Being Frank

Last Post

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:54:00 +0000

Due to "Family Issues", we are closing the hot dog business. Thanks to all who have supported us, we appreciate it more than you know.

I loved getting into the business and will probably be back. Because of my illness and other issues, we just decided to stop. We will see what the future holds for this, but we will be selling everything and stopping immediately.

Now, we aren't leaving Bastrop.....not yet. I have started a Process Service and Skip Tracing business. I got into this while helping our lawyer look for a couple of people. Hopefully this will take off and everything will be fine.

You can check out my new business @ www.tcbcivil.com

Thanks again to everyone!

Where did you go?

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:43:00 +0000

Had a lot of people ask what has been going on with us. Here is the official word from me:

Back in March, we were working on getting the Austin locations up and going. I went to see my grandmother for Easter and found out that she has cancer. When we came back, I had to work on the van that we were going to haul the cart with. That ended up taking a lot more time than it should, but working on vans is really a pain. During that time, I was pretty upset about my grandmother. She means the world to me and I had a hard time dealing with all that was going on.

Once I got the van done, it was already towards the middle of May. I knew that school was ending soon, so our Austin locations could wait. I continue to operate the Bastrop location on the weekends, since during the week was pretty much a bust.

At the end of May, I got really sick and had to be taken to the hospital. Of course, the doctors had ZERO idea what was wrong and tried to tell me it was all kinds of things. I just figured it was food poisoning (from a local place, not from my hot dogs!) and it would go away. Well, it didn't.

Still feeling ill, we closed the Bastrop location until I could get back on my feet. Did a catering job in June, worked the July 3rd event in Bastrop, and opening one Saturday in August.

In August is when I finally was given the go ahead to see a GI specialist. I had seen my regular doctor and was referred over to the GI doctor in Austin. The doctor went over all my test results and diagnosed me with a form of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)/ Spastic Colon. Basically, my stomach muscles/intestines cramp up like when you get a cramp in your leg. I also get varying degrees of nausea. So the doctor puts me on medicine to help my symptoms. Unfortunately, the medicine has a bad side effect/warning......causes dry mouth / if you get overheated, it will cause severe dehydration. That means, no standing by a hot dog cart for 4+ hours a day or risk going back to the hospital.

So after this, I really started wondering if this was worth it or not. Do I continue and take a chance or just sell it all and find something else to do? Well, I did one and not the other. No, I didn't sell my business but I did find something else. That something else won't interfere with the hot dog business and allows me to have another income stream. That something else is doing Skip Tracing and Process Serving for civil accounts (i.e. Doctors, Lawyers, and etc). I can do these during the mornings and evenings and it won't interfere with the hot dogs.

I sat down and decided that the hot dogs must come back. But this time, we are taking it slow and not rushing into anything. I feel like there was too much pressure on me the first time and then everything kind of fell apart. I am dedicated to making this work and making a living doing it. I really wanted to make everything work the first time, but had spread my self way too thin. I was so worried about making everyone happy and I wasn't really having fun anymore.

So, we are coming back on October 9th. I will only have the Downtown Bastrop location open on Saturdays for the time being. Since the weather is much cooler, I don't run as much risk in getting sick. I am working on a second location in Bastrop that will run during the week. We are also going to try and do some other special events in the area.

I am also working on changing up the menu. It will probably be the same for now, but should be fixed up by Halloween. I am going to do something other than hot dogs and I think people will like it. It gives customers another option and will hopefully boost our income.

We are also announcing that a deal was setup with Square (www.squareup.com) and we will be taking credit cards. Yes, we will be taking credit cards....all four types. Now, the menu prices will be different for credit cards. We will give a discount for cash customers and credit card customers will pay the normal price. Would love to let everyone pay the same, but it is easier to deal with cash than credit cards.

Oh yeah, my grandmother is still taking her chemo and is doing much better. We are planning another trip to see her and can't wait to spend time with her.

I also need to address the flower/antique shop questions. We closed the flower shop for day to day operations because the economy. People aren't spending the money on flowers anymore. We can still do special events, but that is all. The antiques are eventually leaving the building. That is another business that pretty much gets killed during bad economic times. I don't know when this is going to happen. Sorry.

So now the big question.....what are you doing with the building? Nothing for right now. We have some options that are being explored, but nothing I can talk about....so don't ask! When the time is right, then everyone will know.

So that, in a nutshell, is what has been going on. I am feeling better most days, but still have off days. I hope to have Bastrop going strong soon and then slowly expand into Austin. We will have to wait and see.

A special thank you to my family and friends. They have been by my side during all of this and have encouraged me to get back to sell those delicious Vienna Beef hot dogs. Without their help, not sure that any of this would ever be possible. Thank you!

And I expect to see everyone on Halloween. We will be open on the 31st from 5pm to 10pm. Make sure you come by and visit us, even if you don't buy a hot dog!

Long overdue post

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:29:00 +0000

Very long overdue post.....

I've been really sick for 2 months now. Sick enough that I can't stand out in the heat for hours at a time or move equipment around. So that is why we have not been open. Working on getting better, but it is a slow process.

Starting another business venture, but it won't take any time away from the hot dog carts. I am in the design faze right now and will be moving forward soon. I will post info here once we have everything locked down.

Restaurant is still a go for later this year. Will just have to see how everything plays out with all the other things I am involved with. Could have to wait until next spring, but we will have to see.

Nothing else going on. Will post a better update once I am feeling better.

Short but long awaited update....

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:47:00 +0000

Sorry that there hasn't been an update for a while. Been pretty busy.

We are closed in Bastrop until Saturday. Trying to get the Austin location up and running again...except that the van is still broke down. Will be open for Bastrop Yesterfest and then we will wait and see what happens from there. Everything depends on how busy the Austin location is.

Speaking of Austin.....We did get our other spot approved. Now we just have to modify my existing cart so that it meet regulations. Then we have to get it inspected several times by several different departments. Then we can set an opening date. Lots of hard work!

Have another project coming up. Working with someone on it now, but not saying anything just yet. The new project will be in Bastrop and would replace the existing business. Sure hope we can make it work.

Like I said before, the van is broke down. It was running fine until Saturday before last. Now it won't start. Trying to find someone to help me remove the gas tank so I can replace the fuel pump. If I can get that and the tow hitch installed, then we will be back up and running. One can only hope!

Still working on doing a video blog instead of writing it. Have to find the time to make it happen. I have spent the better part of two weeks working on the van, so I am too tired to shoot any video at the end of the day.........but in the future.....

I am starting another blog about the restaurant business and the food blog business. I plan on interviewing people and shooting video of the interview for the blog. Since I will have Sunday and Monday off, that should give me enough time to actually work on the blog. Will have to wait and see.

