Archive for the ‘Hot Dog Cart Man Says...’ Category
The past decade has seen an explosion of health food advice that has cast a great shadow on the food industry business. The problems with chemicals in your food and the food preparation process have been scrutinized and criticized as to the evils it does to the individual’s body. Now, the food concession industry has responded to this call and here are some of the changes made to suit the needs of a healthier food source for the new age lifestyle.
- Vegetarian hot dogs and other ‘meats’. This is the new kind of meat base for most other food offerings. Often, this kind of processed meat is made of soya or some other vegetable. When cooked, it provides the texture and feel of actual meat without the meat. They have been made into cutlets, hotdogs and other meat cuts.
- Calorie counts. Nowadays, people have become conscious of the number of calories in the food they eat. Thus in many menus, the number of calories of the food ingredients are detailed. They also have chosen to use lesser calorie adding ingredients, such as lesser fat and oils in their food. With more attention to calories, many food joints have begun to serve healthier food without sacrificing taste and quality.
- Fresh ingredients. The familiar buzz words for these kinds of fresh ingredients include “free range”, “organic” and “no preservatives”. This means that the meat is leaner and more protein rich when it is free range. When it says organic, it means that natural inputs of fertilizer and pesticides were used. The absence of preservatives means a lesser amount of chemicals used to keep the food fresh and clean.
Healthier food means healthier clients. This is the simple equation that has been trumpeted after many ills of modern society have been found to be caused by food ingredients. Thus, the clamor for healthier food has been answered by the hot dog cart industry. There are now meals using vegetarian ingredients and fresh naturally grown additives. The number of calories have also been identified to the meals being eaten, making the individual aware of the fat in the food. With all this, the ultimate goal of having healthy food for healthier customers has been resoundingly addressed.
One of the fastest growing businesses nowadays is the food stall business. This includes hot dog carts, of course! Despite the allure of a quick buck, there are many challenges in concession food preparation and business. Here are some of the challenges faced by cart owners and solutions to these issues.
Keeping food fresh. This is one of the main problems in the food concession business. Since it is outdoors, the problems of refrigeration and avoiding spoilage is a concern at all times. Having a refrigeration system would certainly help uncooked food from spoiling. If you already have prepared food, having slow cookers in your concession stand will certainly be of great help to keep meals from spoiling. You also have to be aware of insects and other vermin from attacking your food stores and proper vigilance and cleanliness will certainly keep your food fresh throughout the day.
Weather. This is one of the major issues in food concessioning as one’s fortunes are subject to the whim and fancy of the elements. Rains certainly would keep customers from going out and buying your food while snow would certainly keep clients indoors. Aside from praying for sunny weather, it is best that you have the proper implements to keep your patrons high and dry. Large umbrellas would do the trick for you, as they keep away rain and snow. It also is a good shade on a warm sunny day and thus be the most effective tool against the elements.
Food processing. Since your customer is on the go, you need to prepare your food quickly. You also need to keep quality and consistency when you do the order for the client. To maintain this level of service, you need to have your food preparation process well in hand. This makes your service run smoothly and efficiently and ultimately responding to the demand of your patron.
As you can see, the challenges that most food concession stands face can easily be solved with proper planning and foresight. You can keep food fresh using a cold storage facility in your stand. The weather can be adjusted to using large umbrellas near or around your stall. You also need to practice and perfect your food processing techniques for your discriminating clientele. When you do all these, you are able to overcome and soon you will succeed with your hot dog cart.
I got let go two years ago from my marketing job in an upscale advertising firm. Given a nice package, I had wondered what are the options available to me. As I surveyed the options online, I came across an interesting career opportunity: running my own hot dog cart. That was two years ago and since then I have learned a lot of lessons in the business of food concessioning.
Patience is a virtue. This is one of the businesses that I can safely say that each day is a brick for the foundation of a conglomerate. I had been so used to the quick turn around in business and I found the daily grind in my food stand very very slow. I had to learn how to be patient and await the onrush of buyers each day. I also learned how to pace myself with the long days and keeping cool in the midst of the many often in the hurry patrons. Taking it slow is not the term, but taking time to do things properly is the virtue of patience I had learned working my food concession stand.
Always keep records. Since you are on your feet most of the day, I learned the hard way that trying to remember things you did is very difficult. This is important as the purchases and expenses are often made at a split second’s notice. Also, keeping track of your sales determines a balanced day for your business. So you need to keep records of your transactions during the day. This record would detail the revenues and expenses that will see how your daily sales would be.
Keeping your food consistent in taste and look is key in keeping customers. If you have differing tasting food despite having the same menu, then there is a problem for you in the long run. In order to avoid this, you need to have a detailed process in food preparation to keep the meal consistent over time. Being consistent not only in the food but also in the service to your clients makes you avoid issues such as irate customers that demand the same quality service from you.
I had learned these lessons from the two years of being in the food concession business. You need to be patient during the day. You need to keep records so as not to lose money. You need to be consistent in the business. Hopefully in knowing this, you can avoid the problems I had to endure in making your hot dog cart business succeed.