DRAFT Magazine

By Kristen Hampshire

DRAFTmag.com talks to Mark Reitman, PhD (professor of hot dogs) and owner of Hot Dog U., dubbed the Harvard of Encased Meat. Reitman talks about an average school day at Hot Dog U., how to dress a dog in any region, and what beverage goes best with dogs (raise your glass).

Why did you decide to start Hot Dog U? Talk to us about your vending resume and what inspired the Harvard of Encased Meats?
About seven years ago, I was in the business with my own cart and doing extremely well. We were set up in an outdoor mall called Prime Outlets in Kenosha, Wis., before they built their food court. I am an outdoor person, and I only worked the cart on weekends. It was a good business at the time. On Black Friday [the day after Thanksgiving], we would stock the cart with 1,000 dogs and as soon as we sold out, we’d go home to sleep. During a normal weekend, we had no problem selling 300 dogs a day at $3 a piece. People would ask if we were a franchise and how I got into the business, and I told them they needed to talk to me — and I kept a list of names. When the mall opened up the food court, I decided not to move indoors. Then I opened Hot Dog U.

I have a diverse background in retails sales, food service, and public education as a school counselor. So Hot Dog U. is a culmination of all the things I like to do. I’ve always been an educator and trainer.

Walk us through a typical ‘classroom’ experience at Hot Dog U.
We cover a complete curriculum in two days that includes marketing, selecting a location, insurance, every possible thing you consider when opening a business. The course includes a tour of the Vienna Beef Co. factory and a taste panel. We drive to a place that sells restaurant equipment that is not open to the public. We spend an hour there wandering around and looking at products they can use on their carts. We take a look at various types of carts, and then we wheel the cart I have used for years out in front of the Vienna factory and set it up. We take turns vending in half-hour shifts, and we also let people go inside and work the counter indoors like they would work in a real hot dog stand.

We do all the training at the Vienna Beef Co. headquarters in Chicago. Even though the class is operated here, it’s still a business school. I have been eating and selling Vienna hot dogs my entire life, so that is the palate I developed as a Chicago boy. But there are other regional hot dogs out there, so I want to make it clear that Hot Dog U. is not just limited to Chicago-style dogs; it’s for any encased meat that people want to sell off a cart.

How do hot dogs vary by region?
The original Chicago-style dog starts out on a steamed poppy seed bun, and it’s an all-beef dog that is either skinless or has natural casing. It has the following condiments in this order: mustard, neon-green relish, onions, a couple of tomato slices or wedges, kosher dill pickle, two ‘sport’ peppers, and a sprinkle of celery salt. There is never ketchup on a Chicago dog.

In New York City, they prepare their dogs in ‘dirty water,’ which means the dogs sit in the simmering water and there is a certain amount of spice and fat that bleeds into the water and makes the product taste better as the day goes on. They use a skinnier, longer dog with a natural casing. They’re topped with a red-onion sauce that we have never seen here in Chicago.

When you go to southern states, you’ll get a dog that’s a pork-beef blend and they’ll dress them with chili, onions, and cheese or sometimes chili, onions, coleslaw, and mustard.

It gets better out west. And that’s where you get the cream cheese and onions. They do some things with dogs that you would make faces at, but they’re good.

Tell us about some of the successful ‘graduates’ of Hot Dog U.
There’s Dan Council. His cart is called Red Hot Dogs in Lodi on Lake Wisconsin. On weekends, he brings a cart out on his boat and sells lots of hot dogs to boaters. I had two students from Troy, N.Y., that were on the front page of BusinessWeek. Their stand is Nipper’s Hot Dogs. Biker Jim in Denver, Colo., is a friend with a cart very similar to mine. He does exotic game like bison and buffalo. And what I love is he has a special caulking gun, so he caulks his ‘dogs with cream cheese and grilled onions. It’s phenomenal.

What do many hot dog vendors do wrong?
What’s most important is the location and selecting that based on foot traffic. People in cars aren’t going to slam on their brakes to get a hot dog. Also, I’ve always believed in a one-ingredient restaurant. Hot dogs are a mobile food where you’re walking and eating — and you only have two hands. Therefore, we only sold cans of pop and hot dogs. Not chips. When you sell chips, the customer deals with a balancing act and they can’t eat the dog.

What type of beer goes best with a hot dog?
A beer that’s chilled cold and out of a tap with a nice head on it. My wife and I are big beer aficionados — we live in Wisconsin.

Ever vend ‘dogs at a brew fest?
I vended twice in front of the Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee on St Patrick’s Day. It was great. They gave brewery tours every half hour and there was no food in the facility. So from noon until 3 p.m., I had my cart parked out front and I picked up half of the people who went on each tour. There were 50 people per tour. If there was any way we could sell beer from a hot dog cart, I would. But you have to self-contain a beer garden area because people can’t walk around with open containers

Hot dogs and beer are a natural.

Kristen Hampshire is a freelance writer based in Bay Village, Ohio.