Getting back to the van. Will try to post another update soon. I promise!

Updates on our expansion(s).........

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:07:00 +0000

Well, our first Austin expansion should be up in the next couple of weeks. We are shooting for March 8th as our first day. Will be working the cart for that week and during Spring Break/SXSW. After that, we will have an employee(s) that will run the cart. Still working out the details, but those should be finalized in the next couple of days.

Will be going to Austin on Monday morning to apply for our second location. We have to wait 10 days to see if the neighboring property owner is going to complain or not. If so, we will be sunk and out $150. If not, then we will have 35 days to get our big cart modified, inspected, and a $400 fee paid. It is crazy. Guess that is the price you pay to have a great spot on public property.

We do have a couple of private property locations that should be available soon. Have to wait and see how everything else turns out. I would love to have multiple locations around town.

We have even talked about being at one of the food trailer parks in Austin. I have a great concept and it would be perfect for running out of a trailer. This might actually happen sometime soon. I have a friend that wants to buy a trailer to stay in on the weekends (while he works in Austin) and I said that we could rent the rest of the trailer and sell food. Will have to see if we can work out the details.

Since we aren't holding ourselves to just hot dogs at our Austin locations, we have a name and logo just for those locations. Here is the name and logo:

We did this to keep from being pegged as just another hot dog cart and to impress upon our customers that we can get them their food as quick as possible. How quick? Since we are mostly going to be self service, most customers should be serviced within 60 - 90 seconds. Sounds too quick, but it really isn't. If all you do is hand someone packets and a dog, then it shouldn't take very long.

The Austin menu will be a streamlined version of what we do in Bastrop. I haven't released the Austin menu yet, because we are still finalizing everything. We are going to be focused on less specialty hot dogs and more about quality food and quick service. When you deal with busy people in the daytime and drunk people at night, time is VERY important.

Updated the website to reflect the changes. I still need to work on it and should have it done in the next few days. www.franksrocks.com

Things are changing at our Bastrop location also. We are going to look at some other equipment tomorrow. If we do buy this equipment, then we will be working on adding several new menu items and will probably be changing the name also. I like the name we have now, but will need to have a name that focuses on what we are doing as a whole. How does "Frank's Rock and Roll Deli" sound?

Was closed last week because I had a root canal and ended up having some issues. It is hard enough to sell hot dogs when it is cold, let alone when your mouth hurts really bad.

They are calling for cold and rain on Tuesday, so that will give me a day at home to finalize some things. I don't mind having an extra day off, but would rather make some money instead.

Still working on finding some time to do a video blog post. One of these days, I will find the time. For now, you will just have to read what I right. Sorry.

Everyone have a great week and come see us sometime!

Changes….

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:39:00 +0000

Changed prices tonight. Had to raise all the prices. Costs are going up and I have to make sure that we aren’t losing money. I hated to do it, but really didn’t have a choice. I could carry a cheaper hot dog, but would rather charge a little more for a much better product. Will have to wait and see what the customers think. Could backfire on me, but I think that most people will understand and be fine with it.

Still working on Austin. Have a meeting on Wednesday with the city. Will find out about the additional spot that I found. Hopefully it will work and we can get it.

We are (I say “We”, but I really mean my business partner Josh) adding a grill to the new cart. Will have to find out exactly what we can do with it. I really want to do something with Polish Sausage and have an idea, but will have to figure out the costs. We will have other options with the grill and I am excited to try a few different things that we aren’t currently doing.

Will find out on Wednesday if we can use my current propane cart in Austin. It is actually too big, according to the cities specs, but might be able to get a variance on part of it. If they will give me 6”, then we can remove part of the trailer (tongue) and make it detachable. The reason for the size limitation is that they don’t want you in another vendors space…..but vendors can’t be right next to each other. Who knows.

I did find a wonderful cart up in the Dallas area. It is all enclosed and is pretty much perfect. If my propane cart can’t get a variance, I will sell it and then go buy this other one. The other issue is that I will have to see if Austin will approve that one also. Hope that we can get one of them approved.

On a personal note, I am considering a run for city council in Bastrop. I have been thinking about it for 4 years now and this might be the year to do it. I am waiting to see who is running before I turn in my paperwork. Will also need to find someone that can help with my campaign. I think that being a business owner and meeting tons of people in my 5 years here, will help me with the election. I really want to help this town become the best it can be and being on city council will give me a little power to make change.

Will be open the rest of the week, rain or shine. Hope to make some new customers and continue to get my regulars in.

Name has been changed to .......

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Changed the blog name. I just like it better. Plus, my business is not all going to be about hot dogs. We are exploring other opportunities in the mobile food world. I will still sell hot dogs, but might be selling a lot more than that. Plus, this blog is about me and not necessarily just my hot dog cart.

Have been tempted to change my blog over to Wordpress. Figured out that half of the features that Blogspot has, Wordpress charges for. Guess we are staying here for a while.

Closed today because of the weather. Not wanting to brave the 40 degree temps and rain. Heat is still an issue in the building and probably won't get fixed until sometime in the late summer.

We are expanding the business into Austin....and I don't mean "sometime in the future". We have a new cart and spot in Downtown Austin. Will be working on all the logistics of it this week and next. We hope to open sometime after Valentine's Day. I wanted to open before, but will need to help the wife at her flower shop. I will post updates once we have a date set. *(By "We", I mean my business partner and I )

I will be working this downtown spot, once we open. I plan on only working it for a couple of weeks so that we can iron out any kinks. During the second week, we will train a couple of people to take over the spot and work it for us. I would stay and work, but will still have Bastrop to run and any other new spot we open. Doesn't bother me. I know that the spot will run smooth if I work it first.

We aren't stopping with the one spot in Austin. Have a meeting today to find out if my propane cart can be used in Austin and have another meeting next Wednesday about a night time spot in Downtown Austin. We are moving full steam ahead on this. I do have a new business partner on this and that is why we are expanding so quick.

We have other ideas besides hot dogs and those will have to gain approval from the city of Austin. I'm sure they will be fine with it, but you never know. If they approve it, we will start working on plans to make those items available also. This seems like a lot at one time but if you don't move quick, someone else will.

My business partner is someone I know and trust. He has experience in the food service industry and we are usually on the same page. We both know how to work in a partnership like this and have tons of respect for each others knowledge and drive. If I had to pick the one person to open a business with, it would be him.

Had to pay another $150 for my health permit in Bastrop. That probably sounds familiar...it should, I just did it back in October. Unfortunately the county doesn't prorate anything. If you get a permit, it is for January thru December....no matter when you paid for it. Oh well, at least we are legal.

