Floating Hotdog cart

[Dan]

BA, your 2 cents always seems to be worth much more. Think your right and of course better to have more juice then to need it and not have it. Sort of like gun play. Keep at least one on a solar charger so am thinking 3 in rotation? Next one will be a barge with a paddle wheel. All electric, generated by the wheel. Gonna try for an old river steamer look. Would be completely self sustaining fuel wise. (That would make an awesome live-aboard!)

Got a call today out of the blue from a not for profit. The "River Recapture" corp http://www.riverfront.org/ They had a woman lease a spot for 10 yrs who sold her biz and now her spot is open. He told me for roughly 20% of my gross, it is available and basicly would be a dock fee. Problems are major increase in start-up expense. The city of Hartford gets a lot for a permet and they want huge insurance. Advantage, can serve both shore and boat folks and park has up to 10,000 folks for events. Gonna come down to cash. I have a meeting with them next Tuesday so will get a better idea.

But plan will remain as is for now. Finish boat, get permit and anchor out. As such, might only get a sunburn and some knowledge this summer but the later is the main goal.

 

[Dan]

Missed your post GearNut. My bad.

Coffee is almost a must have and prolly the only thing selling early mornings. Is really a bummer trying to figure out how to pour a cup while the boat is doing the hokey-pokey, your right. Plan for now is like a convenience store pump carafe/thermos thing. Coffee will be made on a propane stove with an old fashioned style, camping Percolator with a little metal fence around it to keep it there. I had done the math and found a cup of coffee costs about 5 cents to make. So great and badly needed profit margin. But you are right, gonna suck! One hand for you. One hand for the ship and the other to serve coffee, snork. Need to adapt some thing like a serve your self soda thing at a fast food place. Have never seen one for hot liquids but doesn't mean its not out there or makable.

 

[GearNut]

Necta Coffee Vending - Cuda Coffee
_________________________________________

 

[BarelyAWake]

Keep at least one on a solar charger so am thinking 3 in rotation?

I tried that at first & rapidly got sick of messin' with them all the time, wiring all four up together in parallel w/the solar panel tapped in resulted in a nice, reliable bank that I could pretty much jus' forget about (the batts should ofc be all the same size/type & age). Another advantage is I could leave the 110v AC charger hardwired into the bank & top 'em all off at the same time when I found shore power ta leech of'n

Had another coupla "thunks" if yer interested lol - ya prolly know they've 12v DC coolers for the coffee creamer & sodas or w/e. They're not that efficient, but I gutted one out and installed it's components into my boat's icebox & added a bunch more (hard, closed cell foam) insulation. Doing that drastically reduced the power it used and increased it's storage capacity - on particularly hot days I'd throw a bag of ice in there & because it was a powered cooler, the ice would last a bunch longer... I aso used a mesh bag & tether dropped overboard with my nummies in it - but ya need a deep water anchorage for that to really work *shrug* Ya also need to remember to haul it back onboard before ya cast off for the unknown... something I failed to do with saddening regularity

Ya mentioned stoves... ya have done time on boats before so this is maybe old news, but there's a coupla small problems... not really problems if ya deal w/it beforehand tho. First, any stove on a boat really needs to be in a lateral orientation to the hull (sides of stove top towards gunnles), gimbaled or not. That way if a wake or wave rocks yer boat and stuff sloshes it'll spill towards the sides of the stove and not the front - where you may be standing. Seems obvious, but many boat manufacturers overlook this in the interest of more cabin room - I guess they don't care about scalded bellies and... other things

Then there's stove fuels... propane is ofc the easiest and with yer setup (open hull) it's prolly the best, but propane is heavier than air and boats are (usually) waterproof - which means if you've a propane leak & happen to be sleeping aboard, you could very well "drown" to death as the propane displaces all the oxygen. Scary, but easily prevented with good fittings & lines and shutting off the propane at night.

