogs. There are a lot of different precooked sausages on the market that would be a wonderful foundation for a breakfast creation. And don’t forget turkey dogs, vegetarian dogs, stuff like that.

Condiments and toppings are what will set these culinary creations apart. I can’t wait to see what we come up with here. Really put on your thinking caps and get crazy with the add-ons. Non traditional combinations of traditional ingredients are all the rage right now.

Finally, don’t forget to play with your buns. There are a lot of options in the bread department. Wraps, tortillas, buns, rolls. Get creative! O.K. slingers…

Ready? Set? BREAKFAST BRAINSTORM!

-Steve

I periodically re-open the lid on a topic that is near and dear to every slinger’s heart. What’s the best way to chop your onions?

From fancy machines to regular old knives, I know you must have a favorite method!

Aran Campbell got the ball rolling. He writes…

Hi Steve,

I was at harbor freight today and picked one of these food slicers and just got done chopping (and slicing) tomorrow’s onions.

I swear it cut my chopping time in half! Just sliced them real thin, gave em a few chops and I was done in no time.

Please pass this info on to your readers! It’s on sale now for $29.99

 http://www.harborfreight.com/compact-food-slicer-42787.html

PS, let me know what ya think!

 Aran Campbell

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Nice tip Aran!

I use this chopper that I got from Walmart a long time ago. I don’t think they carry them anymore but you can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond. You just slice the onion in quarters and put each piece in the chopper. Pretty fast.

Care to reveal your favorite onion chopping gizmo or technique?

Let’s hear it  in the comments!

-Steve

 

Hi Steve,

We are hoping to have a cart built and starting our business in by the first of the year. My husband and I are disagreeing on what type of hot dog we should sell. I have read in your Carts of Cash book to do a neighborhood taste test and for the first couple of months sell a retail store dog (while working out the bugs). I have told my husband this, but he insists that we should sell a premium dog from a distributor. Can anyone tell me what brands of dogs they are selling, and are you selling a bun-length dog?

Thanks.
Kathy

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Hey Kathy,

I generally tell folks to keep things as simple as possible in the beginning. When you first start up you will be really excited and probably a little nervous too, so anything you can do to make things as uncomplicated as possible is a good thing. After a week or so you will be comfortable enough to start experimenting with menu choice, sources for product, etc.

You must sell quality all beef dogs. You can’t get simpler than that. However, it doesn’t matter whether you get them from a retail store or a distributor at first. Do what is easiest. If you already have a distributor picked out that stocks the product you want to carry, there is no reason why you can’t use them right from the start. Nothing wrong with that.

Sell ’em all Kathy!

-Steve

 

Hi Steve,

I would like to sell my cart and business as one. How do I arrive at a price that’s fair?

Thanks, Anonymous

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Hey Mr A. ,

Is it built to sell? This is a something to keep in mind while you are building your hot dog cart business, not just when you are ready to sell it.

A business usually sells for 1 to 3 times earnings (yearly profits). For example if your business showed a profit of $20,000 last fiscal year, you should be able to get somewhere between $20K and $60K for it.

The range depends on many factors.Here are 21 questions to ask when buying or selling a hot dog business…

• Is the business is growing or declining?
• Is the local economy growing or declining?
• Does the business have a fixed daily location?
• If so, is the location secured with a contract?
• Does the business involve fairs, festivals, and special events?
• If so, does the business have contracts lined up at the same festivals for next year?
• Does the business run independently of the owner, or would the new owner have to work it themselves?
• Are there solid financial records (Profit and Loss Statements at a minimum) dating back at least three years?
• Can you provide the new owner with your business tax returns for the previous three years?
• Does the business have a good reputation with the authorities? In other words, has the business had any legal or financial problems that can make doing business difficult in the future?
• Does the business carry any notes or debt on it’s equipment?
• Is employee turnover high, or does the business have long time, happy employees?
• What condition is the equipment in? How long will it be serviceable?
• Does the business have solid relationships with distributors and suppliers?
• Does the business have a good relationship with and current approval from the local health department?
• Is the seller willing to assist the new owner for a specified time period to aid in the transition?
• What do the current customers have to say about the business?
• Does the business have systems in place to acquire new customers on a regular basis?
• Can you offer financing to the new owner?
• Does the business dominate the local area or does it face significant pressure from competitors?
• Is there room for growth? Can the new owner do things to expand the business?

If the business is not currently running it would only be worth the depreciated value of it’s assets. For this reason alone, even if your business is declining don’t shut it down before you put it up for sale. A running business is always worth more.

I always say to build your hot dog biz with the intention of selling it, even if you never think you will. You will end up with a much more professional and solid enterprise as a result.

Any other thoughts my slingers? Let me and Mr. A know in the comments.

-Steve

You are going to LoVe this!!! Hot Dog Cart News reader Brian Freeman is about to make your day. He writes…

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Hey Steve,

I really enjoy your tips and tricks. I need to do a better job at sharing. Here is a tip I can share if your members don’t know about already. I starting using the Reynolds oven bags or crock pot liners for lining my 1/4 pans that hold my melted cheese and chili. Big savings on time and effort when cleaning, and you can leave them in the pan for refrigerator storage. They can last 2-3 usages.

Brian Freeman
B Free Dogs

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Thanks for the awesome tip Brian!

Cleaning that cooked on goo off of the pans that hold the chili and cheese is truly one of the slinger’s least favorite things to do. Anything that helps with cleanup is a good, good thing my friend.

