Is there money in the hot dog cart business?

A resounding "yes" is heard from coast to coast from vendors who are new and old in the business of hot dogs. The question is do you want to be an average hot dog vendor or do you want to be one of the top dogs in the industry? Here are a few tips for finding a profitable location in your area that I have found to be money makers. Keep in mind that in order to make money you do not want to sacrifice the quality of your food.

1) Call or visit your Parks and Recreation Department in your city to inquire about any independent food service contracts that are available for bidding. When bidding these contracts always bid a % of sales up to 20% but never over this amount. Take into consideration what they provide. Some may reasonably provide you with commissary, electricity, water and storage room..some may even have access to ice and other necessities to reduce your overall cost of doing business in the industry. These kitchens are almost always equipped as commercial kitchens although small in nature could serve as a home base for your business and you only pay when you make money. These contracts are normally signed in one year agreements with a multiple year renewal. I usually ask for 4 years. Common in the political arena.

Example: You contract for concessions for 3 city pool locations, these locations gross 10k per month which is very realistic, they furnish the facilities, you pull the license, hire the staff, pay the wages and sales taxes and 15-20% which will likely be 70% of your total income and pocket the profit of 34% because your overhead is fixed for utilities, rent etc at the 15-20% mark. Best of all you do not physically run any of the locations yourself. During my career as a restaurant owner just my food costs could run around 30%, employees 35% not including my rent and utilities by the time I was finished for the month I may have only net a mere 5% for all of my hard work.

Soccer fields are great for income, however keep in mind that you must be hearty in your mission as this sport occurs in the midwestern US during the coldest months of the year. Early Spring and late fall are the most profitable times of the year.

Dont limit yourself to outside contracts, as a vendor, become a caterer and diversify your business so that you may operate year around.

Dog House Carts, Inc located in Fort Wayne Indiana can manufacturer you a custom made hot dog cart with electrical capabilities for indoor use. Turning your business to an all year food service business can increase the odds of your success while increasing your bottom line. Although in most areas of the upper midwest you will have to close your business sometime in November, the line can form inside...and being a hot dog vendor you wont' want to miss a business opportunity.

2) Fairs & Festivals, special events. By all means, schedule your life and make it easy. If you choose this avenue you can expect to make big money and not work the traditional 5 day a week work week. Make sure that you dont find yourself buying bad hot dog cart vendor real estate as I call it. Fair and festival boards have a common goal in making money. They don't offer rain checks so dont gamble on a large event with big dollar entry prices unless you are willing to loose it should mother nature decide to take it from you. You may be willing to do the work during a stormy day but your customers have the choice of eating inside a building...nice and cozy instead of eating out in the rain and getting soggy buns.

What Hot Dogs do I use?

I can not tell you how many times a week, a month or a year that I am asked this same question. Does it matter what brand of hot dogs I use? Well, of course it does. Regardless of what some non hot dog lovin people think, quality, price and region matters. People in certain regions have come to trust and love brand names that are indigenous to their area. In Florida, people love Sabretts famous brand, in Penn people love Smith's hot dogs, in Chicago people love Vienna Beef hot dogs.

My favorite hot dog is Boars Head due to it's No cancer causing nitrates and no fillers, just high grade meat. These are sold in a continuous link, all connected like the old day vendors use to buy for their hot dog carts. They are commonly found in fresh markets and whole food stores. I also like the new angus beef hot dog from Oscar Myer meets. It is nitrate free too. I am not into "healthy foods" 100% of the time but I quit smoking years ago to live a little longer, to see my grandbabies grow up why would I choose to have proven cancer causing agents in my hot dogs?

You have to like the hot dog that you serve, if you would serve it to your family, friends and eat it as your hot dog of choice, it's the dog you should use. Yes, price consideration is important but backing your product quality is important too.

There are many things to consider in your new business, but your main choice should be quality food, after all that is what the industry is all about.

