Hot Dogs here! Get your Hot Dogs Here!

What’s your story?
I have seen postings about Hot Dog carts, places to eat hot dogs, Where to get hot dogs, Where to buy a cart and on and on. But no one has really posted the road map to success on the subject. I see other questions that lead to more questions. It would be nice if we could post the steps we had to take to get where we are and some of the obstacles we had to over come. I think what a lot of people want to know is really “How much money do you really make”. I will put my 2 cents in and say how hard do you want to work? And you don’t buy a hot dog cart and stand there and sell enough to pay the mortgage the first month! I have seen a lot of internet sites that post sell hot dogs and get rich! Guess what? They sell the carts! More to come on the subject I hope.

I know someone who started in the hot dog selling business and is now a billionaire. After that successful venture he sold clothing and had some other retail stores. By the way he still sells hot dogs at over 400 locations. His name is Jeff Brotman and he co-founded Costco. His first venture was "Man Bites Dog" in Seattle Center.

Are you wanting to be spoon fed?

Hello All,
I don't think it is a question of being "spoon fed," but rather asking and sharing so one can gain on other's experiences.
Why do we have threads about where to eat? So that we avoid eating at bad places and going to good places.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

I guess I don't understand the statement "Are you wanting to be spoon fed?" I hope your not referring to myself. That would be rude and unfounded. At 60, I more then likely have more hours logged in hot dog sales then most. First cart was in 1974 at a park in Staten Island NY which I use the proceeds to pay for my kid’s privet school bills. I as Field thistle has stated "Why not" as PROFESSIONALS help out those who have just started or would like to start. I know for myself it has been a challenge each time I move (I am currently on my 4thd state and 5th cart) I am selling shrimp and Lobster at a flea market 3 days a week now and may never take the cart out of storage. So any one wanting to know anything at all about start up and long term profits just ask.

quote:

Originally posted by jojobeans

I guess I don't understand the statement "Are you wanting to be spoon fed?" I hope your not referring to myself. That would be rude and unfounded. At 60, I more then likely have more hours logged in hot dog sales then most. First cart was in 1974 at a park in Staten Island NY which I use the proceeds to pay for my kid’s privet school bills. I as Field thistle has stated "Why not" as PROFESSIONALS help out those who have just started or would like to start. I know for myself it has been a challenge each time I move (I am currently on my 4thd state and 5th cart) I am selling shrimp and Lobster at a flea market 3 days a week now and may never take the cart out of storage. So any one wanting to know anything at all about start up and long term profits just ask.

shrimp and lobster? are you selling raw seafood, or cooked? that may be a stupid question, but i just wanted to know.

Raw right now but we are setting up to steam. I am looking into a large oil fired steamed for the Lobster, it will do 30 at a time. Thay took a liking to me and are helping me in every way I need.

I'm really interested in this, jojo. I'm trying to develop a somewhat similar operation, but only for cooked shrimp.

The lobster idea fascinates me. Are we talking about lobster tails? I can't imagine that you're cooking live Maine lobsters.

What size shrimp are you using? And do you serve them with anything?

Thanks, and I hope I'm not being too nosey.

Bill

Good Question Bill
The shrimp sizes I sell are 16/20, 21/25, 26/30 and some times U. I get 1 and 1.5 LB. lobsters depending on the market. We sell it to go only and offer only cocktail sauce in the jar for $2.35. Times are hard right now because on the imports and the huricanes. I would not get into it now if you don't know the market and or have good contacts.

quote:

Originally posted by jojobeans

What’s your story?
I have seen postings about Hot Dog carts, places to eat hot dogs, Where to get hot dogs, Where to buy a cart and on and on. But no one has really posted the road map to success on the subject. I see other questions that lead to more questions. It would be nice if we could post the steps we had to take to get where we are and some of the obstacles we had to over come. I think what a lot of people want to know is really “How much money do you really make”. I will put my 2 cents in and say how hard do you want to work? And you don’t buy a hot dog cart and stand there and sell enough to pay the mortgage the first month! I have seen a lot of internet sites that post sell hot dogs and get rich! Guess what? They sell the carts! More to come on the subject I hope.

AMEN!! AMEN!!! AMEN!!!!

---

I have always wonder why all posting about hot dog stands. hot dog carts, and trailers, be put on one thread. There is so much useful information spread all over Roadfood.com.

quote:

Originally posted by garryd451

quote:

Originally posted by jojobeans

What’s your story?
I have seen postings about Hot Dog carts, places to eat hot dogs, Where to get hot dogs, Where to buy a cart and on and on. But no one has really posted the road map to success on the subject. I see other questions that lead to more questions. It would be nice if we could post the steps we had to take to get where we are and some of the obstacles we had to over come. I think what a lot of people want to know is really “How much money do you really make”. I will put my 2 cents in and say how hard do you want to work? And you don’t buy a hot dog cart and stand there and sell enough to pay the mortgage the first month! I have seen a lot of internet sites that post sell hot dogs and get rich! Guess what? They sell the carts! More to come on the subject I hope.