Still need help in getting my free sandwich table up and running. Will try to work on it this weekend and hopefully figure something out. If not, I might just sell it and find something else.

Business has been steady this week. Had two days of 2pm rushes and then two days of 12pm rushes. Not sure why. I do know that there is only 3 of us restaurants open after 2pm now. Works for me!

I have updated the website in regards to the Austin location. No menu or prices up yet. Still working on that. Take a look at the new logos on the site and let me know what you think....I'm envisioning t-shirts!
www.franksrocks.com

Might be closed on Saturday, will post on my Facebook or Twitter if we decide to open.

Long awaited update.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:34:00 +0000

Haven’t posted in a while. Mostly because we were closed for a while because of the cold weather. I had decided to stay closed because it was just way too cold for me to be on the sidewalk or inside. If we had the heat working in the building, then that would be a different story. I could use the fireplace, but decided to just stay closed….and found out that downtown wasn’t busy at all during that time.

We are not going to New Orleans for the food festival. I made the decision to stay here and work on the business. I got a lot of advice from other people and it was about 80% in favor of skipping the event. In the long run, it will be a much better decision. We are hoping to go in 2011, but will have to wait and see.

Was closed on Saturday to attend an equipment auction and have a business meeting. We didn’t end up winning any of the equipment, but it was only items we wanted and not needed. I really wanted this steam table that we bid on, but people at that auction were paying retail prices for those items. Not sure if they just don’t know prices, or just don’t care. Good luck to them, I’m sure we will see that item back at an auction later this year.

Had an initial meeting with a future business partner. Will have another meeting with that person and another partner. Now why would my little hot dog cart need business partners? Well, it doesn’t….but to ever build the business beyond my current location, it will take a team to accomplish. Nothing has been decided and plans are only just beginning. I hope to have more info soon, but am keeping things to myself until we know for sure.

Shut down the webcam for now. Since I am working on these other business plans, I just don’t have time for it. If things change, I will put it up. I liked having it up because people got to see how we operate.

Will be offering some test items in the next few weeks. Trying out some different things that might not even be available at this location. I chose our kitchen as the test kitchen because I can control the process and get immediate feedback. Some items we might decide to carry on the cart, will just have to wait and see.

I have noticed that our rush in now from 2pm to 3pm. I think it is a little odd, but will take it. It definitely beats sitting around for 4 hours and not doing anything. I think we are getting people who ate an early lunch and don’t plan on having dinner till much later. Will need to figure out how to get the lunch people in and we should be set.

Increased the outdoor seating during good weather. We now have our 2 little bistro sets and a tall pub table with 3 barstools. I plan on getting another tall table and more barstools, because now no one sits on anything else. Go figure.

I am needing to be busy this week. Please come by and see us. We should be open all week, unless the weather turns off really bad.

Will try to update the blog this week. I am in favor of doing a video blog, but will just need to find the time. I can record during business hours, but have to find any time to edit the video. I always have lots more to say, but it never really gets across when I type it. If anyone knows of a good video editor, please let me know.

Everyone have a great week and go buy a hot dog…even if it isn’t from me.

New Orleans here we come?!?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:14:00 +0000

Slow week. Weather was good, then bad. Sticking with it because we are making fans every day. That is what is important.

Going to be closed on Thursday and Friday. My helper (niece) is going to visit her mother and we are taking her to the airport on Thursday morning. Will have to work by myself until she comes back on the 31st. Will see if I can do it without her.

More and more people are watching the webcam. I really enjoy doing it and should be getting my new cam up pretty soon. Going to use my old mini-dv cam instead, since I can put it anywhere in the building or on the cart...versus just having the cam on the computer itself.

Still haven't had any online orders. Will need to market that more. I think it is a good idea, but will have to convince people to use it.

Got invited to participate in the 2010 New Orleans RoadFood Festival in March. There are only 20 restaurants invited from across the US. We are considering going, but only if our city will come up with some of the money.....I want to promote the town and need some assistance with the fees, gas, and lodging. Will have to wait and see what they say about it. I think it would help our tourism (New Orleans is only 8 hours away) and would put our business on the map. Only other issue is, who goes with me? I will still need to have someone running the cart at our current location and will have to take 2 other people with me.

Haven't started offering the Italian Beef Sandwiches yet. Still working out the costs of the sandwich. Want to make money, but would have to charge lots of money for each sandwich. Will figure it out and then will start offering it.

The new menu items are going ok. The nachos are selling more than any of the other new items. Would have never thought that. I put our chili on them instead of ground beef and people love the taste. I'm not much into nachos for the most part, but I think we do a good job making them.

Have a couple other ideas of what to carry. Want to stop carrying the jumbo dogs and carry polish sausage. Will have to convince our food supplier to carry those. The sausage are much better in taste and would sell much better than the jumbo dogs. Also want to get a griddle and carry other sausages. I have some really good beef and jalapenos sausage that is really good. If we offer more than just the dogs, then that will help us get more business.

Still working on marketing ideas. I really need to build a bigger client base. I currently don't have any competition (until the spring), so this is the time to get noticed. Will be working with my mentor and others to come up with some new ideas. Can you say "Hot Dog Costume"?

Music is up and going each day. Been playing 80's Metal for the most part. I really like it, now that I am older. I listened to some of it as a kid, but seem to appreciate it more now than ever. Will be trying to play some other things from time to time. Will have to see how things go.

Still want to decorate more. Will start looking for old broken guitars, records, and posters. If we are really "The Rock and Roll Hot Dog", then I want to display it as much as possible. Also want to paint my area. That will have to wait until we move the big cart into storage. That should happen pretty soon!

Resting on Sunday. Will rest again on Thursday and Friday. Will hopefully be really busy next Saturday....only if the weather holds up, then we should have a pretty good day.

If I don't get to post again this week, then everyone have themselves a Happy Holiday weekend and Merry Christmas to you all and to all a good night!

New menu items...Very Exciting!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:26:00 +0000

New menu items will be available tomorrow. Come by and try them out! New items are great for colder days. Hopefully tomorrow will be nice so we can be on the sidewalk, but they are predicting rain.

We will have our "Rockin Taco" Soup available this week, unless we run out early. Once we run out, there will be a new soup. Since we are making them ourselves, it will change from time to time. I would rather not make a bunch and then freeze...would rather make it fresh, store it in the fridge, and then serve it. Not sure what the next soup is going to be. Will have to discuss with my crew.

Switching our meatballs and chili to electric warmers and taking it off the cart. I like having them on the cart, but the other warmers will work better and won't burn the chili or marinara. Won't change the taste at all...might actually make it better!

