Today I’m going to show you how I accept credit cards at my hot dog cart (watch the video below).
I use a nifty little gadget called Square.
Square is awesome because there are no application fees, no set up fees, and it is unbelievably simple to use.
COOL TIP: Once you have a card reader you can use it to accept credit cards anywhere… at your garage sales, your kid’s lemonade stands, selling stuff on Craigslist, etc! I keep mine in my pocket. I’m always ready to “take plastic” wherever I go.
I just got a new location at an antique mall and Saturday was the first time I was able to accept credit and debit cards. It was very cool and my customers were impressed.
I made this video on the way back that shows Square in action.
That is a thing of beauty 🙂
Awesome product! You never fail to amaze me with the stuff you deliver. Thanks again. I just signed up and downloaded the app. FREE card reader should arrive in the mail in 2-5 days. WOW… might be accepting CC this weekend!
Looks like a terriffic thing to do Steve…..perhaps
sone kind of minimum sale amount would be in order???
Yes it is Brian.
Thanks for the kind words Rock City, you’re going to dig it!
Larry, I don’t require minimum orders. That ticks people off. Happy customers tell a few people. Unhappy ones tell a hundred.
aint that the truth….3% is still 3% on small orders or big….3cents on the dollar…never make a minimum order…if they want just a small coke and use debit or credit …just do it
I use Square also and like you say Steve it’s a no brainer, and so easy to use, keeping the money seperate is easy just set up a simple business checking account with your bank and have square send it to that account, they will even email you when they send it to you so you know its coming. It is a real game changer for small business’ to our benefit.
That was the coolest thing ever. I have been doing some research about getting into the hot dog business and this is definitely going to be among the things I get when I start up my business. Great video!
The Square is great. I have been using it for a couple of months now. Recently at an event , I had $150.00 in transactions. That cost me $4.13 to gain an additional $145.87 in business. That math works for me. Some people get thier friends to buy just so they can see how the technology works!
Right on Chase. If I can answer any questions for you give me a call at 636 399-2460. I’d be happy to talk with you.
-Steve
The math definitely works for me too Morgan!
Thanks Steve! We were at a concert recently and my nephew wanted a hot at a cart, but couldn’t buy one cause he didn’t have cash! My husband was wondering if there was a device we could use for our business!
“Happy customers tell a few people. Unhappy ones tell a hundred”
AMEN!!!!!
I just bought a new phone and I read this today, and what a great way to take c.c. I can use this for my main job. this also beats taking a check from someone and wondering if it will be cashed at the bank THANKS
I’m just starting up a new hot dog stand and this is what I will be doing for my retierment! Love your site. This Square thing sounds like a great idea! Could you send me some info on how to get one! ( American Hot Bunz )
You can get one here.
If this sounds like a no brainer, I’m afraid of the comments I’ll get when I tell you I don’t think it’s such a great idea.
We have a Hot Dog Joint. I would estimate that 20% of our customers ask if we take credit cards. When we say we only accept cash, about 95+% reach into their pockets or go to the car to get the cash. Of the remaining 4 or 5% most travel down the road to the bank ATM and come back. In the past year I would guess that less than 4 or 5 customers left and never returned.
I have to agree totally with the statement that I’d give up 2.7% for a sale I otherwise wouldn’t make, but I think there is more to it.
we have had it since march and it is great easy and it gives me extra sales at events when other vendors that dont loose out on the sale I pass the charge on to the customer they dont ever mind
@Yanks Franks… I think there is a big difference in adding convenience for customers from a cart as opposed to a brick and mortar operation. You have a lot of built in’s and givens that come with a brick and mortar operation that allow you to be selective. I need to do whatever I can (within reason) to make customers come back again and again. Offering them the convenience to pay by card is just one of those things.
Yanks Franks – I see your point and I’m glad it works that way for you but I have to agree with Rick. I’m not going to risk losing a $20 sale to save 47 cents. I feel that I absolutely MUST offer my customers the option to use plastic.
-Steve
P.S. I do appreciate your input Yanks!
