HDCN reader Rick S. emailed to tell me about a cart he is purchasing. It’s a large cart with caster wheels, kind of a mall kiosk type unit. The cart is semi-stripped and Rick will be outfitting it with steam tables and other equipment.

Rick wants to know whether he should go with propane powered appliances or electric.

Here’s his email:

Steve, I have a question that might be a good one for ‘Hot Dog Cart News’.

I do not know if  I will always sell near access to electricty hookup, and if I should get all electric equipment, or buy propane fueled equipment. And If so, what kind of propane fueled equipment is there?

I saw somewhere online that a propane fueled coffee maker (standard 5 cup size) cost around $1,000 through a certain site. But are there other propane run items such as:

Crock pot- for heating cheese to sell nachos.
Ice maker- for serving shaved ice.
fan- for on those hot summer days
etc

Just curious what kind of equipment exist, that would not require electricity hookup.

Thanks,

Rick

What do you think hot doggers?  Should Rick go with all propane appliances? A combination of propane (steam tables and grills) and some electric (fan,  shaved ice machine)?

Those propane appliances are a bit spendy…

I’m a big fan of deep cycle marine batteries to power some electrical appliances (radios, fans) but appliances with heating elements (crock pots, coffee makers) suck a lot of current. They will run down your batteries pretty fast.

What about generators? If you use ‘em, how about some recommendations for a good quiet one?

What are your opinions of propane vs 12 volt battery vs 120 volt generator power? Let’s hear you in the comments…

-Steve

Just south of Kathleen, on Kathleen Road, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., most any day of the week, you're likely to see an unusual hotdog stand. Retired power plant engineer Jim Belcher, at center, owns "Hellacious Hot Dogs". The motto on his business card reads "Eat & Rest In Peace". Jim uses a 1982 Cadillac hearse as his attention getting trademark.

By Kyle Kennedy
THE LEDGER

LAKELAND | Death is an unavoidable topic around Jim Belcher’s hot dog stand.

It’s not so much the plastic skeleton perched above the cart or the fact that Belcher grew up in a Boston-area funeral home.

No, it would have to be the 1982 black Cadillac hearse he parks off Kathleen Road when Hellacious Hot Dogs opens for the day’s business.

“People see this, and they want to know what’s going on over here. It’s unreal how it works, but it works,” said the 50-year-old Lakeland resident as he served lunch one recent afternoon. “I’m pretty popular. It’s not because of the hearse, it’s the food.”

Three years ago Belcher retired from a career as a power plant engineer in Holbrook, Mass., and moved to Lakeland to be near his older brother. He bought the Cadillac from his family’s funeral home with plans to go into the cadaver transport business, but it didn’t work out.

So Belcher started thinking about the days he used to work as a line cook in restaurants and what he could possibly do with that glossy black hearse.

In early 2008, Hellacious Hot Dogs set up shop near the intersection of Kathleen and Spivey roads. People noticed.

“It’s a head-turner,” Belcher says. “I use it for storage. It’s the best kind of car you can have. But that’s as far as I go. I don’t cut meat in there.”

His macabre marketing extends to the menu, where a plain, all-beef hot dog is called a “Stiff” and sets you back $1.25. Want cheese and bacon on that dog? Order the “The Undertaker.” A combo with chips and drink is “The Procession.”

The hot dogs are good, but people can’t help talking about the car.

“I just know I could never drive one of those. I think it’s neat though,” said Carrie Bacon, 51, as she stopped for a bite.

A nearby survey crew spots the hearse and ambles over for a meal break.

“Different … very different,” one of the workers remarks before ordering a Stiff.

Sometimes Belcher dons a black hat; gloves; and an apron for maximum effect.

He says it’s easy not to take things too seriously when you’ve grown up in a funeral home, which is now owned and operated by his younger brother.

“I lived around death all my life. I respect it, too, because it’s a hard thing to accept, especially when you see families crying,” he said. “I’m not making fun of anything that has to do with death. It’s my trademark.”

Yet when he got older, Belcher wanted nothing to do with the funeral business. The grim work of moving and preparing bodies for visitation was too much, he said; he preferred to handle the flowers and wash the hearse instead.

Neighborhood kids would often decline to come over and play.