Why the change? We are going to start offering Italian Beef Sandwiches! Working with my mentor tomorrow on how to make them on the cart. This guy taught me how to make those delicious Chicago Dogs and I get tons of compliments on them (Thanks Mark!) Not sure how much room I will need, but moving the other items off will give me plenty of room. No idea on when I will offer them or what the price will be. Going to buy the products tomorrow and will have to wait and see. And of course, we are going to use Vienna Beef products. Can't wait. Will have to get some marketing materials for the sandwiches.

Have been getting more regulars coming in. They really like the products and will hopefully be excited by the new items we are carrying. Will be making an huge effort to bring more people in and get my business recognized by everyone in town. Just have to find a good way to do that. Hot dog costume, anyone?

Will be open tomorrow. Prep time takes a little longer because of the new items. Will need to come up with a new system for opening and closing. Not a big fan of it taking us an hour to close everyday. Would like it to take around 25 - 30 minutes.

Come see us or watch us online. The web cam will be up and when things are slow, we usually discuss various topics. www.franksrocks.com

just a quick update before heading to work...

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Adding 3 new menu items this weekend. Adding Frito Pie, Nachos, and Soup. This should helpboost sales a little. Still want to add a couple of other items, but will have to wait until we get the equipment.

The new hot dog names are going over very well. People seem to enjoy them and like to hear the back story on why there were named that way. Great way to start a conversation with someone and make them feel welcome.

Our webcam is up and running. I am now looking for an external video capture device so that I can use my miniDV camera instead. I really wanted something that gave a much wider shot and the built in webcam on my mac just doesn't cut it. If you know of a cheap one that is usb 2.0 or firewire, please shoot me an email.

Online ordering is also up and running. I hope this turns out to be something that people use. It is really handy for those who are busy and we will deliver it to you! The system we are using is map based, so only people in Downtown Bastrop can order for delivery. Everyone else can order for pickup.

Hours are changing again. Doesn't seem like we ever sell a hot dog before Noon, so we are changing the hours to Mon - Sat 12:00PM to 4:00PM. I think this will work better for us during the winter months. When Spring and Summer roll around, we might think about opening earlier and closing later.

Christmas Parade is this weekend. Come see us on Saturday!

And remember to check out our website! www.FranksRocks.com

Stupid Smarch Weather!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:27:00 +0000

No snow, no rain, no ice, no nothing. It is just cold for no reason. Should have been open today, but needed the day off to take care of some plumbing issues at the house and had to get the heater looked at. Better that I did it today instead of trying to get someone out on the weekend.

Hopefully we will have soup available next week. Going to try and get the equipment that we need and buy some soup or maybe make it ourselves. We do have some canned soup that I will start selling tomorrow (we canned it in glass jars). Still have to finish the labels and decide on a price.

Since we didn’t work today, I will reveal how the specialty dogs got their names. I had to do this sometime and this is just as good as any other time.

Sweet Home Chicago Dog – Named after the song “Sweet Home Chicago”. It was written by Robert Johnson and was featured in the movie “The Blues Brothers”. Plus, it is a Chicago Style Dog and the name was perfect!

Livin’on a Prayer Dog – This dog is kind of like a Coney Style dog with the chili and has plenty of cheese (but we use real chili and not hot dog sauce/coney sauce). So it is named after the Bon Jovi song because they are from the New York/New Jersey area (where the Coney Style is found) and their music is kinda cheesy. Not saying it is bad, because I listen to it and other 80’s metal bands, but it is a little cheesy.

Stevie Ray Dog – Named after one of the greatest guitarists in the history of music. I have been a fan since right before he died and felt that he would appreciate a really “Texas Style” dog. It not only is a chili cheese dog, but also a Frito Pie. What could be more Texas?

Hotel California Dog – This started out as a style of hot dog that is found in California. Made a couple of changes to it, since some of the other ingredients were not easy to carry on the cart. In finding a name, only one song came to mind. I only started listening to the Eagles about 15 years ago and really like this song. So that is how it got the name.

Kickstart My Heart Dog – This isn’t ready yet, but we are nearly ready to debut it! The name popped into my head after talking with my wife about hot dog names. It fits! With the double bacon slices, bacon bits, chili, cheese, and hot peppers…it is a heart attack waiting to happen! Plus, I really like Motley Crue and wanted to name a dog after one of their songs.

Rock-afire Explosion Dog – This is the one that people don’t understand. Rock-afire Explosion is an animatronic puppet band that used to play at Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E Cheese Pizza. I remember it as a kid and there is a huge following for those puppets. Since this dog is a “Pizza Dog” and Showbiz/CEC are/were pizza places, this name just kind of fit.

“Room for One More” Meatball Sandwich – The name is kind of misleading in a way. I don’t really think you can eat more than one. It is pretty big, even for me. The name is from an Anthrax song that I really like. The premise of the name comes from the fact that a certain sub sandwich company only puts 3 meatballs on a 6” bun and we put 4 meatballs on a 7” bun….so there is “Room for One More” meatball on our sandwich.

The King’s Favorite – This one is for those who are still young at heart (but it isn’t available just yet). It is basically a Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich on a 7” Plain Hot Dog Bun. Inspired by someone who changed the face of Rock and Roll. Things would have never progress as far without his influence. I think that Mr. Presley would really enjoy this treat!

Have another hot dogs that we are serving now. I don’t have a name for it yet and need help giving it a proper name. If you can name it, I will give you one for free and will put your name on our website!

Check out the website to see the ingredients of all the dogs and to help me name the newest dog…remember, it must be Rock and Roll related in some way! www.franksrocks.com

We are also now offering a combo meal. It is two hot dogs with any of the available condiments, a bag of chips, and a drink for $ 5.75. It is a really good deal and saves you about $ 1.75. It is only valid for the regular hot dogs and not the specialty dogs.

We are also offering a chips and drink for $ 1.50 with any hot dog purchase. This saves you around $ .50 and is a very good value.

Everyone have a great weekend and come see us if you get a chance. We would love to serve you one of our wonderfully delicious Vienna Beef hot dogs and Italian Meatball Sandwiches.

Remember to tell your friends about the blog and the website. Getting the word out will be the secret to our success.

Waiting on the weather

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:07:00 +0000

Not sure what the weather is going to do tomorrow. Will probably be closed, but you never know. Not really looking forward to getting up and freezing my butt off.

Working on doing some marketing for the business. Really need to continue getting the word out. Things are getting better, but they aren’t where they should be. New signs will be the first order of business and then printing menus for people to take with them.

