Mail

Hot Dog Vendor Company: Toe -Jam's Dogs wrote in.  They have kindly given me permission to share with you.  This letter is packed full of advice from fellow new vendors.

Hello Ben,

Thanks for the email checking on my progress into the world of hotdog vending. It has definitely been a learning experience. I have learned a new respect for street vendors. There is a lot more to performing and executing this type of work than is visible on the surface. With all of the preparation work, researching new venues, food supplies, loading supplies for the start of the day, set-up, tear-down, disassembly, clean-up, and all of the other miscellaneous tasks that need tending. Dogging is not for weenies ….

All of that said, I have gotten into a routine for getting all of the associated tasks and duties accomplished in a timely and efficient manner. The Kink Kiosk cart performs well and is equipped with all of the right stuff to handle vending at smaller to mid-sized events.

Since my start at “dogging” about 5 weeks ago now, I have found there are a few more doggers in the area than anticipated. During my first two week s out on the streets, I had 3 other doggers stop by to check out my operation and give me a few pointers – I guess word travels when there is a new dogger in town.

My third week into vending I did a two day event and secured a booth at the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival (SHF); which I signed-up and registered for a couple of months before I had my cart. This year is the 150^th anniversary of the battle of Antietam – the bloodiest single one day battle of the Civil War. The event was advertised for several months and was supposed to be the largest event to be held in Sharpsburg ever – event sponsors estimated 10,000 + people to converge on the small town. However, there were a few large scale reenactments taking place at and around the battlefield that shut down local and main roads into Sharpsburg and the in-town crowds were not as anticipated.

Over the past couple of weeks I have had several other people stop at my stand ask about catering their events such as a church function, a new feed store opening, fall sales for another store, and a fund raiser for a school. While daily sales may be a bit slow at times, I am finding that it just takes a little time, persistence, tenacity, and patience, but – to steal a line form a movie, “…build it and they will come…”

Toe-Jam’s dogs

Mobile Catering Services

Breakfast Items, Hot Dogs, Sausages & BBQ

Hot dogging is not for weenies…

A Big Thanks and A Fantastic Idea!

I want to thank Toe-Jam's for taking the time to write such a nice letter.  So many details shared to help others.  Stay tuned, Toe-Jam's will be on the Hot Dog Answer Man Podcast with a fantastic tip for the Holidays!  You don't want to miss it.