How many Condiments do you offer?

Hey Guys..
I think additional condiments should be factored in with the price of the Hotdog. When I first started my prices were $4.00 per dog $3.50 per Hotlink & $4.00 per Beer Brat. When the recession hit I was receiving a lot of complaints with my prices. I figured offering 6 options with condiments $4.00 would be suffiant. For the last few months I have dropped my prices to $3.00.  I have different prices for night crowds and my day locations. My question is how do you factor in all the condiments and still make a profit without charging too much? I have heard that I am the only one that offers such condiments, but I am sure I am not the only one...perhaps on my side of town. I will be honest and I am not trying to sound like I am on a high horse. I have gone to many places that have their own shop and every dog I tasted just does not taste like mine. The reason I got into this business was the love for hotdogs. The so called competition seem like they just buy anything and charge you top dollar. Granted my focus is on the meat the toppings are a bonus in my opinion.
 


Onions,Tomatoes,Relish,Krout,Jalapenos and Shredded Cheese.

I want a hot dog not a salad. Your prices are too low your giving the rest of us a bad name.
Jack

Prices will have to be adjusted from time to time, it cant really be avoided. You (we) can always get a little more when things are booming in the nation but we gotta cut back when the nation is in a slump. Here I am limited with what I can offer but I offer.

Chopped onions
Kraut
Sweet relish
Hot peppers
Ketchup
Mustard
There is a possibility I may be able to offer chilli & cheese in the future as they are considering approving it. (Never been allowed here before)
I think your condo's look pretty good. Nice job

Giving us a bad name? Explain your reason for saying that?  I am not at a Fair everyday... This is the reason I made this post to hear people’s opinions. I also provide BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Chicken Fajitas and Nachos. Few months ago, I ran into a BBQ guy selling food out of his trunk with some type of contraption smoker welded on. He would follow my employees around trying to take my locations. Ide prefer a Salad dog over a burned rib tip any day.
 
RD
 

First of all I was kidding in my original post but on 2nd thought now I'm not.

You’re telling me Phoenix, AZ is in the toilet money wise? Your thinking as I read your post that people in Phoenix, AZ don't have jobs, or at least many are being laid off daily? Sorry but I think not. I have a ton of friends that live there and although my buddy that owns a crane rental company said things have slowed down some but he is still busy, and hasn’t laid off one employee, and the rest are doing great.

In fact my buddy the Sport’s Dr that runs a big sports clinic is constantly hiring as his company keeps growing.

I (my own personal opinion here) don't think there is a big problem in this country and especially not in an area like Phoenix, AZ. Maybe Michigan yes but not in Phoenix. If the media would stop telling people times are hard, everything would be fine.
 
 And if you think you’re not doing as well as you should be, do some promotions but don’t do price reductions or coupons. When you do that sort of promotion you’re telling your regular customers what your product is worth.

You’ll end up with coupon customers that go from one coupon joint to another and you’ll not see them again until you do another coupon.

You had customers complaining about $4.00 per dog and they’re getting all the free condiments? Tell them to get lost! Where else can they go and get a good dog for less? You are selling a good quality dog I assume????
 
Lets just pull some figures out of thin air:
Think about this: if you sell 150 hot dogs at $4.00 each you gross $600.00. If you sell 150 hotdogs at $3.00 you gross $450.00, and you’re losing $150.00 at day, gross. So in order to make that up you have to sell another 50 dogs before you get back to your average gross per day. Not many but now you’re working harder and running for product more often, work smart not hard.

May be look for a better location, or go to all of the neighborhood offices and businesses and hand out flyers but don’t give away your product.
 
But that said I work a stand at a set location 6 days a week and I'm setting records every week compared to last year. Where did you come up with the being at a fair every day thing?

RoyalDogs


Hey Guys..
I think additional condiments should be factored in with the price of the Hotdog. When I first started my prices were $4.00 per dog $3.50 per Hotlink & $4.00 per Beer Brat. When the recession hit I was receiving a lot of complaints with my prices. I figured offering 6 options with condiments $4.00 would be suffiant. For the last few months I have dropped my prices to $3.00.  I have different prices for night crowds and my day locations. My question is how do you factor in all the condiments and still make a profit without charging too much? I have heard that I am the only one that offers such condiments, but I am sure I am not the only one...perhaps on my side of town. I will be honest and I am not trying to sound like I am on a high horse. I have gone to many places that have their own shop and every dog I tasted just does not taste like mine. The reason I got into this business was the love for hotdogs. The so called competition seem like they just buy anything and charge you top dollar. Granted my focus is on the meat the toppings are a bonus in my opinion.
 


Onions,Tomatoes,Relish,Krout,Jalapenos and Shredded Cheese.

I have almost the same setup as yours minus the cheese. I charge extra for the cheese. I also provide hot sauce and mayo.  I keep the Saurkraut in a sealed separate container. Some people do not like the smell.
 