Still need to rewire the Sandwich Prep Table that we were given. Not sure that it even works at this point. The power cable was ripped pretty bad, but I cut out all of the bad part and should be able to rewire it. If it does work, I am going to be so super happy! This will allow me to keep the condiments cool and store my pickle buckets.

Working on booking catering jobs for this coming up Spring. Doing it early so that we know what is coming up and will be better prepared. This also helps me determine my expansion plans.

Finally named all of the hot dogs. Check out www.franksrocks.com to see the names. Getting tons of questions about how the names came about. If we don’t open up tomorrow, I will post the names and how we came up with them. If we do open, then I will try to post this weekend.

Going to add new items to the menu, as soon as possible. Will need to buy some equipment to make it happen. Once we get the equipment, I will start offering more than just hot dogs.

Thinking of changing the name a little, if/when we expand the menu past just hot dogs. I will keep the current name for our cart business, but will use the new name for any deli style restaurant we have…which is what this is turning in to. Already decided on the new name… "Frank’s Rock and Roll Deli”. What do you think? I think it will work and is still pretty catchy.

Got a lighted sign from Vienna Beef. It is a subway style sign, like they have in subway/train stations. I hung it up in the front window and leave it on at night. It looks really cool and shines some light on the big cart and the Vienna Beef umbrella.

Nothing else really going on. Hope everyone has a great weekend and be careful if snows or sleets where you live!

Event went very well.....

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Festival of Trees went very well. We had lots of fun and it was not stressful at all. All of our equipment worked perfect and nothing really went wrong. I really enjoyed this event and plan on doing it every year.

Here was the final menu that we had last night:

Vegetarian Pumpkin Stew (variation of Three Sisters Stew)
Pork Sausage with Apple, Spinach, Bacon, and Feta Cheese
Hot Dog Sushi with Mustard, Onion, and Neon Green Pickle Relish

I think that all three had their fans, but the sushi probably got the best reactions of the night. Most people were receptive to it and wanted to try it because no one had ever seen something like that before. We did have one guy that argued with us. He says that sushi implies "raw fish" and he "ain't eatin raw fish!". Explained to him that it is only a hot dog and bun rolled up like sushi, and he still didn't want any part of it. His loss. Guess that some people just can't handle new things. This is probably not going to be a restaurant item. I am going to test the possibilities, but it is a lot of work and would have to be done when ordered. We will see.

The Pork Sausage was fantastic! My wife came up with the recipe and people raved over it. We did have a few people who turned their noses up at it, but quickly figured out that they are "beef eaters" and probably think their bacon and ham are made from cow. The ones that did try it, told their friends to come and try it. This isn't a cart/restaurant item we are carrying, but we will offer it for catering. Makes a great appetizer or entree.

The Vegetarian Pumpkin Stew was based on the Iroquois Indian recipe for Three Sisters Stew. The recipe only calls for squash, beans, and corn. We made it better by adding the chopped pumpkin, hominy, pureed pumpkin and spices. Those that tried it were amazed by its wonderful flavors and heartiness considering there is no meat in it at all. We are going to carry this in the restaurant and hopefully it will be this week or next.

Overall it was a success. We made new fans and wowed our existing fans. Will hopefully be able to get some catering jobs based on our food and the professionalism of my staff. I couldn't have done it without them and appreciate all that they did.

This week will be a slow one. Not sure we will see many people out until Saturday. We will be closed on Thursday and Friday. I would be open on Friday, but our downtown area is pretty much dead until late in the day. Since we now have several "big box" retailers in town, most people will be there or in Austin. Saturday should be better, but you never know.

Added new menu items for this week. Already taste tested them and they should do good. Will be adding a couple more items in the next few weeks and then will probably stop adding until after the winter time is over. I have tons of ideas for the spring and those should help boost the business.

Should have my crop of hot peppers ready in the next few days. Will be canning them in the restaurant kitchen, so that we can sell them. These are Tabasco peppers that have been growing for a couple of months now. They are slowly turning red and it is making them hotter and hotter each day. We had a few of them grow earlier in the year, but all this rain has made my plants really thrive. We will also offer them as a condiment for the hot dogs. These things are hotter than the sport peppers or jalapenos we carry now. Will post an update when they are ready.

Updated the website (www.franksrocks.com) with new info and changed the layout a little. Really want to have it all redesigned, but the cost of that is prohibitive at this time. Will have to see if I can remember my html and just do it myself.

Everyone have a great week and wonderful holiday! Please tell your friends about my blog and have them read it. Even if you can't experience the hot dogs for yourself, you can do the next best thing and read about them.

.

Prepping for this weekend event.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:33:00 +0000

Getting ready for the Festival of Trees. Found a great old Iroquois Indian recipe. It is completely vegetarian and tasted really good. My wife made a test batch and we all really liked it. Will probably try to sell it in our location, once we get a soup warmer.

My super chef (my wife) came up with another recipe that uses Bratwurst. It was REALLY good! Can't wait to unleash it on all those hungry people. This will definitely be something we offer for catering events. Not really something I can do from the cart, but you never know.

Have a third item we are making, but it is TOP SECRET! Only two of us know about it and we will be doing a test on it tomorrow. If it works, we will also offer it for catering. It is another item that could be done from the cart, but would have to see a demand for it first.

Added the 7" Meatball Sandwich to the menu this week. It took the place of the Bratwurst. I took those off the menu because we just didn't sell enough of them. Only had 1 request for it this week and only sold 2 on Saturday....and that is why we are trying the Meatball Sandwich. It is a great sandwich and people seem to really like it so far. It is quite a change from the hot dogs, but adds some variety to our menu.

Will be adding new specialty hot dogs this week and next. Most of them are ones we have tried ourselves and really like. Will be posting them on our website and in the restaurant. And we are always looking for new ideas. Send one to me and we will name it whatever you want...but only if we use it!

Worked out pretty much all of our bugs and we are doing pretty well now. Still need to find more advertising avenues to bring people in. I know that the cold weather is making us slow, but we hope it starts to pick up.

Will probably be serving indoors on Friday. They are forecasting rain and cold weather. This will be a first for us and hopefully will turn out ok.

Come see us and get a hot dog!

Grand Opening! (with picture goodness)

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:07:00 +0000

The Grand Opening went pretty well. We sold a lot of hot dogs and sodas. I stopped counting after a while because it was just too busy. We had very little time to refill everything before we sold it. Didn't think it would be that busy, but the car show usually brings tons of people in.

