Good Days and Bad Days !

I have to be fair on this Blog, and I can't just talk about the GOOD days, I recently finished my contract with a local park. I've been selling Hot Dogs all summer and did very well. In efforts to continue marketing my stand to the local community I have been selling in, I contacted the city and told them I found a new location (76 Gas Station) and I was going to be setting up my Hot Dog cart.  Well, they slammed on the brakes quick. They advised me that I could only sell for 14 days per year. I quickly brought up the fact that I've been selling for the last 5 months in the parks without issue. After several phone calls with different officials and city big wigs the city finally one. I explained that the gas station that I wanted to sell at was going thru some tuff times and that my objective was to help drive traffic into their business. I even stated that I felt it was far more attractive to have a Hot Dog cart slinging dogs on Main street compared to a vacant piece of commercial property on Main st. Well bottom line they did not budge. According to the city the park was under different zoning and the rules did not apply to them. So, for now I will comply, but I will not retreat. I will find a way to make it happen. Until next time, KEEP SLINGING THOSE DOGS.

If Your Going To Soar,,You Have To Flap Your Wings.

Everyone has high hopes of really making a nice living in the Hot Dog business, I for one believe their is so much potential in this industry for someone with a little bit of business savvy and a creative mind can accomplish anything they want. I swear I have A.D.D. because my mind is consistently coming up with wacky ideas to help my business. I incorporated this one and it's been going great and it's fun.

I not only serve an all beef dog, a Sausage, but I also target the healthy community with a nice plump Turkey dog. It taste great and to be honest it's less damage on my love handles. So I run this combo on my cart that consist of 2 Turkey dogs and a Free drink for $6. I call it the "GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GULP!" the fun part is if someone wants it they have to flap their arms and say "GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GULP PLEASE" It is so FUNNY to see grown adults flapping up a storm like a big ole Tom Turkey just to get their Hot Dog fix... I love what I do,,,If you can't smile at work,,,Why Go..

"Once They Commit, No Turning Back"

My wife and I were slinging dogs at a local event, It was a great day with lines of 5-10 people deep and things were running fast and smooth. I told my wife not to worry how many people stood in line but just get the order and the $$$. She did not understand what I meant so I had to explain to her.

Simply put, starting with the 2nd person in line ask "What can I get started for you Sir" then total his order and take his money. Repeat with 3rd person, even the 4th. Once they have given you their money they will not walk away, they are "Committed" Once they get to the first position in line, I usually have their order ready to be served. Once you get better at this you can got further down the line to the 5th, 6th, 7th person. You should be able to serve an order within 10-25 seconds per person if your well organized. If you have a long line at an event with multiple vendors you are going to loose some business, If you have a long line and you are the ONLY vendor than people will not bite the hand that feeds them.. Keep it smooth and it will run FAST!

If You Give,,,You Will Get !

As I sell my hot dogs in the local park I get to meet some great people, but I also get to make an impression on Mans Best Friend,,,That right the K-9. I get full attention at my cart from the 4 legged fur balls especially since I have a stainless steel bowl marked "DOGS ONLY" filled with nice cool water, I then top off the whole experience with some cut up hot dogs nicely displayed for Fido, The dogs drag their owner right to my cart. Now I don't charge for this service, but as you can imagine the dog owner feels obligated to at least buy a water or pop from me. It's a Doggy Dog world and I'm just doing my part. $$$$

Baiting The Water

We've all heard the term "Baiting The Water" growing up as kids,,Well I use it everyday in my Hot Dog business. You see I sell my dogs at a local park that has tons of kids laughing and playing all day just 15ft away from my cart. Well one advantage that this business has done for me is allowed my kids to enjoy the fruits of this business as well. Anytime I have a lull in traffic or things are going slow, I simply call my kids over and say "How would you like a Hot Dog or a Otter Pop?" Of course they say "YES!" I simply give them the treat and say "Go Play". Within minutes I have 5-10 kids screaming at their parents that they want a "Dog or Otter Pop".

Hey! it's sneaky but my kids gotta EAT! Just a tip, try it out.

The Birth of Da Vinci Dogs

So I'm one of these guys who you hear about everyday in the news. The company I worked for goes out of business and I'm out on my ass with a wife and two kids to feed. What do I do now?

Everyone else says "you have to go out and find a job." My response is "Me and a million other people are all going to look at the same job." What are my chances???? Well since I haven't won the lottery yet, I'll say my chances are slim to none... I'm a vet (Marines) with zero education and I hate taking orders from anyone. What's the solution? Yep, I've got to work for myself.

So a few months ago after extensive research I jumped into world of a Hot Dogger. I sling hot dogs for a living. You may laugh but, I'm making some good money, having a blast, meeting some of the coolest people, working 3-4 days a week, and spending more time with my family. Almost sounds like retirement if you ask me. No! really this is the best thing that has happened to me and my family. The plan is to someday own 10 hot dog carts and hire local college kids to run them. We would teach them the business and drive around and collect our money. I'm sure there is more detail in this plan, but for now we are just enjoying the time we have together and how much fun we are having. So if your ever in the Seattle area look us up...Da Vinci Dogs "Our Dogs Are A Work Of Art."