“They thought it was morbid,” he said.

He went on to pull stints as a cook, plumber, welder and other jobs before ultimately spending 25 years as an engineer. He’s been married three times but has no kids and laments that his once-blond crew cut is going gray.

Belcher says he enjoys the independence of having his own business, even if it’s just a hot dog stand and a hearse. He chats up customers in a distinct Boston accent, his creased face pink from the sun.

And he seems to love the attention, even the puzzled looks. He likes how a roadside oddity and cheap, tasty food can improve someone’s day.

“That’s why I say live it up and have a hot dog, because life goes fast, like a candle.”

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BTW,  if you’ve been thinking about starting a hot dog cart business, I’m running a sale on “Carts of Cash” until midnight on the 31st. Enter the word Success in the coupon code box and save $10.

Happy Halloween everyone!

-Steve

When folks ask me if they should stay open during the winter months I always say. “Sure – if you like cold weather.”

You can usually make as much if not more money in the winter as you can in the summer. As a matter of fact, you will probably sell more in November than you did in August because hot food just plain sells better when it’s cold out.

Your competitors may pack it in for the winter, but the customers still need to eat. Let’s do some high level math here…

Same number of customers + half as many hot dog carts = 2 X sales for you. (Yeah, I’m a rocket surgeon.)

This is your opportunity to treat them right, show them what they’ve been missing all summer, and turn them into YOUR customers all year ’round.

Yes, it’s financially worth it to stay open in cold weather.

OK, that’s the good. Now for the bad. Cold weather is…COLD!

How to deal with it.

People always ask what effect the cold will have on their cart, or their meat, or their sodas. They forget the most important thing. Themselves.

Your feet are the first thing to go in cold weather. Standing in one spot slows the circulation and your toesies will be the first to feel it. Get the best snowmobile boots you can afford.

If your feet are freezing, you’re not going to last out there, and you’re sure not going to be as pleasant to your customers as you usually are.

The rest is common sense. Long undies, good coat, hat, and face protection (90 percent of your body heat is lost through your head).

Get some thin gloves and cut the finger tips off the right hand, if you are right handed. Bulky gloves will keep your hands warmer but you’ll drop everything you touch. This is a trade off situation. Keep your hands in your pockets as much as you can. Those chemical pocket warmer thingies are good too.

You can also warm your hands by the air vents on your cart, but don’t use steam. Your gloves will become soaked and useless in under a minute and your fingers will turn into popsicles.

Cart Issues

Most of the time you won’t have to worry about your water lines or tanks freezing – as long as the fire is on, the interior of the cart will stay above freezing. Where you can run into trouble is if you store your cart in an unheated location during the off hours.

If you are storing the cart for an extended period, drain your tanks and blow out your water lines. Simple.

If you are using your cart every day, draining the tanks is a pain. It’s best to have a storage space that stays above freezing but if you don’t, try this trick:

Get a portable drop light with a 100 watt bulb and put it inside your cart as close to the tanks and water lines as possible (without melting anything of course) and drape a blanket over the cart. This should keep the inside of the cart above freezing.

Meat and Soda

What do you call that thing that you you put your meat and soda into? A cooler, right? Well that’s actually a misnomer. You should call it a “thermal insulator” instead. But then people would look at you funny. (Welcome to my world…)

Coolers try their best to maintain the temperature of what ever is inside them. If you put a hot Thanksgiving turkey in a cooler and set it outside in snowbank, that turkey would still be pretty warm three hours later. Of course there are factors that affect how efficiently this works.

The most important factor is the amount of air inside the cooler. The “fuller” you can fill it, the less air you have and the better the cooler will maintain the temperature of it’s contents. So fill that sucker up, or get a smaller one.

Your sodas and dogs shouldn’t freeze as long as they are in a cooler.

Gimme Shelter

If you can get out of the wind it can be downright pleasant, even in January. Let’s look at the options:

Here’s the ultimate ticket! A stand in cart is the ultimate for winter dog slingin’. The trade off of course is price, but this is an investment. If you can vend all year ’round it may be worth it. You’ll need to crunch your own numbers on this one.

Some cart manufacturers offer a tarp system to get you out of the elements. Or you could make your own.

