Hot Dog Cart Leasing Tips – Sign Up For The Advance Notice List

All right everybody, we got a TON of really great questions for our food cart leasing expert. I’m going to interview him this week and use his answers to put together the definitive report on leasing hot dog carts – the pros and cons, what you need to know in order to make this work for you. Sign up now in the form above to receive advance notification. By entering your name and email, you will be the first to know when I release this groundbreaking report. You will also be guaranteed to get the report for FREE, even if I decide to charge for it, which I may… If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read my article from last week, “Leasing A Hot Dog Cart”. It’s not too late to ask more questions in the comments section at the bottom. As usual this is a private list and your email stays with me exclusively. I’m not giving it to anyone. I hate spam as much as you do so that’s just how I do things. Here’s that sign up form again…

Thanks for your participation!

– Steve

From Sales Manager to Hot Dog Cart Business Owner

Life handed him a lemon, so he made hot dogs. After being downsized, the former sales manager started his own street-vending business.

If you are a first-time customer, Rick Eberth rings a hand bell in your honor as you order your very first Plumpfurter, whether it be the one-quarter pound Plumpie or the one-eighth pound Plumpie Junior, from his hot dog cart set up on the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue in Youngstown just across from Williamson Hall at Youngstown State University.

You can get as much chili and/or sauerkraut as you want as well as the traditional mustard, ketchup and onions on your dog.

“I don’t do your laundry, so you tell me when it’s done,” Eberth said to a woman customer as he loaded chili on a Plumpie.

“It’s done,” she replied.

Eberth, of Canfield, is a victim of economic downsizing.

He was national sales manager for a small electrical safety-devices company of which he is part owner, which means he essentially downsized himself.

He said he decided to buy his stainless steel hot dog cart (distinguished by a large red umbrella sticking up out of the center) after a friend bought one and raved about it.

The idea sounded so good that Eberth said he and his wife, Karen, decided to buy one of their own, making the purchase online from a small manufacturer.

The former YSU student (he attended classes here in the mid-1980s before tiring of his economics major) determined there was no better place to set up shop than at the university.

At first, he wanted to actually be on campus, but the university has a “no competition” clause with its food vendor, so he had to settle for just being next to campus.

Eberth said he secured the necessary city permits to be a street vendor and hauled his cart to Lincoln Avenue. He came up with the name Plumpfurter one evening as he thought about hot dogs and frankfurters while trying to come up with a name for his business.

He generally has a line of customers over the lunch hour, and, if the sun is shining, a number of them use the low sandstone wall behind him as a combination seat and lunch table as they devour his wares.

Eberth said he serves only Nathan’s all-beef hot dogs, a product with a very good flavor of its own.

“I had the big hot dog,” said a YSU senior from Niles who declined to give his name. He said he visits the Plumpfurter vendor “two or three times a week.”

“This is my first time,” said Jacob Thomas, a YSU senior business major from Cortland.

He said he tried the “combo” meal — a Plumpie, chips and can of pop for $3.25 — and said he planned to come back.

Maureen Wilson, an employee in YSU’s media and academic computing department, also was there for the first time on a recent sunny day. A co-worker recommended it, she said, adding that she was impressed.

“I’m not a real big hot dog fan, but she raved about it so much so I decided to try it,” Wilson said, adding that she wasn’t disappointed. “Everything was very clean. He seems like a very personable man.”

A lot of customers say it’s the best hot dog they’ve ever had, Eberth said.

He hands out a “Hot Dog Lover’s Loyalty Card,” and, for every six hot dogs you buy, you get a seventh free.

“Friday is double-punch day,” he reminds those who carry the cards.

He opened his stand last October and can generally be found on Lincoln Avenue between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“I’ve been here in the snow,” he said, adding that the only thing that keeps him away is a forecast of 90 percent chance of rain.

The business seems to be working. “I could foresee putting two or three of these around campus,” he said, noting that he has a couple of additional spots in mind but declining to identify them.

“The market is there,” he said.

When 3 p.m. rolls around, Eberth hooks his cart to the back of his car and hauls it home to Canfield.

