It's time for the annual trek south to Florida with the family. I am always one to mix business with pleasure, so I have planned a few visits while in the Sunshine State.
We will definitely be hitting Mad Dogs Hot Dogs in Venice. We went there last year and I got an email from Maria that they have opened a second location. Apparently, their concept is a success. Mad Dogs serves up regional style hot dogs from all over the country, including authentic Chicago Dogs.
I will also be visiting Dream Maker Hot Dog Carts In Saint Petersburg for a tour of their factory. After touring there, I plan on stepping out for a hot dog- with a surprise special celebrity guest!
There will be a few other surprises in store from sunny FLA, so stay tuned.
I may not actually publish anything until I return, but rest assured, there will be lots of fun, hot dog related stuff.
Hot Doggin' in Florida 2012
Hot Dog Stories: the Month Ahead
We are also planning on being there for the Larry Joe's New England Fire Pit grand reopening. Larry had a bit of a problem last fall- an electrical problem burned his trailer to a crisp!
Two Sure Signs of Spring
We had a pretty mild winter here in Massachusetts, and you'll get no complaints from me about that. Even so, the Spring time is always exciting for me. It's when things warm up and green up, baseball season starts, and lots of other fun, outdoor activities get under way.
One of the first signs of Spring around my yard is the appearance of the crocus, that delicate, little flower that is the first to foist its blooms in the garden each season. When I see these, I know winter has come to an end. It just fill me with joy.
Truth in Advertising
This is an ad for a mobile phone company, but they use a hot dog cart as an analogy.
A hot dog for a buck is a bit cheap- a vendor wouldn't make any money at that price. It does illustrate the concept of truth in advertising quite well, however.
The Karl Ehmer Hot Dog Cart in Hillsdale, NJ
Here's a video about a successful hot dog cart in New Jersey.
The key to their success? Good food, consistency and a pleasurable personality!
Dave the Hot Dog Man on "Tennessee Traveller"
Here's a video about a hot dog man from Tennessee. Listen carefully to his "ingredients for success."
The Dog House Hot Dog Cart in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Here's a cool little video from a lady in Iowa that gives a glimpse of what it takes to run a hot dog cart.
Check out How to Start a Hot Dog Business
New Carts
A lot of people come to this site looking for information about starting a hot dog business. There are over 1,500 entries here, so without some site navigation, it can get tricky sometimes. That's why I started one of my other sites, How to Start a Hot Dog Business- to make it easier for wanna-be hotdogmen and women to get information.
Even so, The Hot Dog Truck: the "Life and Times of a Hotdogman," includes some good stuff.
One of the things about being "The Hotdogman" is I get the opportunity to interact with people in the industry. Whether it's vendors, authors, or manufacturers of Hot Dog Carts, I seem to know a few people in the biz.
I have seen many carts "on the street" being used by real vendors- like the folks at Jeannie's Weenies in Holliston, MA. They have a good looking rig. Check out Jeannie's Weenies on Hot Dog Stories to see a real life vendor who has some good insights. There are lots of Hot Dog Biz start-up stories on Hot Dog Stories.
One of the most appealing things about starting a hot dog business is the low cost of entry. A BRAND NEW HOT DOG CART costs FAR less than a high mileage used car. When you're talking about your business, if you can afford to go new, you should do it. A shiny new rig is appealing to customers. If it gets a little worn down over the years, that's OK-you'll have an established business and a little "weathering" adds character. When you are new to the hot dog business, first impressions count and nothing gives a better first impression, other than delicious hot dogs, than a clean and shiny new hot dog cart. If you're in business long enough to bust one of these carts up from over use, buying a new one shouldn't be an issue- these babies last for years.
I'll be honest with you, there's not a whole heck of a lot of difference between different hot dog carts. They're all DOT approved (they couldn't sell them as trailers if they weren't), they're all made of stainless steel, they all offer options, and they all have schematic drawings you can download to present to your local Board of Health. Local Board of Health approval of your cart is the FIRST thing you should acquire- even before you buy a cart.