I used a 10′ X 10′ pop up tent with walls when it got cold outside. It was really quite comfortable, especially on sunny days, but next time I’d buy one of those white pop up canopy tents that caterers use – the kind with plastic windows.

We had extra room inside so we set up some folding chairs and our customers had fun eating and chatting in the tent.

It was a great experience – something fun and different that put a smile on their face. Who doesn’t like playing in a tent?

The downside was the time it took to set up and tear down. It added about a half hour total to my day, but it was worth it. Another drawback is lack of visibility. Make sure you have good signage outside so people know you’re in there.

Just Say No

When the weather gets tough, the tough get…

Indoors.

Check out this story from the Hot Dog Cart News archives: Tired of Winter? Move Your Hot Dog Cart Indoors

Laurie Booth has it good!

Need More Info?

If you’d like to find out more about how to start and run your own profitable hot dog cart business, go to www.HotDogBiz101.com.  I’ll see you there!

Now It’s Your Turn

OK all you grizzled veterans – time to share your own cold weather doggin’ tips and tricks in the comments below.  And let’s stay warm out there!

-Steve

The following article appeared in a recent issue of the Tennessean. Hope you enjoy it.  -Steve

By Dessislava Yankova

When a Sumner resident arrived at a friend’s house for their first date, she saw two tables covered with food.

“I asked, ‘How many people are coming?’ and he said, ‘Just you,’” Jennifer Shofner recalls. “We had four meats. There was enough food for 20 people.”

It turned out that Shofner’s date and now-husband Jesse has a passion for food and cooking that after years of practice recently materialized into a hotdog stand as part of the venture Top Dawg’s that also offers catering.

Having watched people their age — mid 50s — lose corporate jobs in the volatile economy, the pair wanted to establish something on their own that could bring financial security and help others.

“We’re competing with people who just got of school, and they can pay them half as much,” Jennifer Shofner, 56, said. “The way the economy is going, we’re not expecting any retirement. And we wanted something that we can do in our retirement years that we can enjoy.”

“People our age are having such a hard time finding a decent job,” Jesse Shofner, 55, added. “And if this grows, why not share it?”

If the enterprise — that now runs from the lot in front of Woodard Bonding Co. on Smith Street in Gallatin across from Sumner County General Sessions Court — develops, the entrepreneurs hope to establish a franchise that would create extra jobs and smiles.

“We’d like to see how many people wave at us in a row,” Jesse Shofner said. “You’d be surprised how many people would wave and smile back. It makes my day.”

Chef pursues lifetime culinary hobby

In hearing the enthusiastic couple speak of the enterprise, a listener can’t help but surmise the venture seems easy and relaxed as though it is more of a profitable hobby than a job.

The pair, however, had to work their way through a number of life and professional experiences before they got to where they are now, and they acknowledge that their work is far from over.

For almost 20 years, Jennifer Shofner worked as a mortgage lender, driving almost 70 miles to Brentwood and back each day. In July, she quit that job to manage finances for Top Dawg’s using QuickBooks software.

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Note from Steve: Don’t run out and buy Quickbooks – I’ve got a special surprise coming which will help you with your bookkeeping. It’s ten times easier than learning Quickbooks. Keep your eyes peeled…
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For just as long, Jesse Shofner’s music business involvement included everything from writer to record promoter until the quickly saturating and cutthroat industry pushed him to pursue his lifelong culinary hobby.|

After working as a chef for several years in Nashville, Jesse Shofner opened the Hendersonville-based Bo’s Kitchen and Catering Company in 2003. For four years, he delivered up to 100 mostly luncheon meals — casseroles, sandwiches and soups — to anywhere between 35 to 50 area businesses daily. Working those 12-hour days didn’t seem to bother the food enthusiast.

“I like (holidays) just because of the ability to sit on a table filled with food,” said Jesse, who fixed 60 Taquito enchiladas for his four guests over to watch a football game this past Saturday. “With any event, for him is not about the event, it’s about the food,” Jennifer said.

Since Sept. 8, Top Dawg’s first day on the street, Jesse Shofner has shared his zeal not just with family and friends but also with any hungry resident craving a hotdog at lunch Mondays through Fridays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. except on rainy days.

The Polish Dog has been most customers’ favorite so far.