My wife went above and beyond today. She was running back and forth to get me change, refill the condiments, get hot dogs, take orders, make change, etc... She even put up with my freaking out and tantrums...yes I can be an ass from time to time, just didn't realize how busy it would be and next time will calm down first! Lesson learned today. One I won't forget and one she won't let me forget! Thank God she loves me! :)

Have to run to Austin tomorrow and buy everything. We pretty much ran out. I thought that we had more than we did, but counted the hot dogs wrong. Will start keeping a better inventory of what we have in the freezer.

Can't wait to take the day off tomorrow and rest some. We need it! So tired.

And for those that didn't get to come by today and see my "BIG" surprise, here it is.....

I went from this...

To This......

And Finally, This!

So what do you think?

Grand Opening is tomorrow @ 10:00 am

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Grand Opening is tomorrow starting at 10:00 am. Come see us for a Vienna Beef paper hat or a balloon!

No posts until after the Grand Opening. Have lots to say, but need to sleep since we are getting up early.

Come by to see my big surprise. Can't tell you what it is, but will post it here on Sunday...if you didn't get a chance to find out on Saturday.

First week went pretty well.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Week was pretty good (well, half week). Will continue to do better with each day that we are open. Making fans one at a time.

The new bun warmer works perfect! Best investment I've made so far. It works really good and frees up space to put other items on the cart. It also only takes about 4 minutes to fully steam the Vienna buns...and that is if they unit is set to 5 or 6. If I set it higher, it takes a lot less time. Plus, we ran it for 4 hours today and NEVER had to put more water in it. Going back to buy another one next week.

We bought a stainless steel table to put behind the cart and it helps with putting condiments on the dogs. We also have a little refrigerator that keeps the drinks cold...until one explodes and shoots (yes, shoots) several drinks at the back of my legs. Makes it worse that I was creating two Chicago Dogs at the time. Got it cleaned up, but now we have to make sure we stack them a little different. It was only a Diet Coke that exploded, so no big loss. And got the customer's dogs made without further incident!

Changing our Saturday hours. Going to be 12:00pm to 3:30pm. We figured out today that downtown doesn't start coming alive until around Noon and then dies off quick after 3pm. Did sell a bratwurst at 3:20pm, so that is why we are going till 3:30pm. This will change if there happens to be a special event downtown. And will be more like 11:00am to 4:00pm.

Kinda have a day off for Sunday, but we need to redo one of the shelving units. We bought longer poles so that we could add more shelves. Using the shorter poles for some baskets we bought. This will give us more space to keep dry and canned goods, sodas, chips, and various other items. Will use the baskets to store vegetables and other items.

Have to invest in another refrigerator for the kitchen...maybe a commercial one. The one we have now is too small. Everything fits in it, but we will need to have more space for new menu items. Will start looking after the Grand Opening.

Have to get a vinyl sticker for the electric cart. I have some paper signs up now, but it doesn't look right. Having trouble finding someone who can do the work. We used to have a sign place in town, but I don't think they are in business anymore. Want to try and do this within the next couple of weeks.

Getting ready for next Saturday. Trying to get everything together for the giveaways. Can't wait until there are a couple hundred kids walking around with Vienna Beef paper hats on their heads. That will be a beautiful site. Will try and get some stickers made so that our logo is on the hats also. That would be even better!

Finally put chili and bratwurst on the cart today. Chili was a big hit....but so was my California Dog. Want to know what is in it? Come buy one. Not posting my recipe here...sorry. The mystery is worth coming by and buying one from us. Trust me, they are VERY good.

Busy next couple of weeks. Will hopefully have time to post my progress. If not, I will make one HUGE post that will catch everyone up.

.

Opened up! And some rambling updates.....

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:44:00 +0000

We opened yesterday (it is 12:30am on Thursday) and it went fine. I think more and more people know we are here and that's great. Will hopefully sell more dogs in the next 3 days.

Planning the Grand Opening and the Festival of Trees event this weekend. Have to get a menu for the Festival and figure out what we are doing for the Grand Opening. Will spend some time on Saturday and Sunday figuring it all out.

The new electric cart is working much better than before. Figured out which way is high and which way is low on the knobs. The original knobs are long gone, so we didn't really have a clue. Ran the cart on Wednesday and it worked perfect! Still need to replace those switches and buy new knobs. That will happen eventually.

Bought an electric bun steamer on Wednesday. It was on sale. Will test it this week. This should free up the electric cart to add on the chili and bratwurst to the menu. It should steam our poppy seed buns really quick. Not steaming the plain buns because they don't really need it. Can also steam other items in it, but will probably just stick with the buns. Just need to figure out how to fit them all in.

Still tweaking my menu. Not going to carry the pork brats for very much longer. Once we sell out, I will probably switch to beef brats. Still trying to figure out which ones to use. Also, added two new canned sodas to the menu and now carrying the Jarritos soda. If the new ones don't sell, then we will try something else.

Testing a secret hot dog ingredient tomorrow. Can't say much about it yet. Hopefully it will work out fine. If not, then we will find an alternative. Will also be testing other secret ingredients in the next week or so. Will slowly ad these to the menu in hopes that it will bring us more business.

Have some other new items coming in the next few weeks. Will probably introduce them after Thanksgiving. I suspect it will be a big hit, will have to wait and see!

Come see us today! We open at 11:00am and will have some hot dogs ready for you. And tell your friends!

Halloweenie was a success!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:12:00 +0000

Halloween was pretty successful. Still need to work on some cart issues, but we sold quite a bit of product. Would have loved to do better, but there were 3 other people selling hot dogs. Made some fans and those people will be back to eat lunch with us.

Here are some pics of the event, my new cart, and myself:

So those are some action shots of last nights event. I'm very tired now and will try to rest some tomorrow. Still have to do some more setup in the dinning area, but should be able to get it done pretty soon. Still pushing to open on Monday.

Going to replace the controls for my electric cart. Can't really tell when it is on high and when it is on low. Just going to replace them and rewire the cart. I should be able to do it with little problem since I am getting pretty good at doing electrical work. Going to try and get some guitar or amp knobs for the controls.

Need to get another refrigerator. The buckets of pickles really take all of the room in the one we have now. Might look for a prep refrigerator like sandwich shops and pizza places have. That would allow me to store the big items and then put the daily condiments in the top part. Now we have to find one for a reasonable price.

Going to bed. It is 1:11am and Halloween is over....Tomorrow is another day to Rock!

.

Quick not before opening for the first time.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Just a quick update for you.....

Went to Seabrook on Tuesday and bought the electric cart. It works perfect! It doesn't really need anything done except for a vinyl wrap put on it for our business. Will be looking into that next week.

