This manual is designed as a general guide book for the day to day running of a typical American hot dog stand. We have carefully researched and compiled the information in an easy to understand and logical format.

It is highly recommended that a hot dog cart operator take a food safety handling course before beginning to operate his or her cart. These courses do not cost very much and are usually conducted or sponsored by the local or state health department. In fact, taking such a course is often a mandatory requirement in obtaining an operating permit for a new food vendor. Check the local city or health department website for details on these courses.

It is also highly recommended that you check with your local city or county health department for the exact local codes pertaining to vendor carts in your area as they do vary from place to place. For instance, some health departments will not allow hotdog carts to serve dairy based condiments such as mayonnaise, grated cheese or even squeeze bottle cheese. Many will not allow mobile food vendors to cook raw meats. This is because these foods are considered hazardous. They are prone to rapid bacterial growth when improperly stored or cooked. Such hazardous foods include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, garlic-in-oil mixtures, cooked rice and cooked potatoes.

The guidelines included in this manual are generally universal in nature and are designed to keep you, your cart, and your food safe and appealing. We have basically tried to select the best information from all the various federal, state and county health organizations. The material is presented in a format that is intended to be easy to understand and put into practice. Keep in mind that as a hotdog vendor you are considered a food handler by the health department officials and therefore must operate under their specific guidelines. Failure to comply will endanger the health of your customers, likely result in the loss of your operations permit and incur fines.

Meat Handling, Storage and Preparation Guidelines

Many local health departments only allow hotdog vendors to serve certain pre-cooked meat products in the form of wieners or sausages that are to be barbequed and/or grilled on the cart. They may not allow what are considered to be hazardous raw meats (such as beef, ground beef, pork, and poultry) to be cooked on the cart.

Cooked meat must be continuously held above the temperatures specified by the health department. This required holding temperature also varies from place to place. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), for instance, recommends a holding temperature of 140°F or above. This also requires the hotdog vendor cart to have a thermometer on hand to monitor this temperature.

Refrigerated meats must be stored below the specified cold temperature. The IDPH specifies that potentially hazardous foods such as meats be kept stored at or below 41°F (4°C). This will require the cart vendor to have another thermometer on hand to monitor this temperature. The temperature in the refrigerator or ice box should also be checked by the cart operator at regular intervals throughout the day. Every 2 hours would be a good idea. Care should be taken to ensure that refrigerator doors or ice box covers are not left open resulting in the interior temperature rising above this specified cold storage level. Check food temperatures when you receive them from a supplier and reject any that fall outside of the accepted ranges. Then put all such perishable foods away promptly in appropriate storage units.

Fresh meats and pre-cooked meats must be cooled to the refrigerated storage temperature within a certain prescribed time after they have been prepared. For example, the IDPH dictates that cooked meat must be cooled to 70°F (21°C) within 2 hours and cooled to 41°F (4°C) within another 4 hours (6 hours total). Fresh meats must be cooled from room temperature to 41°F (4°C) within 4 hours.

Following the above rules keeps the product fresh and prevents the growth of bacteria. To summarize, a health department typically will require hot foods such as sausages to be held above 140°F (60°C) and cold perishable items to be stored below 41°F (4°C). The danger zone for bacterial growth and food spoilage is between 41°F (4°C) and 140°F (60°C).

Health departments will require that you first heat certain foods to certain temperatures before allowing you to serve them to people.

Pre-cooked hotdogs for example, must be re-heated to at least 165°F (74°C) before serving. To accurately determine this temperature insert the thermometer lengthwise into the center of the hotdog. Be sure not to pass through the meat and touch the cooking surface as this will give you a false high temperature reading. Never rely on equipment thermostats to accurately achieve set temperatures. Always measure food temperatures with a thermometer.

Previously uncooked meats must be cooked to the following internal temperatures according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH):

The above internal temperatures must be reached and also maintained for a certain minimum amount of time to facilitate complete cooking before serving. For example, the IDPH recommends that beef, fish, poultry or pork in the form of steaks, chops or intact pieces must reach the required temperature for a minimum of 15 seconds. Once these initial cooking temperatures have been reached for the specified times, the meat can now be put in a holding area and held there above the specified temperature (140°F or 60°C) until served to customers.