I saw this the other day by chance on the side of someone’s cart that made the condiment speed rail I believe. I haven’t opened for business yet but I will definitely take plastic when I do. Also, I don’t understand the idea behind a minimum purchase requirement in this case. There isn’t a per transaction fee like some others, it’s 2.7% no matter what. So who cares if you make ten $1.00 sales or one $10.00 sale? Thanks Steve for another great video!
Really inexpensive way to do it and if no contract is involved that really is great.
MONEY WHAT HAPPENED TO IT..how can you walk out the door with out enough coinage to buy a simple hot dog? Now I have had a few instances…asked them “You gonna be this way tomorrow or the next day? cool, pay me then”, they’ve ALWAYS came back, paid, left a nice tip,bought more, brought a friend or 2 and are totally amazed that there is still trust in this world…
Yep, gotta look into this electronic thing. My wife got me a smart phone about 4 months ago and it took me several weeks to figure out how to call someone. The only website I go to is this one via e-mail (e means electronic?) A friend told me to think of it as a computer with a phone; I dug it back out of the garbage when I found out how much the thing cost. Anyway, this is the first useful thing that this device can be used for. Golly these buttons are so small!!!!!! Mr. Tiki
LOL!!!
I have an older wireless card reader and I add .50 to a sale under $5. No one really minds and I keep the sale. When I was cash only, I offered to buy them a bottle of water if they went to an ATM and came back (there was one close). Gave away a .09 bottle of water to make $1.97 on a hot dog, it’s a winner for both.
I read and then watched your presentation and agree with you 100%. so I immediately down loaded the app and am all set to start do cc’s when my reader arrtives.
Thanks for the info
Big Dog House – Come Get Ya One……
Thanks Rick and Steve. It’s good to have choices.
Great job on the videos, Steve.
I use the squareup app. We were recently at our first big event for three days. We were the only vender taking credit cards, so other venders were sending cusotmers to me. It also pays to make freinds at these events. When the competition sends someone to you and you can recommend them to others, everyone is a winner.
Angie
Steve,
This has got to be such a cool thing to use. I know that I DON’T carry money on me and it frustrates me to have to pass up a good old hot dog. I love your new ideas and the help you give others. Keep up the good work.
Oh yeah, I’m passing it on to people that I know don’t take credit cards.
R. Matthews – Thanks for the kind words brother!
Angie and Jon – congrats on your success. I knew you two would do great!
Big Dog – you’ll love it as much as I do.
Ernesto – yes, you link your bank account through the Square app and it shoots the money into your account. Easy-peasy!
Howlin’ Hank – I like your trusting attitude and I’m sure it goes a long toward building loyal customers. Good job!
Donny – it’s safer than giving your credit card to a waitress and watching them walk off into the back room with it. Square does a very secure encrypted transaction.
Good point about the no minimum on a strict percentage. Wish I had said that!
Rudykazoo, Scotty, and Rick – right on fellas!
That is about as cool as it gets! And with no up front fees. Whats not to love?
Steve,
That’s the best idea I’ve seen since sliced hot dog buns!
That is a great tool, I will be putting my order in.
I was also eyeing those side tables on your cart are you going to show us the how too on that idea?
I’ve been using it for about a year now it works great and so many customers return knowing that you take plastic, I’ve had lots of people that can’t belive it when I show them my phone to sign, But the best thing is the Camera option for the receipt I take there picture with them holding the hotdog, They love it and it really works. People it’s so easy and once you’ve been with Sqaure alittle while the money seems to appear in your account faster. try it what do you have to lose. SOOOOOO easy.
Steve- I’m all signed up with square….I’m doing 2 swap meets this weekend one on sat and another on sun. Can’t wait to try out the square. I’ll keep you posted how I do with it!
I’ve been using square for about 6 months now works great
Nice idea, but in reality how much does it slow down your production?
You might as well ask, “How much does making a sale that you would have lost otherwise slow down production?” Yes, adding customers increases the wait time in line. But isn’t that our goal?