For catering gigs I offer alot more condiments. Coleslaw, baked beans, cream cheese, chili, bacon Bits, BBQ sauce. I do charge extra for these as well.
 

I think there is always a nice way to say something.

Understood, I guess I thought paying more than $4.00 for a dog would be unacceptable. That’s where I came up with the "fair" only there someone would pay $6.00 for a dog. Yes I only invest in premium meats, never the cheap stuff. Real hotdog lovers can tell by the look of a dog if it’s cheap. At least I can.. Next week I will return to the $4.00 mark, it bothers me when a potential costumer looks at the price and walks away. I need to come up with something so they can see what is included in the price not just the price it’s self.
 
I really don't want to get into catering..that’s a whole different permit and license.
I like the idea of giving people a lot of options to put on their food. If things turn out as planned in a few years I will invest in something permanent and branch out from there.
 
This is the reason I wish I had an accountant to help me figure the numbers out. I buy a lot of product between my vending machines and the mobile units. I asked my wife to help but it’s too overwhelming *soon to be ex*
 
I never heard anyone say they didn't like the smell of Sauerkraut, but I heard that my freshly chopped onions are powerful!
 

Kraut,Onions,corn relish,green relish,hot peppers,sliced dill pickles....As well as Dijon Mustard,Regular Mustard, Ketchup and i have two Signature nauti sauces...One is Hot the other is a smokey flavored sauce with alot of Bite to it and its been a huge hit....The customers really love it.
 
Ohh and not forgetting the fried Onions.....People around here would give an arm and a leg to have fried onions with a nauti dog or sausage.

i serve jalapenos, chpd onion, 2 relishes, 2 mustards and 2 chili hot sauces, mayo, ketchup and bbq sauce.

i charge .50ea. for  tomatoes, cheese, cole slaw, bacon, baked beans[on the dog], chili, avacado, sprouts, garlic-herb cr. cheese and .25 for kraut.
i charge $3.75 for a jumbo dog...2.00 for a small dog and $4.75 for all my sauages.

David really loads his dogs. We are charging 2 sets of prices...
Street vending:
1 all beef hot dog...$2.50 
2+ dogs....$2
Kielbasa or brat...$3.50
Toppings included.... ketchup, mustard, Frank's hot sauce, mayonnaise, chili (kept hot), sauerkraut (kept hot), sweet onions, grated cheddar cheese, sweet pickle relish

For the races:
Beef hot dog...$2.50
Kielbasa or Brat $4
Add Chili and/or Kraut $0.50
 (see the above list of toppings) 

I do keep an OpenOffice spreadsheet on my costs... including how much we use in condiments.  All our prices include sales tax.  We are very comfortable with what we priced.  We know our overhead here and for us, this is basically a "test run".  Our price will most likely go up once we move out west.  Our area is okay with the prices we charge.  We have heard that we are better and cheaper than the "other" hot dog guy in town.  BTW, David is set up across the street from "Hot Spot" convenience store where they sell a really cheap crappy dog for $1.25 each ($1 if you buy 4+... toppings are ketchup, mustard, relish, chili and a liquid cheese chili/cheese is an upcharge + tax)

Four bucks for one hot dog? Bizarre.

I'm also in Phoenix and offer the same condiments but also offer chili, pickle spears, celery salt, mayo & sport peppers.  From time to time I also offer my version of the Sonoran Style dog (pinto beans, bacon crumbles, onions, cheese & jalapenos).

I also have experimented with the late night scene with limited success. 

The club I set up at had a prior vendor who couldn't sell dogs for $1 each.  I've since learned they sold cheap Hoffy dogs. 

I figured I would sell a good quality jumbo dog and Vienna Beef Spicy Polish.  Once the bar patrons try a good quality dog, they shouldn't have a problem paying $3 to $4 for a good dog.  I was wrong.

I now offer 3 dogs.  $2 regular (8/1), $3 Jumbo and $3 Spicy.  If they want it Chicago Style, Chili Cheese or Sonoran, its $1 more.

I'm testing Nacho's and Cheese Sauce for $3.  I'm not sure its worth the mess.

Before you old farts complain about my prices, let me add that I do pretty good in tips so I'm still making $3.50 to $5 per dog.

The club has 500 to 1000 patrons a night.  The DJ announces my product several times a night.  I pay no rent.  The cart is right outside the front door where there is plenty of light.  Sounds like a gold mine huh!

My problem is I'm only selling between 40 and 65 dogs a night.  I really figured once the word got out, I would do much better.  Thats not been the case.  I've been there every Friday and Saturday night for two months and sales have been flat.

I get compliments every night and have never had a complaint.  I've been giving the employees a discount so that they'll talk up the dogs to the customers inside (which they do).  I am at a loss.  Any ideas or are the patrons here just not dog eaters?