AMEN!! AMEN!!! AMEN!!!!

---

I have always wonder why all posting about hot dog stands. hot dog carts, and trailers, be put on one thread. There is so much useful information spread all over Roadfood.com.

Maybe I will go around and Copy & Paste all I find here. Just kidding

My 2 cents,
I could not make a living or support a family on my concession trailer, but my tips run around 25 to 50 a day mon thru thur. on fridays my tips run 150 to 300 a day. All the money is turned over into my newest concession trailer a 8 x 20 fter. I use my tip money to buy it and outfit it. It will be up and running Thanksgiving week end. I just installed my serving windows in it. enough about the trailer. My average sale is now 4.50 each. That is what you want. Not a 1.50 for one dog. I now do a Philly steak $4.00. This is what you need to do is have larger priced items. BTW I will be selling my first trailer soon. as is. 3,500 stripped. In PA. 6x15.
Keep this in mind. Your menu says: Chicken Patty sand for 2.50, the customer says "hold the tomato" Do you still charge him 2.50 or deduct 25 cents? Don't fall into this trap.
The answer is to charge them 2.50 because the sign says Chicken Patty Sand fro 2.50
Now back to original thread. I started out as a Hot Dog Trailer and soon realized not everybody would settle for a dog, "I want a burger" I fought them at first. I now sell just as many burgers as Hot Dogs. Next they said " i want Fries" I now do fries.
Lets review. A hamburger - 2.50 A small fries 1.50 a can soda 75
This is 4.75 each sale. Give them what they want. Make them their way and charge them all the extras. How about bacon on that burger. add 50 cents for a long strip cut in half, how about cheese? 25 cents
How about double cheese and double burger. 3.25
This is why my sales are High. Give them what they want. Mine is a one man operation. I sometimes am working on 4 customers at a time.
Today I was making 3 cheese steaks and 2 lg fries and 4 chilli ch dogs on 2 diff customers and sold 3 other single dogs, all in 5 minutes. About 25.00 worth w/sodas too.
But all this means nothing without the proper location. I feel I have the Dynamite one, after 3 other tries.
Later Cowboy Bob in PA
PS not bad for a senior sit. It keeps me young.

jojobeans........ I have a few questions, could you email me your email?? will take forever in posts.... Thank you Rick AceQualityProducts@hotmail.com

Cowboy Bob ..................... question, what do you do in the winter when the snow starts to fly?

Cowboy Bob, Excellent post! I couldn’t agree more. The only thing I would add is do not be afraid to charge a what you need or a little more if your quality is good and your portions are generous. You can always drop your prices or cut back on the serving size but to raise the price can be disastrous. You will need to account for spoilage and when you can afford to buy an ice maker. I would also add a beverage maker to give you a better profit margin on drinks if you do a large volume.

These are th kind of posts I like to see here.

quote:

Originally posted by AceQualityProducts

jojobeans........ I have a few questions, could you email me your email?? will take forever in posts.... Thank you Rick AceQualityProducts@hotmail.com

I sent you an email but it would be great if you could post you suggestions and questions here. I know anyone that comes here would have some good input and I am sure I don't have all the answers. Sometimes its good to have more that one slant on things.

Cowboy Bob what kind of equipment do you have and what is your location? I get up to PA often. I go everywhere from Path valley, Cowens Gap to the NJ line at Bethlehem

In the winter I still stay open, I wear long johns and heavy duty lined boots, my upper body is quite warm, due to Gas stove and grill.
I have picts somewhere of my set up in the snow. Also I have free elect in my rent averages about 120.00 per week. A percentage of sales. tips don't count in the equsion (sp)
My location is on the truck lot of the worlds largest Auto Auction, located in Manheim, PA, The public can also eat here. My main business is truckers. They just can't park their rigs just anywhere. So I have a captive audience. My business is about 80% truckers and 20% employees and outside support people. So in order to get the right spot you have to think outside of the box. who would have thought this would have turned out to be a dynamite location.
My unit is a permanant location, up on jack stands and plugged into 220 volts, My new unit will have 12 breakers to handle any load @ 100 amps.
Today I arrived at my location an hour early to cut the aluminum wallpaper (the thinist alum you can buy) I put it over the wood siding in my kitchen area, My kitchen will be 6x8 or 48 sq ft, Our BoH code says you shall have smoothe wipable surfaces in kitchen, not specifing SS except for hood and grease filters. Tomorrow am I will cut the last piece and mount into place. This weekend I will cut in the fan to remove heat. I am putting this on a rheostat to cut down the speed. it is too powerful. I will document all the procedures with picts as I go along.
Got to go now CBB