“You can put anything you want on it, but most people like grilled onions, peppers and mustard,” Jesse said.

The recommended specialty selection is the Chicago Dog with all-beef grilled frank, spicy or yellow mustard, sweet relish, onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, celery salt and a dill pickle.

“Unless you’re from Chicago, you wouldn’t know what it is,” the chef said. “It’s wonderful.”

“It tastes like a salad hotdog to me with all the fresh vegetables and everything,” Jennifer added.

Cookies, too

With all dogs, clients can choose from a variety of soft drinks or water while first-time customers get a free chocolate chip cookie.

One new customer is Ashton Pangburn, of Gallatin, who stopped by on his way home Monday after seeing the stand earlier in the day.

“Mmm…it’s really, really, really, really good,” said Pangburn upon biting into his Chicago-style dog, followed by a promise that he would return.

Tammy Carrol, who works next door in Medial Billing Partnership, stops by just about every day.

“It’s like a bite of New York right here in Tennessee,” Carrol said. ‘The hotdogs are nice and fresh and juicy, and I love the daily conversation.”

‘It’s been an adventure’

Launching the venture, however, has at times seemed like a giant jigsaw puzzle for the Shofners, whose biggest pieces have been conforming to various city and county regulations. Finding a place was the hardest obstacle, as the cities of Gallatin and Hendersonville do not allow portable businesses to operate on city or county property.

Wanting to be situated in a busy area, the pair approached numerous entities with a request to locate their stand there. Eventually, the owners of Woodard Bonding Co. gave them a home – in their lot.

Being a catering vendor, Top Dawg’s also needed to have a commercial kitchen. The prospect of building such a kitchen would have involved too much of an investment for a single hotdog stand. So the couple started knocking on doors until a local church offered them a rarely used spare facility.

“We’ve been ricocheting around on the discovering path,” Jennifer said. “It has been an adventure.”

Because of health regulations, Top Dawg’s does not offer dairy products that run the risk of spoiling quicker than other products. While simple in concept, the stand with its accompanying grill as an accessory allows the venture capitalists to experiment.

“There’s a limit to what we can do, but in that realm we can still be creative,” said Jennifer, who plans to add specialties such as a Mexican salsa dog. “Sometimes less is more. You can do anything with a dog.”

Business delivers within walking distance

Perhaps the trickiest part since opening the business has been setting up and taking down the booth —about 30 minutes each time — but “we’re getting better at it every day,” Jennifer said.

The rest is a song. “Then we crank up the radio to old-time classic country and rock, and we wave at everybody,” Jesse said.

“And we love the people,” Jennifer added. “We meet people from all walks of life, and it’s wonderful to give them a hotdog and watch them enjoy it.”

Not having done any major advertising yet, Top Dawg’s has already gained some regulars from surrounding businesses, which, if within walking distance, can also enjoy a delivery. Jesse Shofner was nicely surprised when he handed out some business cards to general session employees, who referred to him as the Hotdog Man.

“It’s all fun, fun, fun, and it’s American,” he said.

Original article at The Tennessean

P.S. The Shofners are using a “Big Dog” cart from Ben’s Hot Dog Carts.

I’ve been getting a few emails lately asking me what exactly is a Chicago style hot dog and why is it so special. What’s the big deal, anyways? (In Chicago we don’t say “anyway”. We say “anyways?” like it’s a question. FYI)

Here’s a quote, “A Chicago hot dog is probably the healthiest of the variants because of the abundance of toppings belonging to the fruit and vegetable classification”.

Pbbbbbt!

Like anyone really cares – it’s a hot dog for crying out loud. Besides, is it still healthy if I eat three of them in one sitting?

I’ll tell you why it’s so great – it’s so great because of all the flavors, textures, and temperatures that come together in one bite. They really work amazingly well together.

If you’ve never tried a Chicago dog, make some at home and give ‘em a try. Here’s the sequence:

1. Steamed bun – with poppy seeds if you can get ‘em.

2. All beef hot dog – steamed or boiled – Vienna Beef brand is my favorite.

3. Mustard – regular yellow, not brown or spicy.

4. Two tomato slices – wedge between the dog and bun.

5. Dill pickle spear – on the other side of the dog from the tomatoes.

6. Onion – chopped

7. Relish – Neon green from Vienna is the real deal. Yes, it tastes different. You can also use regular sweet pickle relish if you can’t get the neon stuff.

