The midtown east ice cream parlor Serendipity III introduced a fancy new menu item today: the “Haute Dog.” These are the same people who brought us the $25,000 sundae and the budget-priced $1,000 sundae, resulting in a hilarious Stephen Colbert segment, during which he ordered the sundae and wondered, “If I gave you another thousand dollars, could I make someone poor watch me eat it?”
According to the press release, “Every year Americans consume on average 60 hot dogs a year. Hot dogs have become synonymous with summertime fun and Serendipity plans to dish a designer version of this iconic American food.” Ain’t that America. But as Serendipity’s owner puts it, here “the ‘haute dog’ is total glamour.” And it now holds the record for the most expensive hot dog in the world.
This version is 12 inches long and pure beef. It’s grilled in white truffle oil, placed in a salted pretzel bread bun toasted with white truffle butter, topped with medallions of duck foie gras with black truffles with side condiments of black truffle Dijon mustard, caramelized Vidalia onions and heirloom tomato Ketchup. All that can be yours for just $69, but you have to place your order 24 hours in advance to allow time for the “special ingredients” to be flown in fresh. Since we’re talking about hot dogs here, we’re not going to bother asking about those “special ingredients.”
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Like I always say, “Don’t sell a hot dog. Sell an experience.”
-Steve
i have a comment this early morning lllllllllloooooooollllllllllll ketchup comeon lol
Do you eat the dog or frame it
If you saw the whole article it mentioned finding other hot dogs in NYC for $1.00? I would like to know where? Last time I checked it was between 4 and 6 bucks a dog For $69 I would have to be really hungrey and have lots of them condiments
It got them in the ‘news’, and isn’t that what it was all about? Clever free advertising!
It’s not just Ketchup … it’s “heirloom tomato ketchup” … wonder if they would charge extra if I asked for slaw.
We have a restaurant called the Waynesburger in Waynesboro, Pa that serves Haute Dawgs, but they aren’t 69.00.
Just goes to show you what my husband has always said, “There is a butt for every seat!” You can do what you want to and someone will buy it. Amazing!
Where’s the mustard? This dog must be for children under the age of 12?
Just goes to show you that you can never underestimate people…
WHAT??? NO NEON GREEN RELISH???? Could sure use a $1,000 hor dog on my menu!!LOL…
Gee – what a promotion!
Folks – Buy the $69 Hot Haute Dog – here!
$3.50 for a $69 dollar dog…. I can just see the ads now! ;-0)
I wonder if it’s any good. It sure looks good !I’m going to have to sell a lot of dogs to pay for that one. Well I better get to work. In this case it’s not location , location, location, it’s presentation, presentation, presentation.
YES…..YES… We must stop cutting our throats by offering $2 dogs. Price is the last thing I want to compete with. Lets all think how we can offer our customers an experience by coming our way. check out my web site full of cased meats and more….$4.50 with majical toppings
swankyfranksaz.com
Whatever the Market will bear is the best rule of thumb…Take a chance and charge $10 for a Smile…………….
The power of a great hot dog, hot dog is big business baby.!!!! See u at the top.!!
Just goes to show you the free enterprise systems still works today.
We all need to think outside the box.
Build a better mouse trap(in this case a better dog) and they will come. Just
one “Big Idea” will work.
I like to know, how do you know what the market will bear? I carry all sausages, all beef, smokies, & bratwurst. If they buy them plain and they put on there basic condiments I charge $3:50 and $4:00. When I dress it for them with special condiments I charge them $5:25 and $5:50. I hear the odd person in passing say whoo 5:25 , maybe there’s more but I don”t hear them all. Most of them seem to not mind paying the prices. They don’t say anything.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Oh, and also I was unsure whether to put a tip jar out or not. So for the first few days I didn’t, but customers wanted to tip me and didn’t want to put it in my hand, and complained about not having a jar. So now I have put one out, and my customers are glad that they can show there appreciation for there service.
Testing is the only way to determine what the market will hold. They is really no hard and fast rule. It appears from your pricing that the market in your area will handle that. When I was doing custom scroll saw work I use to figure a fair price that I thought my work was worth and the first person to buy it at that price, That was what I used for following similiar items. You will know when your price is too high, because people won’t buy much. On the other hand, a
69.00 hot dog in some areas is just fine. Serve a good product and give customers your best attitude and you will come out on top.
Barnum was right! One born every minute. Now we go find them and serve them. Sell ’em all!
Does it come with frog?
Just look at the bright side of it we only need to sell 5 a day!!!!
Hi Steve!
I may have inadvertently tied the record or at least came close to the most expensive hotdog.
I recently was contracted to serve a group of 1000 people hot dogs and smokies. I stocked for this occasion and off we went to serve the masses at the opening of a new housing development.
Unfortunately for the organizers, there were several huge events opening at the same time, the Indy races, the city carnival, etc. and only a fraction of their expected crowd attended.
I had already paid for everything and they had covered for about $5 per head. You do the math.
Anyways, I’m still using the stock that was left over as the group was from another city.
I gave them a discount and a credit for the pop and juice that they didn’t use and they were pretty happy!
I was pretty happy too!
That Pure Beef was also Kobe beef! This was on travel ch. Truffel oil! White and Black! Talk about cost verses profit? Would love to find a Kobe beef hot dog to sell on this cart! Talk about experience!!!!!!!….Talk about expense!!!!!! LOL! Hey it would be fun and a money maker 10-15 of these a day and home by 1:00!
Had Kobe steaks in the rest. I mang. ($38.00 lb. wholesale), you do the math for retail! Cost of a great steak! ? Priceless!