“This is a blast,” he said during a rare lull between customers, adding that there is nothing he would rather be doing.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with people, and this is as close as it gets,” he said, turning away to wait on the next Plumpfurter customer.

original story at vindy

Leasing a Hot Dog Cart – What do you want to know?

Today I’m going to scratch the surface about leasing, but first I want to say a great big “Thank You!” to everyone who reads this newsletter. Because of your continued readership and interaction in the comments section, we’re really starting to build a great community.

As a matter of fact, we’re starting to make a name for ourselves.

I’m beginning to get inquiries from folks in related businesses such as cart builders, small business coaches, etc. They see us as potential partners. This is great for you because it allows me to get to know them a lot better and then I’ll be able to recommend only the best to you when you come here for advice.

On that subject I want to make one thing clear. You, dear readers, are my first priority. My goal here is to make you all successful. If you’re successful first, my success will naturally follow. Therefore I will not recommend any product or service to you unless I think it’s in your best interest.

In fact, I just turned down a deal last week (not leasing related) that had the potential to be quite good for me, but I just wasn’t comfortable with the level of experience of the other party (or their attitude). I couldn’t recommend them to you in good conscience, so I walked. I lost a lot of time and a small amount of money because of it.

They couldn’t believe it. Actually they were pretty pissed, but I’m not losing any sleep over it. It definitely wasn’t right for you, therefore it wasn’t right for me either.

The right fit always comes along sooner or later.

Speaking of the right fit, I was contacted by the top agent for one of the top food cart leasing companies in the world. He wanted to let me know that he is available to work with us and he can provide financing for  new hot dog carts at the best rates available, and hot dog carts are his specialty. If you’ve ever tried to get food cart financing from a bank, you’ll know how difficult it can be because they just don’t know the business.

This guy lives it.

Now here is where it gets good. This is your chance to have all of your financing questions answered by the pro. In the comments section at the bottom of this article, I want you to ask any questions you may have about leasing and financing. I’ll write them all down.

Then I’m going to set up an interview with this person and put him on the hot seat. I’ll ask him every one your questions and a few of my own. And I’m going to record it. When I’m finished I’ll compile the questions and answers into “The Complete Guide to Hot Dog Cart Financing”. I could make this into a book and easily charge $37 for it, but I’m not going to do that.

I’m going to make it available to you… for free.

It will probably be in ebook format with the full audio recording in MP3 so you can listen in on the entire call.

Go ahead and ask your questions now in the comment section below. Don’t email them to me directly, I want everyone to see them here. Questions always spark further questions.

And thanks in advance to our leasing expert for helping us out. Unlike some others, he’s willing to prove up front how hard he’ll work to provide the best service. That’s how he got to be #1 in his field.

And that’s a lesson for us all…

I can’t say how long it will take to get the interview done, compile the report, and get it out to you, but I’ll put it on the front burner.

Thanks again for contributing!

-Steve

Cute Little Hot Dog Truckster!

Dear Steve:
Came across this neat little thing on ebay yesterday. It is a 1974 Cushman Truckster. It is street useable. I would modify the set up but it is neat. I have been looking for a truckster to use. This one went for over three thousand and was own by a dealer Continue reading “Cute Little Hot Dog Truckster!”

E-Z Built Hot Dog Carts Making Money in Ohio

One of your fellow Hot Dog Cart News subscribers just made the papers!

His hometown Findlay Courier just did a great article on him and I thought you’d like to read it… Continue reading “E-Z Built Hot Dog Carts Making Money in Ohio”

Hot Dog Cart Needed For MAJOR Gig May 9

I got a call the other day from my friend Brian Gass.

Brian is a co-founder of Sandbox Marketing, one of the top action sport and event marketing agencies in the country.

Brian is looking for a hot dog vendor to work the Continue reading “Hot Dog Cart Needed For MAJOR Gig May 9”

This Could Be Your View…

Do you remember the book Walden, from your high school reading assignments? The one in which the author decides that city living is *$%#, so he moves out into a little cabin in the woods.

Well, that’s sort of like Greg Crance’s story.

Except replace the cabin with a pontoon boat.

And add hot dogs. Lots and lots of hot dogs.