If you're going to go new, you want to look for 3 things: quality, service, and price. Those three things add up to VALUE. DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts provides VALUE to the purchaser of a new hot dog cart. They're definitely quality hot dog carts- I know, I've seen them being built. I know they provide top notch service. In my own dealings with them, they've been prompt, fair, and courteous-those are three very important things! As far as price goes, DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts are very competitively priced. You can get a brand new, loaded Riverside Cart for less than $5,000. All that adds up to a good VALUE! I I were buying a new cart, I wouldn't consider anything but a DreamMaker. The best thing is, they are 100% MADE IN THE USA! If you are considering purchasing a new cart elsewhere, ASK IF THEY ARE MADE IN THE USA, many cart manufacturers IMPORT FROM CHINA.
You can get a $100 coupon towards the purchase of a cart from DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts when you order the HotDogBiz101 course. The course is only $94, so you actually pocket 6 bucks! Even without the coupon, this course is worth 20 times what you pay for it.
Do yourself a favor. If you're going to buy a new hot dog cart, get a cart from DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts. See their operation for yourself:
Canadians, Beer and a Hot Dog Cart
If anyone is familiar with the sport of curling, they would get the gag in this video. Those Canadians love their beer and they have a good sense of humor, eh.
The Hot Dog Vendor in this video must be selling "Chilly Dogs."
So you wanna be a Hot Dog Man (or Woman)? part 5: Insurance
As with any business, one of your fixed costs will be insurance. Determining how much you'll pay for insurance each month will need to be factored into your pricing. Obviously, if you have a Hot Dog Truck, like me, you will need Vehicle Insurance. For a quick, easy and convenient quote online, you can go to the Insurance Portal Online to get an idea of what those costs will be. This is one of those companies that gets quotes from over 100 different companies depending on your needs so you can compare rates and coverages in an easy, "one stop shopping" format.
Depending on where you are located (public spot or private property) you may have to increase your liability insurance on your vehicle or, in some instances, purchase separate business liability insurance. I have all my liability insurance wrapped into one homeowners policy with different riders for different liability issues, some business related others personal.
People fear being sued so having the proper insurance is important in any business and is almost always required by landlords and municipalities. I always try to buy the cheapest insurance policy I can find and I am always very careful!
The February Blues
February has to be the worst month of the year. Its so bad they shortened it. In New England it is the absolute dead of winter. Even though this year we didn't really get winter started until February (very warm Dec & Jan.) it still seems oppressive. Thank God its almost over! March may come in like a lion and go out like a lamb and it too can be a rotten month-at least the first day of Spring is tucked in there.
As you may be able to tell, its one of those snowy days the world is deprived of the delicious doggie delights from the Hot Dog Truck. A snowy day equals no business so I've been playing with my 2 year old (she didn't go to daycare today) and surfing the net while she takes her early afternoon "night night." In a few minutes, I'll have to go shovel (AGAIN!)
Life as a Hot Dog Man in the winter in New England is a tenuous existence. The elements keep a large portion of the clientele away and make for uncomfortable working conditions, even with the heater on. The reason I stayed open this winter was to keep my spot. The place where my Hot Dog Truck is parked is considered an A PLUS location for such a venture. Once a week or so a would be Hot Dog Man inquires about the availability of the spot and my landlord has said I don't need to give him notice as he's got 4 or 5 guys who'd be happy to take over the spot. So I shiver and suffer the cold and the slow business days with visions of April (thank God only a month away) when the crowds will be out, the dogs will be flying and the almighty dollar will reacquaint itself with my pockets.
In the meantime, I'll be working on some other projects online.......
Aaah Baseball season...
Yeah I know pitchers and catchers reported Friday. Baseball began for lots of youngsters today too as our Little League had sign-ups this afternoon. Seeing all the kids we'll be looking at in a month and a half at tryouts and giving them pointers is a sure sign SPRING is on the way.
The parents are funny too. Some think their kid will be a Little League All Star while others question whether their kid should even bother trying out. I say let the kid try out. Little League tryouts are a right of passage for 10-12 year olds.