8. Two sport peppers – these can be hard to find, and no they are not jalapenos. I bought mine in 5 gallon buckets from my distributor who ran a truck to the Vienna plant in Chicago once a week.

9. Celery salt – just a light sprinkle but oh, so important. This is the “secret sauce” that ties all the flavors together!

Here’s a clever stop action animation depicting the construction of a proper Chicago style hot dog at one of my all time favorite restaurants, Portillo’s Hot Dogs in Chicago. Dick Portillo started out with a hot dog stand and now owns over 40 Portillo’s restaurants! But that’s a story for another time…

As you saw in the video, you should never put ketchup on a Chicago dog. True!

I have been known to use ketchup on a hot dog from time to time but NEVER on the Chicago version. There is too much sweetness in ketchup and it completely wrecks the savory/salty/crunchy/spicy thing that does the happy dance on your taste buds with every bite.

As Nancy Reagan said, “Just say no to ketchup on a Chicago dog”.

That was her, right?

-Steve

I’ve seen the Frank’s N Brats stand outside Busch Stadium when I go see the Cards play, but I’ve never stopped. Something I need to do, especially now that they are the best in town!

I ran across the following story in the Riverfront Times, a St. Louis news blog. There’s a great marketing hook in there that could make you huge money, so pay attention…

Busch Stadium sells more nachos — 120,000 pounds of chips and 32,000 gallons of cheese sauce a year — than any other ballpark in baseball. This gut-busting statistic can probably be attributed to the fact that the hot dogs available inside the stadium are overpriced and underwhelming.

Luckily for the city’s hungry baseball fans, Frank Merrins has his hot-dog stand on the corner of Clark Street and South Broadway. (When it’s not baseball season, he can be found on the riverfront near the Arch.)

Frank, the silver-haired mustachioed guy behind the grill, sells all his items to go in brown paper bags that are allowed inside the stadium. Try the frank, the owner’s namesake, an eight-inch wiener grilled to perfection and laid on a bed of grilled onions.

It’s a darn good dog, and at a mere $2 (or $3 if you want a brat) it’s a darn sight cheaper than what you’ll find on the other side of Busch’s gates.

RFT

Hello Steve,

I purchased your Carts of Cash course a while ago and I thought I drop you a line.

I am based in Poland, Europe, so my experience may not be that relevant, but anyway.

I have really enjoyed your books as they give valuable info about hotdog vending. Moreover your story is a true confidence booster if someone gives up working for somebody. Well, it really sucks working for somebody, if you can make such a decent income on your own, doesn’t it?

I follow your newsletters and radio interviews. It is really encouraging to hear success stories of another hotdoggers.

I only do special events now as it is difficult to secure an outdoor spot here in Poland. It entails lot of red tape and is time consuming. I did not want to miss the summer time so special events were my only option.

It is two of us operating the cart, me and my fiancee. We usuallly average 500 dogs during 2-day gig. Entry fee comes to 10% of gross sales.

But we have done some big events as well when we net nearly 1000 dogs during 2 days. Your tips for speedy service were really handy. I have them prined out on a small piece of paper. But  we did burn down one pan during the learining process.

After summer time is over at the end of September, I will get down to sign up a permanent indoor location. I do intend to hire somebody and myself concentrating on finding spot for another cart.

Weather during fall and winter is quite harsh here so working outdoor would not be bearable. I am scouting places like university campuses, high schools and shopping malls.

A few words about our cart. I have attached pictures as well. The cart I have is a bit different from the one commonly found on american streets. I doesn’t have the 2 shelve compartment on the top of it.

It is labeled here as a high capacity unit. It comes with a total of six  cooking pans. Three of them we use to cook dogs and the rest are used as bun steamers.

In addition two small pans for condiments are also standard equipment. It has got a sink with cold/hot water which runs on rechargeable battery. There are fresh and waste water tanks. It has a built-in cashbox which is of a convenience when dealing with lot of change.

Well, I don’t want to drag on any longer. Anyway, If somebody turns to me about advice how to start hot dog business I will have him read your course first. I am certain it will save him time and money.