During preparation and cooking you must take great care to avoid cross contamination between meats and any other food items. Be especially careful when handling raw, fresh or frozen meats. Meat carries potentially hazardous bacteria that can make you and your customers very sick and even kill. The area used for preparing meats must be washed and sanitized before being used to prepare any other food items! For example, if using a cutting board to separate frozen meat pieces, that board must be washed and sanitized before using it to chop onions. Similarly any utensils used would have to be washed and sanitized after coming into contact with meat. A sanitizing solution may be made by adding 1 teaspoon (5mL) of chlorine bleach to 1 quart (1L) of water.

Do not place cooked meats back on the plate or surface used to prepare or transport the uncooked (raw, fresh or frozen) meat. For example, if you used a tray to bring frozen sausages from the ice box to the grill for cooking, you must not put the cooked sausages back onto that same tray. It has been contaminated by the uncooked meat and must be washed and sanitized before being used again.

Do not use the same utensils to handle cooked and raw, fresh or frozen meat. Raw, fresh, and frozen meats must be regarded as hazardous and anything that touches them has also been contaminated. This would include, for example, knives, forks or tongs used to handle the meat. They would have to be washed and sanitized before being used again.

Raw, fresh or frozen meats must be stored on a shelf below and separate from any other food items to prevent them from contaminating the other items such as by dripping on them. For example, a hotdog cart vendor using iceboxes to store refrigerated items would need to have one icebox for storing meat and another for storing non-meat items. Meats stored in a refrigerator with other foods must be kept on the bottom shelves below the other foods. Never store meat directly on the floor or the ground. Foods must always be stored on a shelf raised up off of the floor or ground.

Remember to always thoroughly wash and sanitize food preparation surfaces, equipment and utensils between uses.

Storing, Preparing and Serving Condiments

Many local health departments will not allow hotdog cart vendors to serve any dairy based condiment products such as mayonnaise, grated cheese or even squeeze bottle cheese. Some health departments will only allow condiments that do not require refrigeration after opening to be served from a cart. So it is very important to check first with your local health department for the specific local codes before beginning operations. If such perishable condiments are allowed, it is very important to follow the health guidelines to ensure that these condiments are maintained in healthy condition throughout your business day. If refrigerated condiments are allowed, keep them below the specified temperature (usually about 41°F or 4°C and below). This will of course require a thermometer to monitor that temperature.

Condiments must be kept in clean, washable containers and must be kept covered to prevent insects, dust, leaf litter, or rain to enter. Jars with screw lids may not be acceptable as serving containers by some health departments. If condiments do become contaminated during the day, the containers should be emptied, cleaned and refilled with fresh material. Otherwise condiments can always be served in those small plastic single service packages.

Do not store condiments directly on the floor or the ground. Always store foods on a shelf raised above the floor or the ground. This includes foods that are prepackaged such as some condiments. Do not store your condiments in the same cooler as meats or on shelves below meats. Do not store your condiments near any cleaners or chemicals. All these rules are designed to prevent the condiments from becoming contaminated.

Other Healthy Food Handling and Equipment Guidelines

Hotdog Cart Daily Operations & Procedures Guide

Vendor Cart Safety Guidelines

Hotdog Cart Routine Maintenance

Trouble Shooting

Business Management & Book Keeping Guide

Owning your own hotdog cart business should be rewarding and enjoyable. The guidelines in this section should help you to be successful whether you have one hotdog cart or have several units with employees running them.

Owning and operating several hot dog carts in different locations is a way to increase profits but it also comes with special challenges. Managing employees can be difficult and frustrating if not done properly. This section provides some ideas, guidelines and forms to use in managing your human resources effectively.
Please note that laws governing employees and sub-contractors vary from place to place. Make sure that you conform to these in every respect.

Both you and your employees should be familiar with the Hotdog Cart Operations and Maintenance Manual, the Employees Rules of Conduct guide, and the Dress, Deportment and Hygiene Code. Review these with them in person and have copies of them in the cart for reference. Have employees sign them.

Bookkeeping That Works.

A simple, straight forward bookkeeping system is important to you and your business. It is the foundation of a successful business.Good bookkeeping will enable you to analyze your business on an ongoing basis.
Good bookkeeping will also save you much time and minimize frustration.

A key rule of thumb is the KISS principle (Keeping It Simple is Smart). Many people think that bookkeeping and financial statements are highly complicated activities reserved for the realm of accountants only. For a small business, this simply is not the case. The only skills required are to be able to count, record, add and subtract. Some simple forms for inventory control and profit / loss statements make this even easier.

