Hot Dog Vendor Fall Venue

Guys...It is an exciting time for all of our businesses ! You say why the season is about to close in the midwest and northern areas to get ready for winter months. Well, some of my best work has been done in the fall and winter months. When is the best time to start that annual business plan, work on your website, cater holiday events? This is it ! Network !! Join all of those networking groups that you have always wanted to. Have lunch, make some new friends and share your enthusiasm for your business with them. They will see the passion you have. Have you taken a food safety class yet? Sign up for one. Most certificate holders will expire next spring if you were certified in the year that the health departments mandated participation in health and safety training and certification. Email me with questions on where the nearest class is to your area. Heck you can even study online now and go to a local college and take your exam. You won't get the hands on training that a good, no great teacher will give you. This is house cleaning season also. Does your mobile unit need repairs? Schedule those repairs now. Get it shiny and clean, clean out every nook and cranny so that your business shows your pride and makes your customers aware that you care about sanitary practices. Get Ready for next season, 2010 promises to be more of the same. Success in the Hot Dog Vending industry takes work, it's your business. What do you want out of it? Do you want to make money? Read about how to increase your ticket sales... keep posted. This winter I will make some very serious recommendations on how to increase your per person ticket value....

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES

Hey, in Fort Wayne Indiana at Carts of America, Inc we are having a party. We are giving away free hot dogs, bring the kids for free face painting and a fun dome sponsored by Ultrazone. Oh yeah, did I mention free hot dogs? Kids, Adults and even pets can get a free dog while they last at the end of the season blow out event. What an event !!! Free music. WE are throwing a party because the industry for manufacturing hot dog carts and mobile food stands is amazing !! The best year ever. We don't want the party to end. Come on out, Say hi and fill up your belly. If you feel brave enough register for the hot dog eating contest that will take place at 12 noon ! Also, register for the hot dog vendor cook-off contest. You will be going up against 10 years of experience, that is right. I will set the threshold. This is a race based on quality of product, timing and yes... volume based in a pre-set timed race. The judges will be deciding and the prize is amazing. Oct 10, 2009 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Call me if you want to come
877-369-5436

Summer's Almost Over

Well, it's been a very busy summer. I hope yours was just as busy as ours was. It was great. There was one event where we grossed $1398.00 in one day. We did not sell drinks, chips or any ad ons.. just good dogs and lots of them. Another corporate event managed by the master and my sidekick (my gorgeous husband, Jim) we grossed $250.00 per hour for 3 hours straight. Let me tell you when you are kicking out that kind of business it tests the skills of even the best hot dog vendor. Our prices per dog range from $1.75 to 2.50. So if you think it's because we are selling $10.00 hot dogs, guess again.

For our region, Northeast Indiana the time for the 2009 Hot Dog Season is growing short. There is time for a few more parties... The End of the Season Blow out party was just announced. Our party will feature, contemp live music, A hot dog vendor cook-off.. sign up now and test your skills, a hot dog eating contest, face painting, free hot dogs to the public, wine tasting and kids play area. Why not bring your families out and have a little fun.

Where: Carts of America, Inc
7616 Disalle Boulevard Suite H
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825
Date: 10/10/2009
Time: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

We would love to see you and your families there to celebrate the best year we have ever experienced in the business. We want to share our success.... Come on Out and hear the news about our new location first hand.

Hot Dog Cart Frenzy

Well good friends and followers, the economy has now been officially stimulated by hot dog vendors all over the world. I have reports in every day about how amazing the hot dog vending industry is and how it offers freedom to those looking to generate a part time income or those owning their own hot dog dynasty so to speak with several carts. Here in the Indiana showroom we are busy.. so busy we can't keep some of our best models in stock. At Hot Dog Cart World.com we allow our new vendors to post a pix of their new business as well as their business address and name. Some have taken advantage of it and some are camera shy that is for sure. Our new site is coming together. If you have any suggestions for the site please let us know, it is our goal to create a community to support the hot dog vendors in the world. We have accessories, parts for hot dog cart repairs most any type of support you need in the business. I can brag of 10 years in this business, this being the busiest by far both in sales of the hot dog cart units and in requests for mobile food service. I am not only a trusted business resource for the new hot dog vendor, I am also someone who has been in the business and struggled with the health department rules and regulations, mother nature's rath of a a rainy season or a "hot" season where people only want to drink, not eat. If you have advice about the hot dog business to new vendors, post it. They come here to read about what we are doing.

What are we doing? Well, secret be told we are starting a new location to soon be announced in the southern states. Yes, you heard it from me and stay tuned for more. We will still run our Indiana location, a young upcoming hot dog vendor chick will be in charge of the Fort Wayne Indiana midwest showroom which boasts of over 2,000 foot of warehouse space. Open right now because our stock is so low.... big mistake this year. Underestimated what the economy could do for us. There is a Frenzy my friends... don't mistake it. Hot dogs are Hot !!! I have a friend a local mortage broker and his wife the RN, they wanted to teach their kids to run their own business and make enough money for the wife to cut back her work hours. Their second year in business and I am hearing their name all around town. They have made their mark in Fort Wayne Indiana and success is theirs for the asking. This business is what you make of it. If you let that cart sit in the garage then it will sit there and not do it's job as a very wise investment. Get it out, find out what it takes to sit on a busy street corner... it's your best marketing technique. You will get recognized, put on a ketchup or mustard costume. Act silly, make some money. Do a promo.... sell a $1.00 dog, just for a week include a coupon or flyer with your name ... it will happen. It did for me and I am so happy. Yes, I talk and walk hot dogs 7 days a week. Guess what I had for lunch today? You guessed it... a hot dog, traditional with relish, ketchup and mustard it was delicious. Take care... Fellow Foodies and keep doggin it.

