Need Help - To Sale Dogs on Mexico/US Border

Somebody please help me. I have just obtained the license contract to sale hot dogs on the Mexico/USA border. This is the border line in Tijuana, BC, Mexico where cars wait approximately two to three hours daily to cross back to the United States.

Approximately 50,000 cars cross daily and about 150,000 per day on weekends. I have just obtained the contract.

Now my problems. I know nothing about making, organizing and purchasing hot dogs. Our idea is to imitate the hot dogs they sale at Costco as this same dog is sold at the Costco's in Tijuana, Mexico.

The idea is that most Americans do not buy food along the border lines because they are afraid of getting sick. Our plan is to advertise that our dogs are Hebrew National or some "safe beef franks".

My problem is that I have no source for buying the dogs or buns wholesale here in San Diego. I know I can purchase at Costco but I would like to obtain a better price as I really feel we could be selling quite a bit of dogs if our plan goes good.

Anyone that can help me with any ideas would be of great help. We are going to have a permanent place along the border (About 350 square feet) and all the vendors in the border will be purchasing the dogs from us at a wholesale price to sale retail to all the people crossing the border in their vehicles.

We plan to sale the hot dog and coke (18oz) from $ 2.75 to $ 3.00.

Look forward to hearing back from all you experts.

Thank you,
Robert

I'm confused. Are you selling the hot dogs to consumers or selling them wholesale to vendors that will be at the border? In any case, that's some contract.
The Bear

ScreenBear,

I will have approximately five or six college girls selling close to our premises between the vehicles. We are proposing to standarize our price to $ 3.00 for a hot dog and soft drink. The other item is that the border lines are approximately over two miles long with over 20 lines. There is quite of bit of vendors in carts that sale from cokes, energy drinks and pastries.

Our idea was to put a standard price and sale wholesale to all of these union vendors (about 100 vendors). We were thinking of selling to them at $2.00 each with a minimum quantity to purchase. They would have to all sale at the same price. Anyone selling over or under would be refused additional purchases. In this manner, we would do a lot of marketing to make it known our hot dogs are top quality and this would gain consumer confidence.

Just imagine you are waiting in line on a weekend coming back from the border. A two or three hour wait; it would be hard not to build some type of appetite.

Any help out there would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Robert

If you got licenced to do this thing than you should have gotten a sales tax ID number. That alone will entitle you to go directly to an institutional food broker and buy high quality items for the same price as restauraunts pay. Whoever your local Sysco broker is would be a good start. They would carry all the major brand names you would need. You will get a larger choice of products more tailored to your needs and at a better price than costco or sam could touch.
britt

I belief the people you see selling at the border are part of a union. If you set up on the Mexican side in traffic and start selling you will have problems. I use the term union very loosely. Let us know if you make it back across the border alive.

I hope you did not get the licence from the same guy selling titles to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Restaurant Depot has a location in San Diego. I would certainly give them a look. I know that they carry Sabrett and other major brands here in NY.

Good luck!

Eric

Thanks, I will be selling on the Mexican side but I made the director of the union workers a silent partner giving him a small percentage of profit sharing. I speak three languages fluently including "Spanish" and have no problems in Mexico.

My big concern is how to operate and make hot dogs. What temperature to use. How to keep the buns warm. If I start selling more than 1,500 hot dogs per day; what type of machines will I need. Things like this is where I am a rookie when it comes to hot dogs.

All help is welcome.

Robert

Hire someone who knows the business to manage it for you. Maybe the person who operates some of the Nigerian Fiscal Disbursments is available. I don't equate "consumer confidence" with the TJ Border Crossing Vendors. Anyone who consumes an "open" (un-factory sealed) beverage in that line up deserves what will happen to them even before they reach the the Border Check-Point.

This is NOT a ballpark with lots of controls on the vendors and someone to insure that health standards are met...This is the Baja at its money-grabbing dishonest worst. The Border Crossing is not one of the fine restaurants in TJ or other Baja cities where decent food is prepared in decent kitchens.

The validity of the "College Girls" is about as honest as the "Nuns and Nurses" begging for funds from the people in line also. A good Nigerian Operator could turn this into a Gold Mine for you.

Al,

Our attempt is to do this entirely different than what is sold at this time. We do have the measures to control the quality of the product. We do have the license and contract. Our philosophy is to train these vendors. The vendors would be purchasing the hot dogs immediately from our location right at the border. The location is between the vehicles.

These vendors currently pay a monthly license fee of $ 300.00 per month to sale items along the border. To them, this is a huge investment.

Our attempt is to provide a top quality product, clean and unopened hot dog. Our drinks will be in closed plastic cans. We do believe that with honest marketing and hard work, we can differentiate ourselves from all other providers as we would be able to control who purchases for resale of our hot dogs. It is very easy to hire two or three managers to keep tight controls.

As for your comment on "the Nigerian Fiscal Disbursement" thanks a lot. All the beverages at the border sold are either sodas and energy drinks in unopened cans or plastic bottled water purchased from Costco.

The college girls is to have a wholesome clean cut crew selling also to consumers along with the border vendors. Our license will allow us to have up to six people selling directly to consumers along the border but we may sell wholesale to all the other vendors.

I am looking for advice on the type of hot dogs to use, the buns, condiments, equipment to cook the dogs, etc...

If someone can give me an honest opinion it would be greatly appreciated. I appreciate your sense of humor. Not everyone in Baja California is as you term (money-grabbing and dishonest). The same could be said of many in the United States and other parts of the world. Our attempt is to build a nice quality kitchen right there at the border. I am looking for help.

Thank you,
Robert

I will give you credit for originality of thought and plan, but I will still deny the plausibility of the total concept. Good luck with your efforts. Yuppifing the San Yisidro Border Crossing would be the ultimate challenge for a venture capitalist. I will have to use the venacular when giving my opinion..."No Way, Jose!"

Robert, didn't you put the cart before the horse? Before bidding and getting this concession, shouldn't you have gotten your ducks in a row first as to what you'd be selling and knowing what you'll pay for them? You've set prices already and you don't even know from where or how much you'll pay for your dogs. End of sermon.

Follow the advice of others and go to Restaurant Depot or contact a food distributor quickly. There's more to it than buying dogs and an equal amount of buns. There are also logistics of keeping the food at proper temperatures so you don't poison anyone. It can get tricky. Good luck.

If I were working that venue, I'd try selling Chiclets.