One method used in keeping the accounting simple and easy is to pay cash up front for all your supplies. This has a few important advantages:

1. You should get better prices for paying up front compared to paying on account in 30 days.

2. You are able to quickly determine the success of your recent activities.

3. There will be no surprises at the end of the month when the bills come in.

4. Your accounting will be kept to a few minutes each day rather than a time consuming burden at the end of the month.

Cash does not mean that you don’t get receipts or are involved in shady activities such as dodging taxes. It is simply a tool to keep accounting simple and to get the best prices for supplies.

You will need to keep all your receipts in order to keep accurate records both for your own information and to show government agencies at tax time. Without accurate records, you will find it difficult to take advantage of all the business deductions and credits to which you are entitled. Never rely on your memory. Put everything down in writing.

Keeping your records simple and up to date will also save you money when you actually do need an accountant at tax time. Keep receipts of all business related expenses including day to day supplies, equipment purchases, employee pay, office supplies, business loan interest, and vehicle mileage or fuel (spent driving to work, suppliers, business meetings, etc). These various expenses are all deductions at tax time and they will really add up over the year.

Keep business expense items on separate bills from other personal expense items i.e. business food supplies versus personal groceries. Mark on the receipt what the items were for i.e. a special event or weekly supplies. You may have to write in what the items actually are as many stores use acronyms in their descriptions that military pilots would find mind numbing. This will prevent much confusion.

Keep your records in a centra safe place such as a filing cabinet or banker’s box. Keep separate labeled file folders for the different types of business expenses such as consumable food supplies, equipment purchases, uniform expenses, advertising and promotion, loan interest payments, employee pay, office supplies, vehicle expenses, rent payments, licensing and training, etc.

Note that different expenses have different rates of deduction or different places to go on the tax form. Keeping them separate will save a ton of time and money at year end tax time.

Make up new record folders for each new year.

The Psychology of Selling.

How to Motivate Your Customers to Buy and to Return

Successful selling involves more than just putting up a sign and waiting for customers to beat a path to your cart.While a hotdog cart presents different marketing challenges than, for example, operating a grocery store, the basic philosophy of selling holds true for all businesses. Customers must first be attracted to your sales site and then encouraged to buy your products. At the point of sale you must anticipate and satisfy your customer’s needs and expectations. It is this selling cycle – attracting customers, encouraging sales and satisfying customer needs – that is essential in assuring the continued growth and success of your business.

Remember the rule: it is easier to keep an old customer than to attract a new one!

The Sale:

1. Once your customer has been attracted to your vending site, there are four factors that go into completing a successful sale:

2. The customer must have a clear idea of what is being sold and at what price.

3. All signs should be professionally made. (no homemade “marker on cardboard” signs)

4. You must be able to service the customer even if you get many customers all at once.

5. You must ask for the sale.

Up-Sell:

Always make sure you and your employees up-sell. It’s very simple. Just ask a positive question. Or give positive suggestions.

Do not ask “Would you like a drink with that?”. Ask “What kind of drink would you like with that?”. If a customer is indecisive or unsure, help them, say something like: “Why don’t you try one of our spicy dogs? Most of the guys seem to like it.”

Help your customer to make selections by asking leading questions like: “Would you like cheese on that?” “Would you like to try the Red Onion sauce?”. Customers will not see this as “up-selling” but rather as you helping and showing a personal interest in them.

Pricing:

There are no hard and fast rules on pricing. A good start is to first poll your competitors or other similar businesses in your local area. Do not be afraid to charge more for your product. Charging 25% more than your competitors is not unreasonable if you offer a better product.

The reason for this is simple. If you do a superior job, offer a superior product, and do it in a unique way, your customers will be very happy to pay more. There are many very successful food service franchises that follow this philosophy. The convenience of your location is another reason why customers will be willing to pay more.

Customer relations:

How you speak to your customers is as important as what you say.
Always be friendly, positive and upbeat.
Make sure everything is continually kept neat and clean.
Make sure all employees understand and apply these principles.

Tips for Success

Be Reliable.
Customers will depend on you for lunch. Be there regularly. Become part of their routine. This will build a loyal regular customer base.

Be Friendly.
Greet each customer. Be cheerful and smile. It costs nothing but makes a huge difference.
Get to know your regulars by name. That builds loyalty. They will spread the word about you and draw more customers to your business. The best advertising is by word of mouth and it costs nothing.