We started using the Square this year after taking knuckle buster charge slips last year. The convenience of the Square is far superior and this year during our busy month of October we were racking up $800.00 a day in credit card sales. We don”t sell dogs yet (am looking into it as a supplement to our Kettle Korn and shaved ice business), but if you don’t take cards you are missing out on the new generation of customers that only use cards for everything. Also, what most don’t understand is the average customer will purchase more items when using a card. We sell several bags of kettle korn and/or larger bags to those using credit cards. Accepting cards should be added to the top 10 things for a successfull business and now anyone can do it for a very small cost. There is no excuse not to offer acceptance of credit cards.
The transaction takes 5-10 seconds.
Square is great. In fact they will send you an extra card reader in case you have a helper with their own phone or tablet. One tip is to keep your volume control turned up on your phone for totally flawless trasactions. It doesn’t read as well with the volume low.
Guess I’ll start using my last name as I see more Marks popping up. I am the Mark from Oregon….
I to noticed the “sideboards” and the tie downs.
Would be nice to see how you did all those.
Sounds like some great possibilities as I progress.
Thanks for your continual helpful advaise and updates!
works great, nobody has cash on them anymore
i have to say i never ever have cash on me and same with most of my friends, so for our cart this was a must. Its super easy, super fast and the money shows up quickly. It s a must have. we just did a event last weekend that would have said no thanks if we didnt take a credit card for them to pay us (they were paying for the customers food). If you have a smart phone- get it!
Great item steve,
Keep them coming. I used to peddle credit card machines and processing services in a previous life. This cuts the competition quick. I would sell both the machine, and get 1.75% of each transaction and a 25 cent per transaction fee as well, AND some of my plans had a monthly minimum charge…….. you don’t have to pay any of that with the square. Just a one time transaction fee of 2.7% Crazy Cheep, This is a no brainer for sure. Keep up the good work. You Da Man!
Mike – Mike’s Concessions
Thanks Mike. It’s cool to hear a pro weigh in on the subject!
steve,we had a cart built,and its been doing great,i take it the high school for lunch and the kids love it.and the weekends i hit the local bar and i sell out.i just got your Free Hot Dog Business Website. hope to build a few more carts soon.thank you
Very cool Hershell. Let me know when you’re site is ready, I’d love to see it. For those who don’t know, we are building free websites for mobile food vendors. These are not your run of the mill websites, they have advanced functionalities built in that can really boost your sales by getting customers to come to your cart whenever you want them to. You can get yours at http://hotdogprofitspremium.com/website/.
Steve., I have been using the square for the past year. I am now using the register they offered with the square for free! YES I said free, it is the coolest thing since sliced buns!!!!! I do have a min amount of $4.00 so think about this,if a hot dog cost $3.00, they will have to buy either chips or a drink making your sale more profitable. (Wink) (wink) we were getting ready to buy a real register but this saved us lots of money and it’s free. Check it out. You will be amazed. (Or come see mine. Marge
I’ll come see it this summer!
Since Square has no transaction fee and only a straight percentage rate, it’s all a wash. 2.75% is cheap. A dollar sale nets you .9725 instead of 1.00. That’s .9725 you didn’t have before you took their CC.
I’m not trying to be cute here, it’s just great customer service if you can take credit cards. Some folks (me included) seldom carry cash. I use my debit card for everything. I do try to make larger purchases to offset the vendors merchant fees, though.
OK, you guys convinced me. I was just talking with my brother about this today and just today got into this article. I’ve had a few customers who wanted to use credit. Maybe I can do away with the need for them to try to use $100 bill and clean out my change.
Steve, that’s an awesome little unit. Thanks again!
For those of you that have a minimum or charge a fee to use credit cards you better read your processing agreement. Visa can shut your account down and place you on the blacklist. I too used to be in the business of selling credit card machines and setting up merchants accounts. You can get by doing it for a while but all it takes is just one customer complaint and you’ll receive a letter from Visa and you will have 24 hours to take your signs down and stop the practice or they will close your account and once your on the blacklist, nobody will touch you. I know, I had it happened to one of my customers.
Amen on no minimums. Visa hates those when they get a complaint… “Charge more per item if you wish, but your agreement does not allow for a point of sale up charge for fees charged by your processor”. How long does square take to post funds?