Alcohol is a common stove fuel onboard boats, it's storage is less worrisome than propane, but it's a lil sketchy in some ways too. Usually they've a hand pump for pressurization & sometimes they can be a bear, refusing to light & even spraying fuel... but the biggest danger is kinda unexpected - an alcohol fire is usually pretty much invisible if there's any other light at all, which can lead to burns if yer distracted. There's also kerosene... in a lot of ways it's the safest, but the stoves are uncommon as they don't get as hot and they're all pretty stinky & sooty, so they're hardly ever used.

heh - 'scuse the rant, I miss my boat... can ya tell?

 

[Dan]

Perfect GearNut! Bunn Lever Action Airpot - Stainless Steel Finish 2.5L (airpot) - Cuda Coffee Thanks. Is a lot cheaper and the same thing as I was considering.

BA, too funny about fore & aft Vs lateral. Signed on a tug in NY harbor way back. Go to put my bag in my cabin and the bunk was fore and aft. Had to sleep with an arm under the mattress when we went off shore in any weather. Arm would be useless for a good many minutes. Scared the begeebaz out of me. Any major "ut-ohhs" while off watch and I would be the one armed bo'sn, lol.

That boat was awesome though. Originally coal fired stove. (later converted to diesel)
Legend (maybe urban) of the Esther Moran and M. Moran The cook used to keep his shoes under the stove at night. A drunk deck-hand did very bad things to them one night thinking it funny. (The one guy on a ship or boat you never mess with is the cook!)
At the end of our hitch the deck hand asked the cook if he ever figured out who soiled in his shoes. To which the cook replied; "Nope, but I know who eat it"

 

[Fulltimer]

This is some what off topic. A guy I know down here makes a very good living with 3 mobile hot dog stands. Hot dogs, kielbasi, soda, water and chips is all he sells. He runs one stand and has someone else to run the other two. He sets outside of Home Depot. There is a steady flow of contractors at home Depot. Grab a dog and get back to work!

Terry

 

[Dan]

Thanks Terry. Getting to "go time" and hearing about a success is really good to read! None of my lil enterprises have ever failed and as I get older, kinda figure I am due, lol.

Never have to worry about going off topic on threads I started. Usually by the 3rd page it ends up about pets or cartoons.

Kinda getting excited about tying up at that park if I can swing the cash outlay. Would have the few boaters plus actual foot traffic. The bridge the park is under is really cool. Is connected by walk way to Constitution plaza and the science center. Office folks have launch there and has a whole lotta folks hanging out. I had talked my self out of this location but even with the added expense, has phenomenally more potential consumers. Might have to borrow cash which is against my personal rules of business. Really not that much. Will have a better Idea Monday when I get insurance and permit prices and Tuesday for dock fee. If their sales guy was correct (I am sure he was) there are up to 10,000 folks in attendance for events.

(hehe, now have Bullwinkle voice in my head saying "I need a bigger boat")

Looked up the state permit is $400. Only $100 more then where I was thinking of anchoring. So not that bad. http://www.ct.gov/dcp/lib/dcp/pdf/applications_october_2009/cpven-01_-_09octrevised.pdf

 

[Dan]

Just got insurance quote. $575 for 6 months. Not bad, a lil less then 100 bucks a month. So aside from the boat it self, about a grand to hang out a sign. Gonna shop around more but that sounds about right.

 

[Dan]

Just an update and log entry of progress. Had a meeting with the main guy at my future host's offices. Am shocked and pleasantly surprised. They are all about the park visitor's having a good day. Really focused on that and not cash returns. This is really looking like a great and fun opportunity. I was more concerned with this being a fact finding summer and was hoping to break even cash wise. Pretty high goal for a first yr biz but the seating for free concerts seats 5,000 folks and over looks the river. There are 4 parks. All of which are close to each other and all can be seen from the others. One of which is busy on week days and slow on the week ends. The others, are busy/ slow in the reverse. Really blew my mind when he told me I would not be locked in one place. How often does that happen? Best of both worlds at the most valuable time of location. That one detail alone is just amazing and has fantastic potential.

All that and they are all about doing good for the community rather then numbers and revenue, I am really liking this.