Keep a Clean, Tidy Shop.
People are turned off by mess especially where they buy their food. Clean your cart daily before and after use. Clean all the equipment including condiment trays and bottles. Keep your garments and personal appearance clean and neat.

Maintain Quality.
A good reputation is priceless. Don’t scrimp. Don’t risk it by cutting corners using old product.

Be a Good Neighbor.
Don’t let your business interfere with others – make it compliment and augment their business. This may include simple things such as providing a trash can for your customers and picking up litter at days end.

Know Local Eating Habits.                                                                                          Hot dogs are subject to regional differences. This may require condiments that reflect your local culture such as grated cheese, chili, hot mustard, etc. Even within a city, one neighborhood may be more health conscious, reflect a unique cultural flavor ie: require Kosher food, or prefer Red Onion sauce on their dog. Ask. Listen. Learn. Adapt. Serve those needs. Advertise it. It means business.

Post a Simple Menu and Price List.
Most people won’t buy unless they first know the price. Prominently displaying what you sell will save you time explaining especially during a busy lunch hour. It enables your customers to decide before they order.

Attach your Menu / Price List to your cart with Velcro under a plexiglass cover (to protect it from dirt, rain, and facilitate easy cleaning and changing). Get it made professionally at a local vinyl graphics sign shop such as Trimline. It won’t cost much and will look pro.

Take Phone Orders.
Post your cell phone number on your cart and keep a phone order log sheet. Have business cards made up that you can give to customers for them to have so they can call their orders in ahead of time. Print off some simple ½ page menu sheets like take-out restaurants do.

Many workers are so busy that they prefer to call their food orders in ahead of time and just pick them up. Often one person will pick up lunch for many. They save time not having to wait. You avoid long line ups and generate more business. It’s another way to adapt to your customers needs and develop a loyal customer base.

Introduce Yourself to a New Area.                                                                        When you set up your cart in a new area, advertise yourself. This will get your new location off to a running start.

Print up some quality flyers and take them around to the businesses in the area so they will be familiar you. Maybe include a nice picture of you and your quality built hot dog cart. Drop them off in business mailboxes. Post them on information boards. Hand them directly to business owners, managers, receptionists, and other employees. Dress neat and professionally while doing this as you are making that all important first impression of your quality food service vending cart!

The flyer should include your hours of business, location, menu, and cell number for phone orders. It should show that your cart is licensed and meets all the Health Code requirements. Keep it to one page in length and one sided so it can easily be posted in a lunch room. Include introductory discount coupons at the bottom of your flyer to encourage first time customers.

Vendor Cart Dress Code & Rules of Conduct

Dress Code:

A person’s overall appearance must be neat and clean to convey the attitude of professionalism required of and expected in the food service industry.

• Clothing must be clean without stains. A fresh change of clothing should be worn each day. Clothing should not be frayed or worn out.

• If the vendor does not have his own company shirts or hats, those worn must not have logos or messages that are offensive. Clothing without such logos or messages are preferred.

• Males must be freshly shaven.

• Hair must be clean and neat.

• The cash apron must clean and neat.

Rules of Conduct:

• Employees must arrive at work on time and ready for work. Employees must arrive at Vendor location according to the prescribed schedule.

• Employees must conform to the Vendor Cart Dress and Deportment Code.

• Employees must always convey a friendly positive professional attitude especially when dealing with customers.

• Employees conduct, hygiene, and dress must always conform to the standards required of the local Department of Health for the Food service industry.

• Employees must read and conform to the guidelines provided for workers in the food service industry including instructions on personal washing, cleaning equipment, and handling food.

• All monies collected from sales will be deposited into the cash box at the end of each working day or shift. All monies collected from sales will be counted and logged at the end of each working day or shift. An inventory of remaining foodstuffs will also be counted at this time. Any reasons for discrepancies should be noted in writing at this time. Employees will not borrow from the company cash box.

• Employees will not sell any unauthorized products of their own from the food cart or on company time.

• Employees will conform to the posted menu prices and will not extend special pricing to any friends, relatives, customers or themselves unless authorized by the company owner or supervisor.

• Any thefts of products or money will result in the employee’s immediate work termination and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Any departure from the above guidelines may result in the employee’s immediate work termination. This instruction guide is binding and is to be read and signed by each vendor cart employee and kept on record by the company owner.