Sit under fluorescent lights behind windows that don’t open. Destroy your wrists and hands on years of keyboarding and mousing for the man. Continue the job your oppressive employer wants done regardless of whether it’s fun or ethical, much less meaningful. Ask permission for time off–and be denied.
Or do something completely different, completely your own, and completely awesome.
City Dogs, an institution in SLC vegan eating, needs a new chief.
Yes, the beloved vegan hot dog street vending cart business is for sale. City Dogs is at an exciting stage of evolution–with at least two distinct avenues/strategies it can pursue–but I am not the person to do either of these. Over the past year I’ve become very busy with other projects and don’t have the time to give my all to City Dogs. It brings me great melancholy to let it go.
Since 2009, City Dogs has operated as a micro-enterprise, rewarding its owners with modest income and a relatively easy, stress-free life. City Dogs is well past the point where it can evolve successfully into a small business, generating a lot more revenue than it does currently, but also requiring more time and attention.
Avenue 1: growth strategy. City Dogs is beloved and recognized. Customers constantly beg for longer hours and more availability. City Dogs can become a vastly more robust profit generator, but it needs to expand–either with longer hours, a second cart, maybe even a fixed location (and keep the cart for weekend festivals, catering, etc.). City Dogs probably becomes an employer of several part-time employees.
Avenue 2: freedom strategy. This is the business model that City Dogs regulars are familiar with. For three years, City Dogs has operated during lunch hours downtown and at special events across the Wasatch Front on many but not all weekends. The operating model has been honed over the years to create a small-business income that nevertheless demands a modest workload for the proprietor. Even under this model, City Dogs has been profitable all three years promoted mostly with free social/online marketing, but also three years of advertising (in SLUG and Salt Lake City Weekly).
New in 2011:
- Named one of the nation’s top 5 veggie dogs by PETA
- Served at the seven-week Twilight Concert Series
- Played a starring role in vegan diet project on KSL Radio’s Nightside Project
- Served at the Tour of Utah international bicycle race competition (an awesome event!)
- Nominated for best vegan food cart in the nation by VegNews
- Began accepting credit card and PayPal payments
- Introduced the hugely popular City Dogs original Mad Hatter salad wrap
- Introduced downtown delivery
- Improved social media presence/strategy
- Sponsored 3rd place state fair chili cook-off team (vegan chili!)
Included in the sale:
- The City Dogs cart–meets all Salt Lake City codes for mobile food vending, including 10-gallon water tank, warm-water handwash station, two storage compartments, large grill and space for 6 full steam trays or 12 half-size. New tires, new battery, new jack and one new steam pan in 2011.
- All logos, menus, coupons and other graphics.
- Recipes for the chili, The Best Potato Salad Downtown, and the Mad Hatter tempeh salad wrap.
- Coolers, tables, condiment trays, and all other accessory items
- All online property (Facebook and Twitter account, as well as saltcitydogs.com), trademarks and other intellectual property
- Training, coaching and guidance on mobile food vending business
- Optional: 2004 Saturn Ion with trailer hitch ($5,500)
- Commissary lease and all necessary permits
- Any decent vehicle with a trailer hitch (even little cars can pull it)
This is the sale of a so-called “turn-key business.” Just step behind the cart and all the decisions, all the plans, all the strategies, and all the routines have already been planned, honed and nearly perfected (it’s up to you to make them perfect).
Price: $12,500, or best offer.
Think of it this way: it’s the price of a decent car, but how many cars make you money and provide you with meaningful freedom?
Interested? Call 435-228-8087 and LEAVE A MESSAGE with your phone number. Or fill out the form below.
