My First Hot Dog Cart--- Advice Wanted

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Originally posted by enginecapt

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Originally posted by chicagostyledog

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Originally posted by enginecapt

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Originally posted by chicagostyledog

John,

O We have a table near the cart with a condiment rack(onions, relish, kosher pickle slices, and sport peppers)celery salt, ketchup, & mustard

Ketchup on a Vienna Dog? Oh, the humanity! Shoot them.

I don't and never will use ketchup on a Vienna Beef hot dog. My philosophy of selling hot dogs is strictly business. I will not let my personal feelings get in the way of disallowing a customer the choice of condiments. BTW, our ratio of ketchup to mustard use is 3/1.

The "shoot them" comment? It was a joke.

I enjoyed the "Oh, the humanity" which was a famous quote made by Newman when his mail truck was engulfed in flames at the end of a Seinfeld episode. Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode when Kramer and Newman were making sausages in Jerry's apartment? We play the music from that episode at our cart all the time.

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Originally posted by chicagostyledog

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Originally posted by enginecapt

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Originally posted by chicagostyledog

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Originally posted by enginecapt

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Originally posted by chicagostyledog

John,

O We have a table near the cart with a condiment rack(onions, relish, kosher pickle slices, and sport peppers)celery salt, ketchup, & mustard

Ketchup on a Vienna Dog? Oh, the humanity! Shoot them.

I don't and never will use ketchup on a Vienna Beef hot dog. My philosophy of selling hot dogs is strictly business. I will not let my personal feelings get in the way of disallowing a customer the choice of condiments. BTW, our ratio of ketchup to mustard use is 3/1.

The "shoot them" comment? It was a joke.

I enjoyed the "Oh, the humanity" which was a famous quote made by Newman when his mail truck was engulfed in flames at the end of a Seinfeld episode. Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode when Kramer and Newman were making sausages in Jerry's apartment? We play the music from that episode at our cart all the time.

Never saw that episode, but Newman was always a favorite of mine. You know where the origin of "Oh the Humanity" is doncha?

If memory serves the Quote "O the Humanity" was first made famous by Herb Morrison, a reporter for WLS Radio in Chicago,

Herb had just taken a bite from a hot-dog as he stood microphone in hand --- (hot-dog in the other) .......

When the German airship " Hindenburg" Bust into flames as it tried to land at New Jersey's Lakehurst Naval Air Station on May 6. 1937.

Herb spit out the mouth full of chewed dog and cried out the now famous words, "Oh, the Humanity!"**

The majestic ship turned into ball of flames on the ground in only 34 seconds.

Thirty-five people on board the flight were killed (13 passengers and 22 crewmen), along with one crewman on the ground.

It is not known if Herb finished his dog.

**(the dog was a "Hebrew National" -- And the original Quote was "OY, the Humanity"

One gigantic jar of sport peppers to Rascal for the right answer. I couldn't recall his name, so good on you.
I heard that he was eating a Vienna Beef without ketchup, just purchased from chicagostyledogs Grandfather, but I could be wrong.

You're actually somewhat correct. My uncle Jack was the deli man at Sam & Hy's on Roosevelt & Keeler, just west of Maxwell Street, where the Chicago style hot dog originated. If one wanted a Vienna Beef hot dog or Polish, your sources were street carts, delis, or the Vienna Beef factory store on Halsted. Back then, no one used ketchup on hot dogs in Chicago because it was strictly for burgers and fries.

BTW, here's Herb Mossison www.otr.com/hindenburg.html
Click on Herb Morrison Reporting for the entire broadcast.

Am leaving the corporate world of being an executive director of an international nonprofit to enter the world of selling hot dogs.

I am from Buffalo and we pride ourselves in being dog snobs, perfering gourmet dogs. However, I am told to leave the snob behind and do not serve gourmet dogs because of the profit margin and most folks will not know the difference.

I am told to go middle of the road such as Sabretts or Hebrew National.

Any thoughts?

Littlewurst

Littlewurst,
I sell Vienna Beef hot dogs for a living. To give you some insight into the hot dog business, check out the dog sales at Sam's Club or Costco any weekend or visit a 7/11 during the lunch hour. These places sell lots of hot dogs because they brand with well known companies and keep their prices low. If Sabretts or Herbrew National are the major brands that people identify with in your area, go for it. Low prices keep volume high. That's why 7/1l's sell more dogs than anyone in the U.S.

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Originally posted by Littlewurst

Am leaving the corporate world of being an executive director of an international nonprofit to enter the world of selling hot dogs.

I am from Buffalo and we pride ourselves in being dog snobs, perfering gourmet dogs. However, I am told to leave the snob behind and do not serve gourmet dogs because of the profit margin and most folks will not know the difference.

I am told to go middle of the road such as Sabretts or Hebrew National.

Any thoughts?

Littlewurst

Just wanted to wish ya luck! Maybe someday I'll get the courage to do the same.. Keep us posted on your venture...

Thanks for the help folks - will keep you posted as well as request additional help.

Cindy

I lovingly refer to 7/11 as the "Dash Board Dinner" and have taken many a late night date there after leaving the Pub. AH, the good old days. I think the set up they have makes for a big part of there success. Get your dog and hit the condiments bar or the chili/cheese pump. Hot coffee and 2 chili/cheese dogs on the road are the same in any state in the country. I have stopped at a number of places and when you ask for a chili /cheese dog they wrap it and bag it but when you get to the car to eat it you have to lick the chili and cheese off the wrapper. Yuck!!!

What do you know about shrimp? I am thinking about getting rid of the dog cart and doing shrimp by the plate or the pound?

fist things first you dont need to be near a bathroom you will train tourself to hold it and pace yourself. i can almost guarantee that you wont sell 250 hot dogs in 4-5 hours, especially when you firsyt start.selling hot dogd is a tough biz. there are the skeptics that look at any food cart as dirty. people forget about how dirty mickey dees can be.it takes years to build a clientel to do a significant volume every day. must always remember the rality of how many 2.00 dogs it takes to make a 100.00. i read on ebay and other places where people sell carts and they tell the facts that you can do x amount of dogs and 4,6,or 8 hours. i can tell you from my experience that those numbers are very far fetched. my best day at my regular spot no speacil events etc was like 18 or 20 dozen in 5 hours and i was beside myself with the volume. just way to crazy and hectic and crazy . dont get me wrong great money but a whole boat load of work

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Originally posted by mouthman2000

fist things first you dont need to be near a bathroom you will train tourself to hold it and pace yourself. i can almost guarantee that you wont sell 250 hot dogs in 4-5 hours, especially when you firsyt start.selling hot dogd is a tough biz. there are the skeptics that look at any food cart as dirty. people forget about how dirty mickey dees can be.it takes years to build a clientel to do a significant volume every day. must always remember the rality of how many 2.00 dogs it takes to make a 100.00. i read on ebay and other places where people sell carts and they tell the facts that you can do x amount of dogs and 4,6,or 8 hours. i can tell you from my experience that those numbers are very far fetched. my best day at my regular spot no speacil events etc was like 18 or 20 dozen in 5 hours and i was beside myself with the volume. just way to crazy and hectic and crazy . dont get me wrong great money but a whole boat load of work