Will be going to Austin today or tomorrow morning to buy product. We still plan on opening at 5pm tomorrow for the Halloween celebration in Bastrop. Unless something goes horribly wrong, we are opening. After that, we will start doing lunch everyday from 11am to 2pm, until things get going...then we might expand the hours.

Having to finish cleaning up the building so that our indoor seating will be available. We should be able to knock that out by tomorrow and hopefully have people inside by Monday morning. Not planning on letting all the little "trick or treat-ers" in our building with all those antiques. Will pull a couple tables outside and let them make a mess out there.

Looked at Thursday's paper for Bastrop and we are listed in a write up about the Festival of Trees event on November 21st. We are getting more and more excited about this event. I may end up changing the menu a little because of a chili recipe that we found. Not going to talk about it here, you will have to come see us at the event or in the restaurant after the 21st. It will be a limited time thing, but I feel like it could be a big hit!

Need to get some signs made for the building. Will have to start working on that soon. I am hoping on renaming the building "1852 Union Hall" since that is what it original was...a union hall (saloon). I want to get signs with that name and then the names of the other businesses that are inside. I think it would look nice and would honor the history of the building.

Not much else going on right now. Just getting excited about opening. Been a long time coming. Hope to see some of you on Saturday, and if not, then on November 14th for our Grand Opening.

.

First event was a success.....but not at first.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:41:00 +0000

So very tired. Got up around 1:30pm today and still dragging around the house. Feel like I had the hardest workout of my life. Guess I now know how hard it is to cater an event!

Recap of German Texan Heritage Society Oktoberfest Event

Friday night - Got home around 3am, after cleaning everything up. The propane tanks were filthy and we need to exchange one. Not sure that we need 3, but not sure how much gas this cart can burn. Had to setup and hookup the cart and my wife chopped onions. That smell was giving me a headache. Packed everything in the truck and took it home. Will only have to get up and go in the morning.

Saturday morning - Left home around 10:30am and got to Restaurant Depot around 11:15am. Bought the items we still needed, but couldn't find a lid for the 1/3 size pan.

Left there and headed to Sams. We bought all the remaining hot dog buns and then purchased some of their deli buns. Can't wait to try those deli buns out! They didn't have pan lids either.

Went to Mission Restaurant Supply next. Found the 1/3 size pan lid that we needed. Got a free rubber spatula. Score!

Left the parking lot to head back to Walgreens. Left the parking lot a little fast and lost the cart. It was still attached by chains, but the front wheel hit and caused it to come un-hitched. Pulled into the middle turn lane and fixed it. I was scared that we tore it up and wouldn't have a way to attach it again....but the hitch worked like it was supposed to.

Went to Walgreens and exchanged the propane tank for a full one. We now have 3 full tanks. Off we go.

Saturday Afternoon - Arrived at the German Free House around 1:30pm. Parked the cart in our spot and started to setup everything. Had to clean the cart because it had some dust and water spots. Arranged everything in the order we needed it. The wife said to let people put on their own mustard and ketchup. Boy, that will be a lifesaver!

Started the cart around 2:30pm. We have to start serving at 3:00pm. The wind keeps knocking the flame down. Can't get the water to heat up and now I am freaking out! Problem is that I insisted on buying 4" deep pans and we really needed 6" deep. Considering going and buying new pans real quick. Will try boiling some dogs on the stove in the house.

Here we are at 3:15pm and still aren't ready. A few people have started coming by and seem a little upset that it is taking so long. I am trying to get the dogs to boil on the stove. Came back to the cart around 3:20pm and everything is working and nearly everything is done. Started serving around 3:25pm, but was already running out of bratwurst.

Setup the electric steamer to make more brats. Not sure how long this takes, because we never used it before. We seem to have enough for now, but worried that we will not have enough after the next rush.

Got the hot dogs off the stove and put on some brats. We are doing ok because there haven't been 100s of people in line. The electric steamer doesn't seem to be getting hot at all. This is not going good.

Finally have enough of everything. Checked my phone and it hasn't even been 2 hours yet. Man, this is going to drag on.

Started to run out of brats again. Checked the electric steamer and those are very close to being done. Part of the issue is that we used very cold beer to cook them in, when room temp beer would have been better. Have to tell people to wait about 5 minutes for them to finish.

Served a huge line of people and it seems that we are caught up! Putting more brats on the stove so we have enough to stay caught up.

Saturday Evening - Things are going great. Everyone loves these fresh bratwurst and they can't get enough of the sauerkraut. Everyone with the German Texan Heritage Society has been great. They come by and check on us and let us know how much everyone loves the food. Makes me proud that my team and I could rally back and do a great job!

Everything is starting to slow down. Bands are still playing and some people are still eating. Asked the band to come down once they are done. The band played at my brother in laws rehearsal dinner. Sorry guys, I can't remember the band name. Hoping to see you on November 14th!

Got everything cleaned and packed up. Was told by several members of the GTHS that we will be invited to do other events. We really enjoyed working with them and would love to do more events.

Pulled out around 10:15pm and headed to my brother in laws to see my wife's family. They had come by to watch us work, earlier in the day. Didn't get very much time to talk, since it was pretty busy.

Got interviewed for an Austin Podcast. Don't remember the name of the podcast, but will find it and post a link here. Was also filmed serving up brats and hot dogs, but not sure what the footage was for. Will have to find that out also.

So that is a nutshell of what happened. I know now that we need to buy the right pans (yes dear, you were right about the pans) and that we need to start cooking much earlier. I am also going to replace the burners on the cart and clean the knob assembly. One of the burners worked perfect, but the other two were acting funny. We only ended up using one propane tank and only used less than a quarter of it. Guess that cart is pretty efficient!

* If I left anything out from last night it is only because I am so tired today. The recap is pretty much the stuff that stands out in my mind and doesn't reflect the whole night.

Need to work on figuring out our counts today and sending that info to the GTHS. Will settle up with them this week. Need that cash to get setup and going for Halloween.

If we get the electric cart this week, then we should be a go for opening on Halloween. I am so tired now that Saturday seems like a million years away. Will be ready for this and will pre-test this new cart before using it. Don't want to be behind on my first day.

Did I mention the fact that I am tired? Also, my back starting locking up yesterday and I could hardly bend over or sit down. My lower back always does that when I am stressed. Will need to visit Dr. Taylor tomorrow!

Not doing anything today. Will probably only leave the house to get a Dr. Pepper. Will need to starting working out so that I don't feel like my next birthday will be the 75th one. Will need to wash my hands again before leaving the house...they smell like onions.