There aren't many folks buying hot dogs at this time of year. My truck is embedded in a snow bank! Making money is not happening, but the die hard hot dog lovers still come out-I just hope they tell their friends so they'll come out in the warmer weather!
Snow bank
Well all the plow guys are happy today. Yesterday and last night they all got their "white gold" and they've got money in their pockets. The guys who plowed my lot practically buried my truck, there was quite a bit of digging before the dogs could get cooking. Chalk that up to being a bit inconsiderate. The only thing that made me feel better about that was they buried one of their own cars! Chalk that up to being dumb.
Not much action today. Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow so the Red Sox will creep back into the collective consciousness next week.
So you wanna be a hot dog man?
Why be a Hot dog man (or woman)? If you're reading this, maybe you're looking for the answer. As someone once said: "Just when you think you have the answers, I change the questions!"
For me, I wanted a low key business that involved lots of interaction with people. I like most people and enjoy chatting about the news of the day, the Red Sox, football, the weather, kids, wives, families etc. I was a commissioned salesperson for 20 years before I started this venture, so I know about people. I just wanted to deal with people straight up, without an angle. I have something they want and I give it to them-SIMPLE. I wanted no more of the stress and high pressure of commissioned sales.
I also wanted to be involved with hot dogs because I like hot dogs and I feel the way I cook and serve my hot dogs is the best way; I have never found a hot dog anywhere that tastes quite like mine. The secret is in the way I cook them (not telling...yet) and serving them on freshly butter grilled buns (Its all about the buns, baby). I figured if I could serve up a consistently good hot dog, I'd do OK.
Which leads me to the final reason I got into the business- MONEY! Cash is KING and you can make a very nice income selling hot dogs. I know I'll never be a Rockefeller from this venture, but I can earn enough and be relaxed and happy and have plenty of time left over for my family, my little league team, my master's degree and now Helium.
The work itself is very uncomplicated. Serve good food and treat people nice. If you do that, the customers keep coming back.
One of the pitfalls of this business is crappy weather (I write this on a night in February and its about 5 degrees outside-it was a cold and lonely day at the hot dog truck). In the winter you'll be cold-like ice fishing without the fish or beer; in the summer you'll be hot-picture a 95 degree day and you're standing next to a grill all day. Every once in a while I also feel that the work is too repetitive-that feeling usually goes away once I get the first customer of the day. Overall, for me, the advantages and lifestyle this business brings outweigh the bad stuff.
What you need to ask yourself is why do YOU want to be in the hot dog biz? If you decide that you want to give it a go, keep reading about how to get going.
I run my business in the same location, Monday through Friday from 10:30-3PM. Other folks will travel to different locations, operate "after the bars close" in hopping nightlife areas while others work large events (fairs, festivals, parades etc.). I have a customer who sells sausages on Friday and Saturday nights in a downtown Worcester, MA area with lots of bars and he also works Downtown Worcester on the 4th of July-he sold 1200 pounds of sausages on 7/4/2006! For the purposes of this article, I'll deal with the "same location" model.
The first thing you need to do is find a good spot. Anywhere there are lots of people is good. If you are in an urban area where parking is limited or you can locate in a park, you may want to consider a hot dog cart. If you're in a suburban setting, look for areas where there is a lot of vehicle traffic and a ready supply of regular hungry customers. Good parking is a must for this type of setup. If you have the space in your spot (and the money) you may want to consider a truck or trailer for your biz. I like having a truck-mine is a "mobile kitchen"-because there is more room, shelter from the elements and a decent amount of food prep and storage space.
If you are going to be on public property, check with the local police department for any restrictions you may face regarding locations or any special site permits you may need. Most municipalities have websites these days and oftentimes that type of information is available there, if not the cops are a good place to start (cops like hot dogs-I have many as regulars).
