Hot Dog Cart News

The following is a guest post by Tim VanDusen…

I really love the concept of of the 5 compartment/w ice tray condiment holders. The only draw back, for me, is using them during festivals and busy days on the cart. They do not hold enough, in my opinion, to be of value.

I put the condiments on all my dogs myself. No self service. It helps control condiment cost. But when I get busy I can empty the onion, tomato, and pickle slots every twenty minutes. I dodn’t want to have to stop and refill in the middle of a good gin.

The 5 compartment containers are good for gigs, like back yard parties, when you can find the time to refill. But on big gigs the stop and refill factor is frustrating. When I was just getting started, back in ’09, I used the 1/8 pans that were on my first cart. We learned to hate them on our very first festival.

We had a line 40 people deep for five straight hours. Had to refill on the run. The mess was unbelievable. And surprise, that was when the health department showed up. Condiments all over the place.

What I found, that worked well for me, was 1 qt metal food storage containers, in coolers on ice. They have a rubber gasket in the lid, air tight, so they stay fresh all day. I fill these, put them on a rack inside the cooler, and fill the cooler with ice.  Also my ice lasts longer in the coolers.

Once they get to temp they hold well. And even when the ice gets low the metal containers still transfer the cold temps quite well. One seven pound bag of ice and they will stay cold all day, even on 100 degree days.

The Blue cooler in the picture below holds the condiments. I don’t have any pics of the inside of the filled cooler, sorry, but I’m sure you get the idea.

They cost a little more. But in my opinion the convenience factor was well worth it. We got them at a place called Miejers. $10.00 bucks each.

Keep Doggin!

-Tim

The following is a guest post by HDCN reader Rod Walton…

A Simple Trailer Modification for $12.99 That Can Save You A Load Of Trouble

I would venture to say that most of us that build the EZ Built Hotdog Cart use the trailer Steve recommends because it is inexpensive, works well and is readily available.

But one issue with trailers with small tires is excessive wear on the bearings.

Small diameter tires means the axle spins at a higher speed and more revolutions per mile means more bearing wear especially if not lubricated properly.

Now your trailer may already have a zerk fitting but can you tell without taking the hub dust cap off how much grease is in there? Is it easy to reach? Pumping in too much can also cause the bearing seal to fail. Fortunately there is a simple solution.

Over the years I have used trailers from various manufacturers and I have installed on most of them a product called “Bearing Buddy” and I have never yet experienced a bearing failure (knock on wood). It is a spring loaded device that keeps your bearing grease under pressure at about 3 P.S.I. and is loaded from a zerk fitting on the outside. You can see at a glance if you need to add grease.

Installation is as simple as replacing your dust cap with the correct size “Bearing Buddy” or similar product.

As an entrepreneur, I have been involved in many businesses besides food vending – and I’m sure a lot of you have as well. [Read more →]