That might sound contradictory but am past the age where I want to be rich at any cost. More intent on being happy with as little effort as possible, lol.

Will post some pics. My MB is down and am at a loss/shortage for time putting together the formal proposal, insurance and tax documentation. The really un-fun parts.


Really funny side note. BarelyAwake and I were talking about keeping information findable in a thread and later about how to support ones self on a livaboard boat. I offered to send that out of date floating hotdog cart biz plan. Any way, this serendipitous opportunity is a direct result of those conversations. So pretty much, we can all blame him. snork

 

[chainmaker]

Im sure you'll do fine Dan, the hardest part of a new food business is finding and drawing on your target customer base. And It looks like your location has got that covered with the ability to move a bit closer to the action if needed! Hats Off!! So..... What kind of Hot Dogs will you be selling? Chicago Classic Dog (with a Nathans Dog is the Best in the World!!!! )?

Cheers

 

[deacon]

southern dogs with mustard chili slaw and onions.

 

[chainmaker]

When I lived in New Orleans there were these Hot Dog shaped Hot Dog carts they were called "Lucky Dogs" they were pretty good also, especially after making the rounds in the quarter

 

[Dan]

Was just below chain smoking and walking in circles thinking about that! Was gonna ask you chainmaker. Sitting here reading what has to be in the proposal, they ask for food diversity reflecting the ethnicity of the greater Hartford area. So that would be pretty much every one on the planet. Nathon's is on the short list. Also thinking GROTE & WEIGEL. Has that "snap" when ya bite into one but can't find any deals with them being a vendor. Carol found this. But is skinless and not the classic dog. dunno. Welcome to Flat Dog™!

At the meeting, was said that needs to be a quality product. Name brand recognition a large part of that perception. Think I am leaning towards Nathans....

Just saw a Sonic commercial the other night about regional styles of hot dogs. In researching that, is suggested that folks in the North East prefer grilled over steamed. Have to go with steamed for this yr. Just saying thanks for any input Deacon.

Just found this; Nathan's Famous - Overview

The name alone would do me good plus they provide marketing materials.

Been working on proposal for 2 or 3 hrs. I have written the cover letter and... well thats about it. lol. I used to pop these sort of things with ease. They were really bad but hey.

Really enjoy reading every one's thoughts on this. Does make it easier and your time is appreciated.

 

[Dan]

Made me curious Deacon so posted a poll above. Forgot to add the option of "other"

That would have been good information to have!

 

[chainmaker]

I watched a show once about the history of hot dogs in the US, and mustard was the usual preferred topping in most regions.

 

[Dan]

LOL, saving that one Chain.


FDR served the King and Queen of England Hot dogs. "...Much to the horror of FDR's mother Sara Roosevelt, the King and Queen of England were served hot dogs on the front porch of the cottage." Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum - The Royal Visit

Nathans was having trouble getting customers in 1916. So he offered free lunch to doctors if they wore their lab coats while eating. I thought that was so dang cleaver and seems to have worked convincing folks his less expensive frankfurter was safe.

Encyclopedia of Jewish Food - Google Books

When questioned in later years about his love for his own food (hot dogs), Nathan bragged, "I'll gladly wrassle anyone who's been living on caviar and champagne for thirty-nine years."

Hot Dogs, History of the Hot Dog, Hot Dog History, History and Legends of Hot Dogs, Hotdogs

LOL, think I am sold on going with good 'ol Nathan

 

[deacon]

Cincinnati dog with chilli and cheese

 

[kerf]

Nathan's hard to beat. Best hot dogs around here are sold by a guy with a cart that sets up in front of Lowe's. Mustard, ketchup, onion, kraut, sweet relish and the obligatory splash of Louisiana hot sauce. Very simple but very good.

 

[GearNut]

Now that has me thinking of a Frank's Red Hot sauce, cheese, onions, kraut, and bread and butter pickles hot dog.
Darn! Now I am getting hungry........

 

[deacon]

hot dogs have to be sloppy to be good, its one of the basic rules of the universe