Locating on private property eliminates the need for site permits, but you'll have to pay rent. You also need to check with the local building inspector to see if there are any site permits. This is the arrangement I have. The advantages of my location are plenty of parking, good visibility on a well traveled route, proximity to a large industrial/office park and lots of construction in the area (construction workers like hot dogs too). I also know my location will be plowed on snowy mornings and, since I am in the parking lot of an office building and gas station(with a car wash going in next spring) I know there will always be steady traffic in and out. One other plus is that there are few eating places nearby that don't involve going into a congested secondary highway-folks pop out of the back entrance of the office park to get to my spot. The rent is worth it. If you can find a site with these characteristics-you'd be well advised to snag the location. This will involve some networking and sleuthing on your part.
If you get into this business, you will need to get a permit from your local Board of Health.
Many local Boards require Servesafe certification before they will issue a permit. If they do, you'll need to take the Servesafe exam.
Dealing with the Board of Health really means dealing with the local Health Inspector-he or she is the person who you will deal with. Just like any other occupation, some are nice and some are jerks-I am lucky that my local Health Inspector is a fair and nice man-it doesn't hurt that he likes hot dogs too. Whether the person is nice or not, they are a resource. You can find the local Health Inspector's contact info on any municipalities' website. The best thing to do is call them up and politely engage them in a conversation. Tell them you want to open a hot dog stand, where you were thinking of locating (again if its on public land make sure you've checked out local restrictions and permits, if you're on private property let the inspector know where), let them know you'll be getting your Servesafe and ask them what you need to do. Most inspectors will be straightforward and let you know exactly what you need to do and what type of equipment will meet with local health codes.
Once you've figured out what the Health inspector requires, you can move on to acquiring a hot dog cart, truck or trailer. Make sure whatever you buy will comply with what the inspector told you. There are many varieties and manufacturers and prices range from a couple of thousand dollars to over $200,000 for a totally decked out mobile kitchen. You'll need to decide what will suit your site, your tolerance for the elements and your budget. If you're buying new, try to deal with a company geographically nearby-it makes no sense to order a hot dog cart or truck from a company in Sacremento if you live in Philadelphia! There are always good values to be found in used equipment too, try to find someone selling hot dog equipment used and you'll get more bang for your buck. There are many manufacturers of hot dog carts, trucks and trailers online. Do a Google search and you'll find hundreds of manufacturers of all different kinds of equipment. Do your research before you buy!
As with any business, one of your fixed costs will be insurance. Determining how much you'll pay for insurance each month will need to be factored into your pricing. Obviously, if you have a Hot Dog Truck, like me, you will need Vehicle Insurance. For a quick, easy and convenient quote online, you can go to the Insurance Portal Online to get an idea of what those costs will be. This is one of those companies that gets quotes from over 100 different companies depending on your needs so you can compare rates and coverages in an easy, "one stop shopping" format.
Depending on where you are located (public spot or private property) you may have to increase your liability insurance on your vehicle or, in some instances, purchase separate business liability insurance. I have all my liability insurance wrapped into one homeowners policy with different riders for different liability issues, some business related others personal.
People fear being sued so having the proper insurance is important in any business and is almost always required by landlords and municipalities. I always try to buy the cheapest insurance policy I can find and I am always very careful!
Here's an ebook I found helpful when I was starting out. I still refer to it now and again. It's worth spending the thirty bucks before you go too deep into the process. It's a bit over the top for running a simple hot dog truck, but there's no BS like some of the other "Start a Hot Dog Business" ebooks out there. Lots of information and worth the dough!
Click Here to check this ebook out.
'snow problem
Happy Valentines Day, I suppose. What a ridiculous "holiday," yet another day manufactured by Madison Avenue and Hallmark to stimulate retail commerce and generate guilt amongst husbands everywhere.
But I digress.
Today marks the first significant snowfall in these parts of the winter of 2006-07. It is also the first nonscheduled dogless day of the year at the Hot Dog Truck. People just don't buy hot dogs when they ought to be shoveling. I opened during a snow storm last year and sold six hot dogs all day-4 to the guys plowing the lot and two to a regular who stopped out of pity initially (he soon started telling me how foolish I was to be open on such a day). Selling six hot dogs doesn't even pay for the propane for the day, so now my rule is when the kids don't have school, the world doesn't have hot dogs. So instead of slinging dogs, I'll be shovelling, playing with my 2 year old, fiddling on the internet and cooking a nice pork tenderloin dinner for the troops.