Thanks!
E
GREAT INFO GUYS! Saw the Square being used by a grave door repair man. Not up and running yet, but sure going to add this to the biz.Thanks!
Sorry garage door repair man.lol
Never saw a grave with a door before. That would be scary! 😉
Been using Square for years and never had any issues at all, money processed timely…
Steve that was a pretty cool thing, I think I may feel out my client base once I get up and running to see if thats a need for me. But, love the fact that your out there to help us new-bees, and you always are coming up with ways to help us out. You are a true angel !
I’m going to save the web site to get my Square soon.
Many thanks,
Carrie
“Law Dawg”
I love Square. And thanks for the kind words!
Wow! That is awesome!
Aloha Steve, cool video on Square up. You mentioned that we would have the ability to send them a receipt via email…this is a cool way of building our email list, no?
But what about take ng too much time from the next sale?
While I love the way you think, you should not use your Square receipts for email list building. I believe it is against Square’s terms of service. However you should have a clip board at your cart for the sole purpose of collecting customer emails. Bait them with a contest to get better response rates.
Hey Steve, come on and catch up with me. I now have the square register right on the cart, mighty fine piece of equipment if I might say so. It only cost $99.00 and was the best thing I could have ever invested in, it also keeps track of your inventory and helps for next years sales. Great for tax preparation at the end of the year. Also for all you slingers, by putting a min charge on it, you can promote more sales such as a drink, or chips. How’s that for promoting up-sales. I have yet to hear anyone backing away because of the min charge if anything they buy more! Gotta love this business,, all thanks to you my friend and my Husband for encouraging me to go forward with this business!!!!!!! Now for the big question,,, what kind of a breakfast dog can I make? Thanks,, Marge
Hi Marge,
Put syrup on a sausage. It’s really good!
Thanks for the tip on the register.
-Steve
I used get these sausage sandwich wrapped in a maple flavored pancake in a service deli… they were really good.
Less than 3 cents on the dollar is a cheap price to pay for customer goodwill. Even if there were an ATM machine close to your location, it is likely that you’re saving them a 2.50 transaction fee and the hassle of getting out of line by offering this service. I think it’s very cool.
Hi, Steve.
Will the Square only work on the iPhone or will it work on an android such as my new Samsung Galaxy Note 3?
Very cool and very useful. High tech hot dogs now!!! 🙂
Hi Howard,
They have iOS and Android versions so it will work on most any mobile device. You’rew going to love it!
Been using Square for a few years, never had any trouble at all. Works great!! Would recommend to everyone. Duggs Doggs Good!! Good!!
Got it and am all set….. This thing is too cool.
The square is great. You can also program the setting to accept tips. On a $5 hot dog I was given a $30 tip. Your menu items can also be programmed into the settings for inventory control and purchase tracking
Wow! Nice tip!
Steve,
The Square is exactly what I need. Do I need to sign up for data service to make it work? Or will it work with the cell phone subscription alone? Thanks
Hi Dennis, click here for the specific requirements.
I just ordered my square up card reader. I went for the square that reads chipped cards only because all of my banks in the area have changed to new technology. It’s worth having especially if your at a large festival with lots of people waiting in line. one will dish up the food while the takes the payments.
Right on.
I have two of the squares and also PayPal has one that I use also. It’s very convenient, fast and easy.
Kurt
On the start up list for sure! Just got our cart and can’t wait to fire it up! Thanks for all the great help steve!
MightyDawgs
.. a mighty good dog!
My pleasure Kurt!
Been using square since when they first came out. Back when it inly cost 2.5% to use in my home improvement business. Everyone should have some sort of cc reader it will stop any lost sales. I have been turned down in past when people only had card no cash. Peopke are taught not to carry cash in the times we live in.
Yep.
I’ll put my two cents worth in…….
Most millennials today don’t carry cash! The are the office workers, etc.
If you don’t keep up with the times then you will get left behind! I would hate to see that happen to any of us!
Thanks Steve for the info.
Larry Green
larrys-links.com
My pleasure Gary!