Chapter 11
Turn your Cart into a Restaurant
After I had been in business for a while, I started thinking how great it would be to have a permanent hot dog stand where I could have a roof over my head and tables and chairs for my customers. I talked to the health inspector to find out what was necessary. He said that I would have to comply with all the rules for operating a regular restaurant.
Compared to the few rules I currently had to follow, this was quite a shock. The rule book was an inch thick. There was no way I could afford all the equipment necessary to comply with the health code. Oh well, so much for that idea.
A few days later, I was selling hot dogs from my cart at my usual location – a strip mall with a furniture store, hair dresser, and used car lot. The owner of the furniture store also sold carports as a side business. All they are is a metal roof supported by steel legs. No walls. He had a display model next to his store and he parked his truck under it. Now I had seen that carport every day for months, but on this day I saw it with new eyes. There was my hot dog stand!
I bought one and had it set up at my location in the parking lot. Now I had a roof over my head. The improvement was wonderful. Most of the time I stayed dry when it rained, but I still got wet when the wind was strong.
Walls would be nice, but then I’d be indoors and would have to follow the restaurant code. That’s when I had my second brainstorm. I boxed in the back half of the carport with studs and plywood, but I left the front half of the carport open. I put a locking door in the middle wall. Now I could leave my cart in the “shed”. My towing days were a thing of the past!
At first I planned on operating the cart inside the shed and serving customers through a window, but the health inspector wouldn’t go for it. My argument was that nothing had changed except that now I was in a cleaner environment. No wind, no flies, no birds overhead. He said that even though my argument made perfect sense, he still wouldn’t let me do it. Rules are rules.
OK. So now I am pulling the cart out into the open half each morning, selling my dogs, and then pushing the cart back in at the end of the day. Everything is going fine. Then the building inspector pulls up. “What ‘ya got going here? I need to see your occupancy permit.”
Occupancy permit…what occupancy permit? I show him the inside of my “building” and tell him it’s just a storage shed with no plumbing or electricity. He agrees that as long as I don’t let people inside, I don’t need a permit. It’s just a storage shed. Whew…
The last improvement I made was to build a half wall along one of the open sides and hang a tarp from the top of the frame. When the wind is blowing, I just unroll the tarp and tie it down to the half wall. This wall is also my drive thru. That’s right. I’ve got a drive thru and people love it! Now I do just as much business when it’s raining as I do when the sun is shining and I’m a lot more comfortable.
So are my customers because I installed two booths under the roof and three picnic tables with umbrellas outside. I have a six CD stereo inside the shed and the speakers are outside under the roof in the “dining area”. People love the custom mix of oldies music. I ran the stereo on batteries until the furniture store owner let me run an extension cord from his building. He’s a good guy.
I did all of this for less than $1500 and my business increased unbelievably. I had many more regulars and it became a popular spot for families, especially on Saturday afternoons after the little league and soccer games. My place actually turned into a local landmark. Every once in a while, tour buses would stop in for lunch on their way through town. It was a good thing for me, and it’s a good thing for the other businesses in the mall.
I’m glad we had a big parking lot!
Hi Steve,
You are such a smart guy, I could not help smiling at the point that you builded “your restaurant”. So interesting!
I’m glad you are liking the information Huong! There are a lot smarter guys than me, I just keep trying things until I find something that works.
Hi Steve, owning a hotdog cart has been a dream of mine for several year. Which I must say I had gained a whole new respect for people who own hotdog carts after going through this process for over several years. However, I have just passed inspection and finished up all the requirements to operate my hotdog cart my goal is to find a location like you did and turn it into a spot people can sit down and enjoy the Deddles Dog which I plan on branding. But I am now at a location in the downtown baltimore area that I was approved for but if things goes as planned I will eventually be able to quit me current job and find a permanent location as you did. So my question I guess is how long do you think I should wait before trying to venture into finding a permanent location as I dont want to try to take on to many things at one time as I usually does. Also, Im not sure should I look for a strip mall or a piece of land to set up on. Lastly, if you dont mind sharing how did you go about getting the strip mall to grant you permission to set up on there lot.
Thanks in advance for any information you can share.
I’m glad things are progressing nicely for you Robin!
If you want to eventually build a permanent stand you should wait until you find a great location. Your cart has wheels under it. That means you can try as many different locations as takes until you find that money spot.
When I was selling from my cart I didn’t have to pay any rent but when I built the permanent stand I had to start paying rent to the landlord.
Good luck!
Steve do you have better pictures of this “Stand” We are interested in this idea and would love to see more details of it.
I do not. All I did was use metal studs to frame the walls then covered them with outdoor shed siding. Very simple. I only enclosed half of it so that customers could sit under the shade on picnic tables. It was really neat and I may do it again someday.
So the owner of this strip mall just let you put a shelter up and a mini food joint up in their parking lot for free?
It was free when I just had a cart. When I put up the permanent stand I started paying rent.
“Walls would be nice, but then I’d be indoors and would have to follow the restaurant code.”
So, I guess if I get the enclosed concession trailer I mentioned in a previous chapter, I’d have to comply with the restaurant code? Augh! (As Charlie Brown would say.) lol
No, you wouldn’t have to comply with the full restaurant code but there are usually additional hoops to jump through and extra and/or larger equipment to install. Still VERY do-able!
Okay..cool; thanks! 😎
Hey Steve, could you answer Robin’s question of:
“if you dont mind sharing how did you go about getting the strip mall to grant you permission to set up on there lot.”
I’d like to know, too
You must present your cart as an asset to the other businesses in the area. You will draw foot traffic to their stores. That is worth a LOT.
What an idea…..Brilliant!!! Maybe one day we’ll be able to do it too! We’re a few months out yet, of even starting. But you have inspired us so much!
It was great for business!
Hi Steve,
how did you get out of storing it at a commissary? I have not finished reading so if that is later down the road great.
The vast majority of health inspectors don’t enforce that rule, even if it is on the books.
Restrooms- how do you handle that?
I rented a porta potty at one of my locations, others were at stores that let me use theirs.