hiya JoJo;
Thank you so much for responding anbd sending me that email. it was most appreciated. I am going to purchase a cart from Joel, having been deliberating on which model to get, he seems to think i should get the A101 however I thought (but cannot find) I had seen a post on these forums that the hummer was best choice, so my confusion still lingers as to which to purchase. Joel seems like a real down to earth guy, he also seems to be straight up a honest, but i still dont want to over purchase not do i want to under purchase my cart.
Please give me your insight on these two. thank you for all your help.
Rick

Ace, I would recommend the Hummer not the 101 simply because I do not see a reason to spend the extra money to get the same results. Put the additional money into product. Did you get the spread sheet? It may seem like a small amount of money to get started when you look at just buying the cart, but even with the Hummer you should have at least 5K to get you started. Your expenses are equal to or exceed the cost of the cart and it will be a while before you are established, possibly 3 - 4 months. You could save some cash by picking up your cart from Joel as well as get some pointers from him. Seeing his operation and picking his brain can be a real asset. It sounds like you are ready to jump in.
Good luck

thank you for responding JoJo, it was joel who is pushing the A101, because it is a bit roomier to work with and it comes equipt with the grill. with the Hummer i would have to add-on the grill, it would still save me in the area of 1100.00 which is a big savings however I guess my question is....... have you seen the A101 in person? I would hate to have to make two trips across the state..... 1 to look at and pick a unit and the other to go there when its getting inspected. confusion still sets in....
Rick

Rick, I have not seen the 101 but remember in Fl. with a HD cart you can not set up at a public location like a street corner and cook burgers. You can only sell pre cooked food! That’s it! Trust me; you can work 2 people on a Hummer doing just Hot Dogs. If you’re doing an event you will need to spread out and get a station set up just for grilling and have just one person at the grill and helping with Dog’s you can fill in the slack and handle the money, make change etc…

There are rules that you have to follow and it is best to check with your local health official to find out what you can and can not do. Rule of thumb if it
A. Comes in a package pre cooked.
OR
B. Is Prepared in a commissary
You can however sell burgers at a function that you are doing if it is on personal property, like back yard parties and things like that. Also look at other places to get a grill http://www.mobilegrills.com/holland1.htm this one you can mount your self and remove as you see fit. But be careful with the health department once again because you have to submit any changes you make as well as usage on your cart --- so I am told by the city, a zoning person which is second hand knowledge told me this, check it out!

Hi JoJo;
one more quick question if you dont mind......... how many sinks are on your hummer? I was told we only need one, the hummer comes equipt with a single sink whereas the A101 comes with a triple. I was under impression that we needed triple sink. Please correct me if im wrong.
Rick

Let me put my 2 cents in here,
The burner stove is similar to the one sold at Lowes for a lot less money. I changed the gas fitting to accept a 20lb bottle and I cut the lid to accept a water pan with 6 food compartments to serve chili, kraut, hold dogs in burgers in and such, somewhere i have a pict that i can send you if interested.
Our BOH requires a place to wash your hands, You can use a 5 gal. container that you can buy at Wally World (Wal_Mart) and run the water into a Mud Bucket. The reason some want three sinks is to do dishes in. But all the utensils we use are throw Away. Except for your tongs. Always have several back-ups in a plastic bag for cleaniness.
Later CBB

One sink is all you are required you can ad more if you wish

quote:

Originally posted by AceQualityProducts

Hi JoJo;
one more quick question if you dont mind......... how many sinks are on your hummer? I was told we only need one, the hummer comes equipt with a single sink whereas the A101 comes with a triple. I was under impression that we needed triple sink. Please correct me if im wrong.
Rick

CCB made a good point! You can do what you want with your cart, even ad sides for storage up to the DOT guide lines for tow trainers. You will pick up a lot of things as you go. The good thing is what you spend is not a waste of money and if you make a mistake you can fix it at little or no cost, the main thing is to get going and make some money while the weather is great and all the fairs and events are going on.

Oh wow!! I thought the inspector had to see the grill on the cart for it to be allowed. I didnt realize i could add my own. I thought adding things after would require me to pay another $150.00 floor plan approval fee

CCB yes plz send me picts to my email addy if you dont mind I would sure appreciate it
Rick

oops sorry ..... its acequalityproducts@hotmail.com