The snow is a bit icy, so snowman duty is not an issue today. My 9 year old is having a friend over after lunch for some sledding in the woods behind the house. I see hot cocoa in the near future.
The TV weathermen are having a field day. This is the first chance for them to dominate the local TV news broadcasts and they're going all out; its their SuperBowl. There was 12 minutes of weather related coverage on the 11 o'clock news last night. I am often times insulted by the content of these newscasts: "be careful while driving, take extra time for your commute etc." NO KIDDING, do they think we're all morons?
We've been lucky with the snow this year so far- December and January were unseasonably warm with several days in the 50's and 60's and one day in January topping 75 degrees! The weather didn't get seasonably cold until February rolled around. When you think about it, this year's winter was shortened by 2 to 2 1/2 months. That means only about 6 weeks of winter-not bad.
Very soon the seasonal outdoor workers and picnic table crowd will be returning and business will really pick up. In the mean time the daily struggle with the winter elements will continue.
Hamburger Day
Today's relatively warm weather brought the return of the Hamburger lover to the old Hot Dog Truck. My burgers are very tasty but they take about 7-8 minutes to cook. People don't want to wait that long when its 6 degrees out! I sold a dozen burgers today, which is a lot for even a sunny day. Hot Dogs and Sausages are the big items every day.
The Red Sox Equipment Truck left for spring training today. Thus begins the countdown to Opening Day-the day the picnic tables go out at the Hot Dog truck!
Hot Dog Toppings
The hot dog is quite possibly the most misunderstood food item on the face of the earth. Many people view them with disdain. They've probably never had a "well crafted" hot dog. When this tubular delicacy is properly prepared, it can be a scrumptious meal.
The foundation for a good hot dog is the hot dog itself. Those skinless, mass produced, chicken lip filled dogs most markets carry just won't do. I go for a natural casing "deli style" dog with all meat and no fillers. Kayhem and Deutchmacher are two of my favorites but there are many other good quality dogs out there. These dogs are best steamed, not boiled. I throw some onions and beer in the steaming pot for added flavor.
The bun should be lightly buttered and grilled, anything less just won't do.
Toppings make the dog and there are many ways to do it. "All around" means mustard, chopped onions and relish-that's a good tasting dog without getting too fancy. Another favorite is sauteed kraut with cheese and Guldens (spicy) mustard. A very yummy topping is onion relish-you can make it in a small batch- simply chop an onion, put them in a pot with enough vinegar to cover about a third of the onion in the pot, toss in 2 or 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar and a few squirts of barbecue sauce, sprinkle in some celery seed and simmer for 10-15 minutes; chill and serve on a dog with a little mayonnaise and honey mustard-this dog is out of this world! If you like peppers, you can make an easy pepper relish by chopping up a bunch of peppers (I always use one large green, red and yellow pepper, two chili peppers and 2 jalapeno peppers-you can use any kind you want though) and filling a jar with them, pour enough vinegar in the jar to cover the peppers, add some mustard seed and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours; this relish is good with a spicy mustard. I sometimes have my specialty toppings available at the truck-when I do they go fast! Lots of people like ketchup and onions-I'm not much of a ketchup guy when it comes to hot dogs though; try barbecue sauce in place of the ketchup for a change.
Happy Eating!
Ice fishing-without the ice!
If you live in the northern part of the country, you've undoubtedly seen people ice fishing. The hardcore ice fisherman has a hut where they keep from the cold. I often feel like one of these guys in my hot dog truck on a cold day-except I don't have a hole in the floor to reel in fish. No beer either.
I wonder how many ice fishermen like hot dogs? Shanty towns of ice fishing huts spring up on lakes in the winter time. Maybe I should park out on one of these places during the winter.....
Pitchers and catchers in 6 days....