Important note: When re-using product, make sure to watch your temperatures. You need to get the food out of the “danger zone” (anything between 40 and 140 degrees) as fast as possible. If potentially hazardous food sits in the danger zone for over two hours, throw it out because bacteria grows rapidly in this temperature range. We don’t want any food borne illness issues!

Hey slingers, do you have any tips or tricks that can help your fellow dogger? Shoot me an email and tell me about it. I may feature you in a coming issue of Hot Dog Cart News.

-Steve

 

Have you served any famous people at your hot dog cart? I have (I think…)
Fun stuff today.

Hey Steve,

The last few weeks have had some exciting moments for me and my brother at the cart. 

Actor Denis Leary has a little lake house just up the road from where I operate and his wife is now on our ambulance crew in town.  He just co-starred in Spiderman 4 as the Sargeant who was after Spidey. He and his wife stop at the cart now and then. 

Also, today we had the privilege of meeting Actress Ginger Grace who played alongside Rich Little as the first ladies of the presidents he imitates.  She also played in such productions as Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolfe, Faust, and many other well known plays and movies.  She’s been here before, but we didn’t know who she was.  She’s up for the summer and living in a summer home within walking distance of the lake.

I’m just wondering, who have some of the other slingers met?  What were their brushes with fame?  Has anyone mentioned it?

Dixie

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I recently served Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man. Not Robert Downey Jr., this was really Tony Stark and he had the gun to prove it. You can see it just below the wing shelf on my E-Z Built hot dog cart in the picture below.

Missouri is a concealed carry state and we’re all packin’ most of the time so I guess no one took much notice of a guy with a gun. Or maybe people thought it was just a power nailer. Not sure why a guy in a suit would be standing at a hot dog cart with a power nailer in his hand, sooo – that doesn’t make much sense either. Now I’m confused…

Anyways, I was working the county fair parade, watching the Shriners precision go cart team and up walks Mr. Stark. Said he loved rural Missouri and vacationed here whenever he could get away from Stark Enterprises. He bought one of my Buffalo Cruncher dogs and we watched together as the Shriners did what they always do so well.

Serving a real live super hero at my hot dog cart was totally cool! Or was it only a dream?…

How about you, slingers? Have you served anyone famous at your hot dog cart? If not, who would you get a kick out of serving and why? Let us know either way in the comments!

-Steve

 

The vast majority of towns in the United States are quite friendly to mobile food vending. But every once in a while we encounter a bit of resistance. Hey, it wouldn’t be a real business without some red tape. 😉 Here’s how to cut through it.

Hot Dog Cart News reader Kim G. writes…

Dear Steve:

On Monday night, my city commission will meet to discuss potential street food laws, including whether to ban street vendors all together. Sounds to me that some of the permanent restaurant owners resent us coming in with low over head and making a buck.

I would like to attend the meeting and be able to give some supporting evidence as to the benefits that street vendors bring to the community and local economy.

Could you direct me to any noteworthy studies or reports to this claim?

Thank you,
Kim

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Hey Kim,

Unreasonable fear. Permanent location restaurants sometimes get freaked out when they see a food cart on the street in their town. They think that we are “unfair competition” because our overhead is so low. In reality that argument doesn’t hold water. Overhead is irrelevant to the customer. They don’t know or care what our overhead is. All they care about is that the food is good and the price is fair.

Comparable prices. A professional food cart operator sells their products at comparable (or even higher) price points than the sit down restaurant. The playing field is actually quite level.

Besides, when did it become acceptable for one business to ask city council to ban another business just because the other business is more profitable? I’m sorry but what a load of horse crap. Sounds like cry baby tactics at the least, socialism at the worst. I don’t like either one and I’ll vote against any city council member that goes along with it.

Growth opportunities for all. Portland Oregon rejuvenated their downtown as a result of embracing food carts. The public loves it and the carts are a huge draw, bringing people to the downtown who wouldn’t be there otherwise.

The local brick and mortar restaurants benefited as much as anyone. More people coming to any geographical area always equates to more sales for all of the establishments within that area.

How to get the restaurants to side with you. If you meet resistance from the restaurants, here is a great response. Tell them that the brick and mortar restaurants in Portland have started using food carts to expand their business and spread the word about their sit down establishment with great success. Food carts have allowed these restaurants to have a branded presence that reaches areas far beyond the block they live on. Tell them that if the city bans food carts then this opportunity will be closed to them as well.

This approach shows them that restaurants can directly benefit from utilizing food carts of their own. It also shows them that you are not afraid of them competing with you on the street which fosters a “work together” atmosphere where both you and the restaurants win.

That’s the winning pitch. Let me know how it goes!

-Steve

Important Note: There is so much mis-information flying around about what is and what isn’t allowed in any given state, county, city, etc. One of the most important pieces of advice that I can offer is DON’T listen to anyone but your local health inspector. Most of them recognize that their job is to make sure that food businesses don’t make anyone sick. That’s it. They are severely overworked and don’t have the time or inclination to enforce the more ridiculous parts of the food code that don’t even have an effect on actual food safety.

I can’t tell you how many newbie customers of mine originally wrote me telling me that so and so was not allowed in their county, or that their town isn’t “hot dog cart friendly.” Three weeks later they tell me that they are up and running. It happens ALL THE TIME.

Nothing else matters except what YOUR inspector says, and many times what he or she says doesn’t follow your local food code to the letter.

I’ve started and run many businesses in many different industries and it’s always the same. There are always a group of losers that will delight in telling you that what you want to do is impossible. Nothing is impossible.

Talk to your inspector. Only your inspector. If you listen to everyone else, you’ll be tempted to quit before you even get started and you’ll miss out on the funnest business in the world.