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What kind of cart do I need for my business?To add a neBefore your search begins on a cart, make sure you have checked with the health inspector for your area, find out if what your planning on serving is allowed. Check with the zoning division or city/county and find out if they have any restrictions on vendors. Most don't, but you don't want any surprises. Once you have those answers then you can choose one of our franktastic HOT DOG CARTS. Most of ours use a standard steam table and some others are capable of boiling and steaming. A cart with the ability to steam and boil will really make life easier. A small steam table can limit the variety on your menu where a large steam table can handle direct heating, boiling and steaming all at the same time.
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Can you put a deep fryer on a hot dog cart?Well of course you can, you can put a sausage grinding machine, a pastry oven and a meat slicer too. The question is, CAN YOU OPERATE IT LEGALLY WITH THOSE OPTIONS? Probably not. It's why most carts you hear about are hot dog carts.
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What kind of license do I need?Because you're going to be serving food to the public you will need to be licensed with the State. Some states you would just need to contact your local health department as the inspectors usually work from there. Other states call it environmental safety division or some version of that. You can call your state's information line and tell them you need to find the department that handles food vendors and restaurants. The other license you will most certainly be required is a business license, resale license and hawker or vendors license. For example, in TN, you must have the state health permit, the business license for the county in which you are based and in some other cities you must have a license to work there too. All of this is pretty easy to do. The one that can take the longest is the health department permit.
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What condiments should I offer?Like the brand hot dog you should serve, the options are many and it will depend on your area. Definitely you want to offer the basics, ketchup, mustard, onions and relish, but you will be wise to offer some more. In your area they may love jalapeños or pickles or tomatoes or chili. I know vendors that have many types of mustard or exotic toppings. Some states don't allow chilli or they allow only vegetarian chili. You can use vegetarian chili on your cart. Always check with your inspector on what other items you can carry. Some may be off limits to you.
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How do I know how much food to take?Another great question but without a solid answer. This will come with experience, but if you are setting up in one of the many many places I tell you about in my course, then you will want to take enough to serve 50 meals. That means about 100 hot dogs and an equal number of chips and drinks. If you sell out then you will know to take more the next day. All places can be different, but if your not selling at least the 50 meals a day, then you need a new location. If your using the meal deal advice from my course, you will with 50 meals a day be making around $175 in net profit, which is the least I would want to make at a location per day. I have made less, but I learned to find the best days of the week, the best times of day or I changed locations.
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Do I need a commissary?A commissary is a commercially licensed kitchen like a restaurant kitchen or other that is approved by the State Health Department to store, prepare and cook food for the public. What makes it a commissary is if the owner or manager of the kitchen allows others to use the kitchen. Most states require a hot dog vendor or any food vendor to prepare, cook and store food there. If you were to buy 1000 hot dogs and buns you could not store them on the cart. If you needed to cut sausages or slice onions or wrap tamales or fix pulled pork or, or or – the health department wants this done in a commercial kitchen; eg. a commissary. Some states will wave the commissary requirement if your cart has adequate storage for your daily needs and if it has facilities to wash, rinse and sanitize your dirty utensils and pans. This would mean that you purchase your stock each day instead of buying in bulk. For a busy vendor this would not be feasible. But for starting out, it may suffice. Most carts don't really have big enough sinks to wash, rinse and sanitize your pans. State health codes often require that the sinks be large enough to submerge the largest pan. With a half size pan: 12″ X 10″, this would require a very large cart to accommodate 3 sinks large enough to wash, rinse and sanitize. Imagine if your largest pan is a full size pan. 12″ X 20″ This is another major reason vendors need a commissary. A commercial kitchen will have the standard 3 bay sink and they can accommodate the large pans. Depending on your inspector in your state, if your cart has 4 sinks (one to wash, one to rinse and one to sanitize with the required separate hand wash sink) they sometimes will wave the commissary requirement
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Can I pull my cart homeYes. Our carts are DOT approved and can be pulled home. Keep in mind that the cart tires turn much faster than your vehicle tires do and this can cause heat build up. If you’re traveling hundreds of miles, I would either stop often, at least each gas fill up and check the condition of the hubs. If they are too hot. Let them cool before continuing.
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How Many Sinks Do I Need?All pur carts come with 4 sinks in ordered with a water system but we can custom your cart with the number of sinks you need. Every state has different rules regarding sinks. Check with your health department first. if your state requires less sinks, just simply tell us in the comment section while ordering. If you need say 3 sinks, we will make one sink larger and then two standard sinks.
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Are Your Carts NSF Approved?NSF is a private company which sets standards for the food service industry. Standard 59 is the group of standards used to be in compliance. No state can require NSF approval as this would be like your state making a law that you could only shop at walmart. However some states do require carts to meet NSF standard 59, our carts do meet and exceed these standards. yes! Our carts have been approved in every state Our exterior is 100% NSF Compliant Stainless steel grade 304. All sinks, lines, tanks, valves, pans and lids, including condiment table pans and lids are NSF/UL/ANSI stamped
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Can I add a deep fryer?Yes, but most states don’t allow them on open carts. Always do your due diligence before purchasing. We offer free training and a step by step guide to help you make the best decisions.
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Do you have financing?Yes, We do have the fastest and reiliable financing; ask us and apply how to get your money now!
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What Size Ball / Hitch Do I Need?All of our towable carts are DOT approved for highway use. They include a 1 7/8th inch coupler. You will need a 1 7/8th inch ball on your vehicle. We have found that if your vehicle doesn’t have a receiver and hitch, UHaul has the best prices and they also do installation Nationwide. All of our towable carts include Tail, Stop and Turn lights with a male 4 wire flat hook up. Your car will need the female 4 wire flat hook up. This is standard on most trailers and Uhaul or most any trailer or truck accessory store will carry and install these for you. The tongue weight is less than 70lbs and your new cart can be pulled by most vehicles including some motorcycles and Smart Cars.
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