From Hot Dog Vendor to Hot Dog Cart Builder

You would think that if you were down for count, the count was 3 that your spirit would be a little crushed. After someone taking all that you have worked so hard to build for over a decade what would you be expected to do? I have been meaning to write a bit about this situation on my blog, get it out of my heart and soul and send it in a balloon or something, just let the feeling go for once and for all. After all, it's been almost a year. I am healthy and happy to be in a loving enviroment among friends who respect and know me. That I am thankful for. There is one thing that I am most thankful for, my husband and friend. James Osborne..he is brave, he is honest and he is the hardest working man I know. He may not be the most romantic man in the world..he doesn't buy me diamonds, he doesn't take me out for high class meals at fancy restaurants as a matter of fact he feels quite uncomfortable at those places.

So what does my husband do that makes him so special you ask? Let me tell you.... HE MAKES ME HOT DOG CARTS..not just any hot dog cart, but beautiful hot dog carts.

You see when all of my dreams were crushed by someone much bigger and richer than I he saw me cry...he wiped my tears and he cried with me when I lost my hot dog cart business due to making a deal with the devil. He wanted to fix it...he didn't know how. I gave up, I pursued another career leaving my old expertise behind due to pain and sorrow and added to the pain was the death of one of my good friends. I gave up, I stopped being the happy person I knew before I met this horrible fate. My trust was gone..... no promises came true.

This is my story, I have been waited a long time to tell it. I have been hurt very deeply by those I trusted with all I built, trust was destroyed a bit at a time until all that was left inside was hate. But my husband...the greatest man I know builds me hot dog carts and I love him for it.

Hot Dog Vendor Season Arrives

It's here, we can feel it in our bones. Hot Dog Cart season is upon us. I can hear the fabricators at Dog House Carts, Inc buzzing with excitement as the custom cart orders come in for the 2011 hot dog cart season and they determine how they will keep up with their orders. To see the quality carts come off the press is amazing. The new wood cart that was hand fabricated by an amazing wood craftsman out of Georgia is just amazing !! Talk about a touch of the past, this cart is nostalgic and speaks with measures of elegance. A Hot Dog cart that even makes me want to fire up the flames !!

My life is much different this season, as some that are close to me know that I am no longer acting (for now) as the Queen of weenies, I am making an honest living helping those with skin care battles win their war. I am now a Indiana State Licensed Esthetician and perform microdermabrasions, chemical peels and constantly research methods commonly only derived from the fountain of youth. My new website is up and running now and the new business promises to be awesome. See me at http://www.behindenemylinesllc.com not only does this name depict what we sometimes feel when we are hiding behind a face that has seen too much sun in it's years, acne concerns, dryness, aging and just looking like we are tired beyond our years. I can turn back time with tried and true methods of anti youth serums, and procedures that make you feel and look younger.

However, I do volunteer to run a hot dog cart from time to time, show up for a now and then again lesson to new vendors in starting up and running their new business. Menu consulting for new hot dog vendors and cost analysis which in this age in time is ever so important. I am also currently contemplating reving up my ebay store where I sell those hard to find vendor accessories. Dog House Carts, Inc of Indiana has agreed to provide me with custom made accessories, swing away grills that attach in tow to your push bar and drop in condiment shelves. They have amazing equipment drawers with cam locks that are both secure and storage in their carts that I only dreamed of being a vendor. I don't know about you but the packing and unpacking of all of my supplies when I did an event to keep them from bouncing all over in my cart...gets old, real soon. The guys at Dog House Carts, Inc have solved those storage problems. And much much more, when I want a hot dog cart that is girl friendly I think of the models that are fabricated at Dog House Carts, Inc because they don't expect you to lean over a hot steam table to get to your on board cooler.. they have inovated a cooler that slides out so that you can easily get to your products without being burnt or worrying about setting something on a surface that you have to move on the top of the cooler every time you want to open it. I love the guys at Dog House Carts, Inc. That just may be because one of them is my husband James Osborne and Engineer, Hot Dog Cart Designer...Steve Schaefer. These guys really now how to make a vendor happy.

Jim and Steve would love it if you checked out their site, http://doghousecarts.com as they grow and progress. And if you need colored cart you should check them out. Wow, these carts are cherry red and bright yellow.....nice and the best thing is that they don't cost any more money. Give their sales department a call and talk to Greg Price about getting your amazing new cart.

And if you want to be the best looking hot dog vendor in the field, come see me.... I will make you look brand new.