I have a set up similiar to yours.  But instead of tomatoes I use dill pickle spears...so I serve:
Cheese, chopped onions, kraut, dill pickles, sweet relish, jalapenos.  I also serve caramelized onions, cream cheese, bbq sauce, ketchup, 2 kinds of mustard, horse radish sauce, and sriracha sauce.  I sell my dogs for $4.25...after this conversation I think I'm really cheap,  considering the fact I carry anywhere from 7-13 varieties depending on the day.

7-13 varieties depending on the day.
7-13  different types of hot dogs? Or do you mean different types of condiments?

The night scene is tough; hell the day scene is even tougher. The summer heat is here, so one might have to cut back on all the extravagant condiments.*being outside* Evil Ron your funny..I needed a good laugh with your old farts comment. The funny thing is I enjoy hearing the so called old farts opinion. They are the ones that perfected the game and make time for us. Back to the subject… I have learned in "high density areas" If you’re working by yourself, it is a smart move to have two condiment trays. I always have BBQ sauce Ketchup, Mustard and Hot sauce. Mayo in the cooler…  What is your method for keeping your condiments at the right temps? I have these ice packs that fit into the trays that last a few hours. Last summer I broke out the dry ice to do ice cream. I would like to try the shaved ice this summer. The problem with this is I never owned one..what better time to have shaved ice then when it is 110 outside! It is against the rules to have a generator to provide power..so only at set locations this would work. I have noticed Mexican vendors using their vans to provide power, how are they able to do that I am still trying to figure that out…sounds like leniency!

I didn't mean any disrespect.  I have learned a lot from the people on this forum. 

I've been researching the shaved ice thing as well.  I'm thinking a couple deep cycle batteries and an inverter should do it.  I doubt the Health Department would shut you down for having a small Honda generator.  From my experience, what they say and what they do are totally different.  I've also seen manually operated machines that don't require power at all.  They shave the large blocks of ice.  I'm going to do some "field research" this weekend.  I'll let you know what I find out.

My condiment tray has an ice compartment.  I use both Ice and Gel packs depending on how hot it is.  I buy the small mayo packets and they always stay in the cooler.

RoyalDogs

...I have noticed Mexican vendors using their vans to provide power, how are they able to do that I am still trying to figure that out…

Sounds like an inverter.   An inverter changes DC (like produced by a battery) into AC current (like in a house). Read about them at most any good solar or RV site

http://www.sierrasolar.com/articles_categories.php?category_id=51

An ice shaver pulls quite a few amps.  Don't think you will find an inverter that's big enough without it being the size of a bread truck.  Also 2 fully charged deep cycle batteries would probably shave about 1/2 a block before you had to recharge them.  If you don't have AC avilable I think you can forget the shaved ice.  Just my opinion.

Mike S.

To branch out into this would have to get a commercial ice shaver. And those are at least $2000 that’s not including flavors cups and whatever else that is needed. I found some cool looking flavor stations too. Where people can go to the station and put their on flavors on.

 

Count on at least 5-$6000 for a low end setup. These flavors stations are not needed if you have someone working with you to do toppings. No need to hire someone if people are doing it their self. By the looks of this picture..this could be a messy, sticky business!

RoyalDogs


To branch out into this would have to get a commercial ice shaver. And those are at least $2000 that’s not including flavors cups and whatever else that is needed. I found some cool looking flavor stations too. Where people can go to the station and put their on flavors on.

 

Count on at least 5-$6000 for a low end setup. These flavors stations are not needed if you have someone working with you to do toppings. No need to hire someone if people are doing it their self. By the looks of this picture..this could be a messy, sticky business!

Cool looking cart. Love the colors.

Yes me too. I am paying a graphic designer that specializes in huge pictures to wrap all my units. People like bright and cool colors. I just wish I had umbrellas to match.  It’s already blazing hot at 10:30 am!

RoyalDogs, do you have a daily spot you set up?  Let me know where and when you're there, I'd like to stop by sometime.

Evil, during the day I am running around dealing with my vending machines. During the evening and night is when I get the carts out. I am sure we can work something out.

Hello everyone, first timeposter.
I saw that setup at azgfd expo.
It was really drawing a nice crowd.
Summer is here in the valley for sure.
I offer a $2 reg 8/1
also a $3 5/1
Condiments I offer are green relish, red onions, sport peppers     
dill pickle spears, tomatoes, and saurkraut .
mustard, ketchup, deli mustard, and mayo.

Where are you located Diablo....

South Phoenix ,around 32nd st and broadway

Does everybody do self serve or do you prepare the dogs with condiments?
I personally prepare mine myself. Trying to control costs.

I typically prepare the dogs for the customer.  Not only to control costs but also to give them the authentic Hot Dog Cart experience.

No Dr BBQ that is 7-13 different varieties of dogs.  A regular day features
reindeer
elk
buffalo
veal
wild boar
red hots
kosher dogs
I will usually have a couple of extra kinds laying around and then on Wednesdays I add another 4-6 brats.  Variety is the spice and all that.