Greg Crance is known as the Famous River Hot Dog Man. And for good reason. For the past 20 years, Crance, 41 of Southampton, has served up tasty dogs and lunchtime treats for hungry Delaware River Tubing customers bobbing down the river. What makes Crance different from your average food cart jockey is that he’s willing to go where no hot dog man has gone before: into the river.

Sound fishy? Not at all.

Years ago Crance erected a hot dog stand on top of his yellow pontoon boat. Now every morning Crance takes the helm of his unlikely craft and heads for his favorite spot on the river: Resolution Island. He says he selected this particular location because it marks the midway point for tubers and rafters on their lazy downstream journey, and it also affords adventurers the perfect place to break for lunch. While many tubers enjoy the scenic relaxation of floating down the tranquil Delaware River, there’s no denying that for many, the Famous River Hot Dog man is the main attraction.

On a typical summer afternoon hundreds of hungry tubers and rafters dismount at Resolution Island and splash their way over to the curious floating hot dog stand. Crance collects soggy money and serves up lunch with a smile. Picnic tables in ankle deep water flank the bank of the island as patrons devour hot dogs and chuckle at the surrealism of it all.

Crance, who claims dual certifications from the board of health and the boating authority, has managed to carve out a satisfying career by doing it his way. Years ago, many people wondered why this former Marine chose to trade in his high-paying sales job for summers spent slinging dogs. Crance sums up his decision this way, “Out here on the river, it’s paradise.”

And looking around at his “office,” it’s hard to argue with the man.

A plush canopy of trees hangs overhead while the Delaware River slaps against the boat in a soothing beat. It’s a world away from staid, climate-controlled offices and dreaded cubicles. After talking to this jolly, laid-back father of four, one begins to get the feeling that Crance has it all figured out.

But don’t let his Zen existence fool you. The Famous River Hot Dog man is quite an entrepreneur. Not content with being merely the hot dog man, Crance has recently assumed operations of the entire Delaware Riving Tubing company. He has also expanded his empire by adding additional hot dog boats to his fleet. It’s fair to say that the Famous River Hot Dog Man is on a roll.

But what does this new responsibility mean?

Well, for one thing, the entire Crance family now takes a turn at holding down the floating kitchen, while Captain Crance himself motors back and forth from the start point to Resolution Island. Sure it’s more work, but Crance takes it all in stride. Just another day in the life of the Famous River Hot Dog Man.

Original story from Philly EDGE

If you would like to start your own “dog boat”, check out the E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart Videos. There you will learn how to build all the equipment you need to outfit your vessel including steam tables, sinks, plumbing and electrical systems. You could re-fit the cabin and have your own floating commercial kitchen or simply build the E-Z Built Cart, roll it aboard, and tie it down.

What do you think about this seafaring, tubesteak slinging lifestyle? Leave a comment below!

Mile Long Lines at Japadog: Review by Sean, Vancouver

For those who don’t know Japadog personally let me introduce you. Started in 2005 by a mad scientist (or one smart businessman) Japadog took the streets of Vancouver by storm and quickly became the phenomenon it is today. The opening of it’s second cart on Burrard and Pender brings me personally one step closer to this yummy hot dog variation as it’s now dangerously close to work. To be more blunt, it’s a Japanese take on hot dogs and it’s stupidly yummy. Continue reading “Mile Long Lines at Japadog: Review by Sean, Vancouver”

Hot Dog Cart Boom Makes The Wall Street Journal!

Hey there! Make sure you read this entire article. This is huge news. If you are thinking about starting a hot dog cart business, now is the time. Don’t wait too long or soon you’ll see somebody making big money with a hot dog cart on the spot you had in mind. Click here to learn everything you need to know.

WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE – BANDERA, TEXAS — In hard times, some small-town Americans are turning to a new livelihood with relish.

Among them are Andrea and Ben Guajardo. They began selling hot dogs from a pushcart on Main Street in November.

Ms. Guajardo is a grant administrator for a health-care system. Her husband, Ben, is a pipeline operator. Theirs is the first hot-dog stand in Bandera, pop. 957, that anybody here can remember. Continue reading “Hot Dog Cart Boom Makes The Wall Street Journal!”