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Originally posted by Starlord

My wife and I had a hot dog stand that we enjoyed operating, and made pretty good money at. The Pinal County (AZ) Health Department worked very well with us, even though they had doubts at first about our decision to use wood and charcoal as fuel, instead of gas or electricity. They approved my initial plans for our trailer, stating it was obvious I had put a great deal of thought into it. They wanted, at first, to know why we didn’t just buy a commercial cart. I explained that the only carts we had seen all would only offer boiled dogs, which my wife and I both detest, and as it turned out, so did our customers. When we completed construction, the cart was inspected by the Dept., and passed with flying colors. We mesquite smoked our dogs and sausages, and at first, it was the novelty of our menu that attracted people, along with the smell of mesquite smoke; but it was the flavor that brought them back again and again. The name we sued was Allen’s Prairie Cookin’ and our menu had Prairie Dogs (regular hot dogs), Coyotes (smoked sausage,) Devil Dogs (hot smoked sausage,) Cattle Dog (all-beef hot dog,) Javelina (brat,) and Armadillo (bacon-wrapped dog.) We also had Nachos, and chili and sauerkraut toppings available, with a full list of condiments and additives, such as sliced jalapenos. We miss our little business, and still run into people to this day who ask when we are coming back. We would like to find a way to open in a fixed location, feeling as we do that people will eat enough of our dogs to keep us in business. Best of luck to all.