Steve, one question, do you know any formula that calculates how many hot dogs you can sell if you know the number of students/employees that occupy the premises where you plan to set up? I know it is difficult to estimate. I was just wondering of any method which helps to evaluate any permanent spot.

Steve, your patience with my english is appreciated. I know it needs to be polished.

Best regards,

Robert

Any tips on estimating sales based on population of the premises? I have a rough, and I mean VERY rough figure in my head but I can’t wait to hear what you all think…

Comments people – let’s hear you!

-Steve

In any case, Roswell plays host to a very successful annual UFO festival and Steve sold a ton of hot dogs there this year. Here is the email he sent me.

Steve,

Here are a few pics, me and the Aliens at the 62nd Annual UFO festival. It is alot of work, but events are very lucrative. Being new in this business, I did very  well, I handled my self as a professional and kept my cool. Had I  not read your course “Carts of Cash”, I probably wouldn’t have made it.

Gross was $920 in 2 days Fri. and Sat. Expenses were $180.00 So $740.00 for me, and I get to set up every sat. and sun. at this same spot, the International UFO Museum, at no charge, just a convience to all the visitors.

Life is GOOOOOD!!!!

Steve Coronado
“Fat Franks”
Roswell, NM

Steve is absolutely crushing it right out of the gate! His story is an inspiration to all and a testimony to what is possible in the hot dog cart business.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Click the link to listen online or right click to download the MP3 so you can listen on your iPod.

Hot Dog Cart Radio – Steve Coronado of “Fat Franks”

Hey, are you still kicking around the idea of starting your own hot dog cart?  With a little bit of training and a positive attitude YOU could be making full time money working part time hours just like Steve Coronado is.

I’m here to help!

-Steve

Frankly speaking, business is booming at sidewalk vendor’s hot dog cart.

Mike Sullivan had just been laid off from his job as a DHL deliveryman after some 15 years.  The process-serving company he’d set up after his layoff was not making ends meet. The 55-year-old wasn’t sure what would, until he sat down to watch a movie.

In the background of one scene he saw a man selling hot dogs. The gears started turning in his head.  “I decided I would try this, give it a shot,” said Sullivan of Braintree, as he prepped a sausage with peppers and onions at his roadside cart on Quincy Avenue this week. “It’s just a little steam table, that’s all it is. With a grill on it.”

Mike’s Hot Dog Cart may be a simple operation, but it’s been good enough to garner Sullivan a following.  “I don’t want to see you once. I want to see you over and over again,” Sullivan said of customers.

Since he set up his New York-esque stand at the Quincy/Braintree line, Sullivan has developed several repeat customers. All of them know the story of how he went from delivering parcels across the state to grilling dogs in the parking lot of Viking Hall in Braintree.

Original article at the Patriot Ledger

Renee, a customer of mine in South Carolina  just wrote to let me know that she’s open for business. Awesome news Renee!!! She took her time getting going which isn’t a bad idea. I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words because I LOVE her attitude.

Hi Steve,

Now open for business! Finally! Things are going slowly but surely, I’m making a name for myself and customers are starting to seek me out. But I like slow but sure – gives me a chance to work out the kinks and the bugs. (No, those are not 60′s rock groups:) Oh wait, actually I think there was a group named The Kinks. Sorry, my 60′s memories are kinda hazy. Too much sex, drugs and rock and roll – LOL!!!!

It’s been a long, interesting, sometimes frustrating summer getting everything going, but it’s worth it.  Just got word this morning that I’ve secured a new really great location.  I’ll probably be adding a second cart before long.

And BTW, thanks for your website and all your advice/inspiration – it’s really kept me going, plus it’s just plain fun!  So thanks again Steve.

Renee Crenshaw
Renee’s Dogs
Lake Wylie, SC

p.s. If I had a caption for this picture it would be “Little old retired lady finally goes over the edge and gets into the hot dog cart business”

p.p.s. My husband is now going over that same edge into insanity and wants to build a hot dog cart on our pontoon boat to put out on the lake near here for next summer. I’m personally cringing – boat+fire=disaster!

Way to go Renee!

By the way, hot dog carts and boats were made for each other…

-Steve

Update: I just found some more pics of Renee and her cart – enjoy!