What is your favorite Dog?

What you ask is my favorite dog? Many of my customers ask often about what dog I prefer. Quite frankly, I like many dogs, cheddarwurst bursting open on a seasoned grill, topped with mustard, ooozing with cheese in a snappy natural casing. I also love sabretts, nicely steamed hot dogs in Southern Florida.. yes, I went to Florida this year and found a hot dog vendor on the causeway to Sanibel Island. He had a simple set up and a very worn out cart, he needs a new one so I gave him my card...lol but his dogs were great. He says he retired from selling hot dogs for awhile, missed the people and the work so he went back to doing it. I bet it can get pretty hot in the Florida sun at times. Not like Indiana. What do hoosier's like? What is their favorite dog? Well, hoosier's will differ as much as any other geographical place as to what they really like the best but most of them agree that they want their hot dogs burnt to a crisp and moistened with chili and cheese. These little delicacies have been selling well from my hot dog cart for over 10 years. Every time they ask me to burn their dog I have to laugh about the genuine Chicago folks who would roll over with total dismay about the hoosiers burning their hot dogs on purpose. We are only 3 hours away, but different in culture and taste. We are looking for your favorite recipes.. do you like them with sweet slaw southern style? Do you like a sweet bbq sausage and pickles with onions? Tell us.. what is your favorite, what do you crave? Until next time... I'll be doggin it and tellin you all about it. "The Weenie Queen"

June 2009 Hot Dog Cart Events

Wow, it's now June. The last time I posted I was feeding like 250 kids. Since that time we fed a group of 300, full hot dog meals at the local Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne Indiana. Saturday, a private event. Tyler's graduation party. Tyler is special, he lives in Fort Wayne an is graduating and going off to basic training for the Marine Corp. If that alone doesn't make Tyler a special kid, he worked a few days wrapping hot dogs between his main career. His mom, Sherry and dad, Tim are a bit worried about Tyler going off to be a jarhead but I told them that if I could manage to be married to a jarhead for the last 17 years don't worry so much. God will take care of him.

We have a great summer line-up of events. June 20, 2009 at 11:00 we will start firing up the hot dogs & brats for our 21st Annual SCAN duck race in Fort Wayne Indiana. Talk about a great fundraising event ! SCAN is a society that prevents child abuse and neglect. Their mission is an important one and we are proud to be a part of it. People say it's not nice to have favorites, well at Willy Dog of Fort Wayne we love SCAN, along with Turnstone, Center for the disabled, Junior Acheivment of Fort Wayne which we will be talking about their July event coming up soon.

Also, coming soon an event to remember. My sister-in-law, Catherine Osborne is getting married. It is a glorious event, first time... great event and a fundraiser to boot. I am sure that she will convince us that "no" wedding is complete without the hot dog queen serving up some hot off the grill. The event is combined with a fundraiser to support SAFY, an organization to support children who grew up in foster care giving them the right support to integrate into society and experience a normal productive life. A very worthwhile cause. This will all happen with a heck of a party on the campus of IPFW on June 27, 11:00 am to 6pm. Bands, food and fun. Come see the fun and witness the miracles that happen on that campus.. sorry sis didn't mean that it took a miracle to get you married ! lol

If you came to our Blog through our website, www.hotdogcartworld.com thank you. We are building a community of hot dog vendor support. Like none other. If you are into hot dogs, we want to be your world.

Hot Doggin Times

Let me tell you, we have been doggin it... Last Friday, we fed 250 hungry high school boys who have aspirations to be welders, carpenters, electricians & more in the construction trade apprentice programs sponsored by Top Notch of Indianapolis Indiana. Top Notch Tradesman donate all of the financial support every year to feed these boys. I am not sure if the boys come to eat the food.. which seems to be the center of attention or if they actually come to learn. Regardless, they enjoy coming and we enjoy being a part of this event year after year after year. Thank you Dax.. we appreciate your business !

Saturday, out to Shoaff Park in Fort Wayne Indiana. Wind was gusting at over 30 miles per hour. Some vendors grew weary of the wind and the cold weather. We found a nice little nest near the building and fed everyone that was hungry. Carol from the Community Center with the Parks and recreation Department of Fort Wayne calls me every year, we know we have a relationship and a responsibility to feed all of those hungry Peddlers in the Park that day. We enjoy it and we know they do. Thank you Carol for thinking of our little Hot Dog Cart Vending Business. It's our customers like you that make us a huge success year after year. We love doing business with you.

Sunday, yes... Mother's Day. We were doggin it. SCCA racing league of Fort Wayne. I don't know how long we have been their favorite vendor but I think our hot dog vendor relationship has been ongoing for at least 8 years. The guys will tell you that we try to mix up the menu for them. One time they will get grilled honey corn dogs, next time burgers, next time brats & kraut. They love our variety and menu selection, best of all they love to see our smiles...

We don't have any scheduled events this week, we are busy cleaning out our 4 year commercial kitchen facility at the local ice arena. We didn't renew our contract due to a private company taking over the ice sports facility and building a newer, bigger facility. It will be interesting to see how fast it goes up... fall hockey starts in August. Right now on the corner of Wells and Lima Road there are a big piles of hopeful dirt. Good luck guys.

I would love to hear about your upcoming events, I am getting ready to agree to an event at Ivy Tech on June 4th, Fall Kruse Auction in Auburn Indiana and sign our annual contract for Muddy River Run in August. Until next time.. Keep Doggin it !!!

Deb