First day out

After spending over a month getting a Peddlers license, Fire inspection, Health Dept. inspection, Push Cart license and meeting all there requirements. I hit the streets downtown Columbus. 20 sales-5 sodas, 7 Bests kosher(5 were combo's), 4 It sausage(3 combo's), 3 bacon dogs(2 combo's), 1 It beef combo. I cooked enough for three times that and it took me well over an hour to set up. alot of lookers and a few buyers. I did keep a smile on and was very friendly though. I'm looking for a min. 60 sandwich sales on a location. Does anyone have any stats for first day sales to two week sales or 1st month. I'll stick out for at least two weeks and hope sales increase. Also I noticed a few funny faces when looking at my menu board(a large dry erase type) so signage maybe a problem, I'll ask people and see what they say.

quote:

Originally posted by TomGuy

After spending over a month getting a Peddlers license, Fire inspection, Health Dept. inspection, Push Cart license and meeting all there requirements. I hit the streets downtown Columbus. 20 sales-5 sodas, 7 Bests kosher(5 were combo's), 4 It sausage(3 combo's), 3 bacon dogs(2 combo's), 1 It beef combo. I cooked enough for three times that and it took me well over an hour to set up. alot of lookers and a few buyers. I did keep a smile on and was very friendly though. I'm looking for a min. 60 sandwich sales on a location. Does anyone have any stats for first day sales to two week sales or 1st month. I'll stick out for at least two weeks and hope sales increase. Also I noticed a few funny faces when looking at my menu board(a large dry erase type) so signage maybe a problem, I'll ask people and see what they say.

I think you would be lucky to get 20 the first day but I guess it varies on location. As far as the signage goes,I never really cared for the dry board type signs. If your writting is like mine then it might scare off the customer lol. I sure it will pick up as you Iron out the wrinkles and establish a few days there.

GREAT JOB!!!!!

Have half page menu's printed up in some crazy bright color and give them away liberally.

One night scotch tape them to the door of every business in a 1000 foot radius. Go in all the buildings with inner doors and hit the inner offices.

Offer a daily special. Make it cheap. Draw people to your business.

Have a big tip cup out there. I use a big plastic water pitcher.

Give away bubble gum.

quote:

Originally posted by TomGuy
I hit the streets downtown Columbus. 20 sales-5 sodas, 7 Bests kosher(5 were combo's), 4 It sausage(3 combo's), 3 bacon dogs(2 combo's), 1 It beef combo. I cooked enough for three times that and it took me well over an hour to set up. alot of lookers and a few buyers.

I think your ok for a 1st day unless you spent a lot of time notifying everyone in the area, you were about to open. It takes time for word of mouth to spread, and this is not the best weather to open an outdoor stand. Hang in there and make everyone you deal with a friend even if they are jerks and I promise there are a lot of jerks in the world. You can tell the jerks because they'll refuse to read the menu even though it's right in front of them and so they'll ask four or five questions about what you serve and when they find you don't sell Ice Cream or some other silly item they'll claim "Oh that's what I wanted". I swear they come to my drive up window every day and say the stupidest things. Then when a customer drives up that is decent, polite, and reads the menu and orders promptly I'm so happy I want to give them they're order free, but I don't LMAO. Remember the only advertising your doing right now is what that guy or gal says after she walks away eating your food. So make it your best. Hang in there you'll be fine.
Jack@DrofBBQ.com

quote:

Originally posted by rickmalek
Offer a daily special. Make it cheap. Draw people to your business.

Sorry Rick but I think your wrong on this one.
So are you going to run giveaway prices forever? Your business will stop when you stop the giveaway price. Don't do that unless your going to do it forever and you want to work your tail off for little or no profit. You know what your product is worth charge it or even more, and teach your customers about good dogs and fresh condiments. They’ll pay and you’ll make a decent living.
Jack

Thanks for the encouragement. I like the small printed menu idea. Half the people took there order in a small paper bag that I offer, I could just staple a menu to all bags. If i add one more menu item then that would be 5, 5 daily specials. Thanks, again.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr of BBQ

quote:

Originally posted by rickmalek
Offer a daily special. Make it cheap. Draw people to your business.

Sorry Rick but I think your wrong on this one.
So are you going to run giveaway prices forever? Your business will stop when you stop the giveaway price. Don't do that unless your going to do it forever and you want to work your tail off for little or no profit. You know what your product is worth charge it or even more, and teach your customers about good dogs and fresh condiments. They’ll pay and you’ll make a decent living.
Jack

The Dr. is right don't start giveaway prices because when you go up the customers tend to go away

Check with a screenprint shop, or you can actually buy a screenprint kit and print the menu or specials right on the bag. (just an added thought, though not necessary) RJF

quote:

Originally posted by Dr of BBQ

quote:

Originally posted by rickmalek
Offer a daily special. Make it cheap. Draw people to your business.

Sorry Rick but I think your wrong on this one.
So are you going to run giveaway prices forever? Your business will stop when you stop the giveaway price. Don't do that unless your going to do it forever and you want to work your tail off for little or no profit. You know what your product is worth charge it or even more, and teach your customers about good dogs and fresh condiments. They�ll pay and you�ll make a decent living.
Jack

It depends on what you consider a giveaway price. It think it is pretty important to get your price just right from the beginning, that way later tweaking of your prices don't seem unreasonable.

One or two days a week of taking a little bit of a hit on the nose over food cost is, for my market, part of the cost of doing business and competing with all the local restaurants that do have a daily special.

Well here is my sad story of day two. I bought a used blazer to haul the cart and product. Have had it out 8-9 times with the cart but the hitch failed today(it was rusted from the back and cracked). 2 1/2 hours later I was back home with the cart and my tail between my legs, never making it dowtown. Although I feel stupid for not checking out the trailer hitch better I feel worse about telling people to let their office mates know I'd be back today. So I'm hoping for a good Fri. lunch and I'm on private property for the Buckeye game on Sat.(3/4 mile from stadium), was just going to work pre-game but now will work before and after game.

Sorry about your trailer hitch misfortune. I like RF's "print the menu on the bag" idea. Gets your message out and demonstrates a little class.YOU put the food in the bag when serving. Don't think I'd waste the bags at the football game.

Hey Tom,
I'd recommend investing in a good chain to go along with the trailer hitch. My cart came off the hitch, broke the not so good chain and went skidding down the street sideways. Ended up costing about $5000 to fix the sucker. I did have insurance that paid most of it, but lost revenues and my out of pocket expenses sure added up quick. I do something kind of like what Rick does, I do a couple of specials during the week. I knock a dollar off my combo meal on Mondays. "Dollar off Monday! You deserve a little break." This is a very popular day (wonder why) and I still do very well because most people will tip that dollar right back at me. On Wednesday I swap my menu up a little bit. My menu is pretty diverse (I normally carry 7 different dogs) but some people still only come on Wednesday because I will bring some brats out that you'll never find anywhere. Keep the faith man. If you check some first day threads you'll get some good ideas on how peoples start ups went. I was parked across the street from Denver's best hot dog guy my first month and got pretty beat up watching him rock while I had some dismal sales. I ended up moving a block away and have been doing better and better since. You can make a decent living doing this but be prepared to bust your butt! This is the hardest I've worked for easy money.

Remember that if you didn't advertize in advance, people wern'tgoing out to lunch on the chanch they were going to bump into a hot dog cart. I'd be happy with 20, you'll be doing over 100 soon as folks will be getting dog orders for thei fellow workers, you have to consistently be there though. You doing Chili Dogs? Hot Links?