I did find a "steam-able poppy seed free" bun that we will probably carry on the cart. Will need to see if Restaurant Depot can get them in a 6" size. We bought the 7" ones yesterday, but they are really big. We didn't end up steaming them and they were still really good. They were soft, but had a little harder outside and softer inside. They would be perfect for those people who do not want the poppy seed buns. Only used those once we went thru the 240 buns we had bought. Thank goodness we remembered that the Sams deli sells buns.

So this week will involve finishing up my issues with the city, buying that electric cart, getting product to sell, and running some tests. If everything can get done, then I will see some of you on Halloween. We are still undecided if we will open for lunch that day or just during the Halloween event. Will let everyone know by Tuesday or Wednesday. Check my website to see for sure! www.franksrocks.com

After Halloween, we will be on our normal schedule of 11am to 2pm Monday - Friday and 11am to 3 pm on Saturday...except during special event days. Our Grand Opening will be on November 14th from 11 am to 5 pm. Will have some giveaways that day, so make sure you come by!

.

We are healthy.....or at least the permit says so!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:02:00 +0000

Health permit is official. Finally got it today (Thursday). Worked until 2:30am Thursday morning in order to get it. Was able to get everything done right before the inspector came by at 3pm. That's the biggest obstacle and it is now out of the way.

Found out that we don't own all of our sidewalk in front of the building. What does that mean? We have to find another cart that doesn't go past our 42" from in front of the building. Not getting rid of the one we have, but will need to get a smaller one to use. The length isn't an issue, but the width. I found one that is outside of Houston, but will need to get some money to actually buy it. I am hoping that the owner will hold it for me until Tuesday.

If we can get the other cart and our occupancy permit, then the Halloween opening will go as planned. If not, then we will work on another option and will still probably open on Halloween. Looking forward to finally getting this company launched. We still have tons to do and more stuff to buy, but we can get our daily operation running.

Found out that our local Restaurant Depot is now carrying everything I need for the business. They carry pretty much all of the Vienna Beef hot dogs and accessories. Had a great conversation with the store manager and he is going to look into getting the soups, chili, and other types of dogs from Vienna. If they can do that, I will be set. I will have to drive into Austin and pick it up, but I will save tons of money and not have a minimum that I am forced into purchasing. Yea for Restaurant Depot!

First event is Saturday. Pretty much have everything purchased and will only need to haul it to the site. Still a little nervous, but that will pass once we get going. Hoping to sell out of everything, but will be fine with making some money. It should be lots of fun also.

Got our uniforms tonight. I am wearing a red Chef Jacket and black pants and my staff is wearing red shirts and black pants. I like the color scheme because it is not only very professional, but also fits our "Rock and Roll" side. Won't be wearing the uniform in the restaurant, but only for special events and catering. Will have a little more relaxed dress code for the restaurant.

In all of this work we have put in, I am lucky enough to have learned tons of new things. I can now run plastic (pvc) plumbing, run electrical wires and hook up outlets (with my buddy's help - Thanks Joey!), and build shelves by hand....not put them together, actually cut the wood and screw it all together. And I can also hook up a tankless hot water heater. Not the one I originally bought (it leaked) but the one that my buddies at Lowes sold to me.

I am very proud of not only the work I have done, but the work that my wife and niece have put in. Without them, we would still be wondering when the business was going to open. They really pulled it together today and helped me get everything done with only minutes to spare. Not sure what I would have done if they had not helped me.

*Just a little info for those who are wondering:

We started this concept back in March of this year. Not in May or June, those were just some milestones, but actually all the way back in March. I was recently unemployed at that time and needed to find something to do. I had not thought of this at first, but my brother in law giving me that Chili/Cheese machine really set my mind at work. My wife wasn't sure at first, but told me to do research and make sure this is what I wanted to do.

I spent uncounted hours doing research before we started this business. I not only gained tons of knowledge from the internet, but from also going to Hot Dog University.....that is where I knew for sure that I really wanted to do this. Mark taught me a lot more than he knows...considering that I showed up knowing more than I should have. I know more about hot dogs than most people would ever know...except my friends at Vienna Beef, they know everything!

Why has it taken so long? Some of it stems from my endless hours of research, some of it from working on the kitchen, and some of it was just physically and mentally giving up the idea of this ever working. There were several times that I really wanted to stop and not go on. I just didn't think we would ever get this done. There were a lot of things that had to be done first and the task made the final outcome seem unimportant.

I finally had to receive a push to get my head back in the game. I had grown to love the idea of this business, but hated the path I had to take in order to get there. I was not only pushing myself, but also had my wife pushing me. Those that know her can attest to how motivating she can be. She stayed on me until I got my mind straight and pushed harder than I ever had. Needless to say, I love her very much for what she has done for me and the business. Plus, she came up with a really great idea that I think we are going to do. Needless to say, it will take our business beyond just the hot dogs.

So why the change in my mindset? I remembered why I wanted to do this in the first place. I really love this business and am willing to do whatever it takes to make it succeed. Am I very optimistic about this working for us? You better believe I am! We have the right ideas and concepts to take this business very far. We already have preliminary plans to expand next year and ideas that will make us very successful. I think that 2009 has been pretty productive, but 2010 will be the first year that we really shine.

And thanks to all the other who have supported us during all of this. I really appreciate your word of encouragement and patience while we were getting setup. Please continue to read the blog and we hope to see some of you real soon!

Color me surprised!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:20:00 +0000

Not happy.

Things did not go as planned. Having to make some changes and was "informed" of challenges that we had no idea about. Should still be able to get the permit on Tuesday or Wednesday. Just need it to do this catering job. Will still have to fight with the city over getting an occupancy permit. I'm ready for that fight!

Very tired right now since we all stayed up until about noon today. Took a small nap and now I need to crash until the morning.

No matter how hard this becomes, we are opening the business. I have come too far for these little issues to stop me.

I will post a better update once I have had some sleep.

Guess who is opening........

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Roberts) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Exciting update!

Called the county and setup my appointment........Health Inspection is this Friday morning. Should pass with flying colors. I have some plumbing to do and have to fix the wall and paint....all that will be done tomorrow (Thursday). Will have to get my insurance this week and finish getting my pans for the cart. Shouldn't need much else to be able to operate the business.

If everything goes well on Friday, we will be opening on Halloween. That's right, Saturday, October 31st. Will probably run a small lunch (11am to 1pm) and then reopen at 5pm and go until around 8 or so. Will hopefully be really busy and forget about all the work. Looks like that will be a very Happy Halloweenie!

Catering job on October 24th is still a go. Need to purchase all the product next week. Shouldn't have to prep anything but filling mustard and ketchup squeeze bottles. That will be a true test of what I am made of....serving hot dogs and brats for 6 -7 hours.

Next up is the Grand Opening. Looks like that will be on November 14th, which is the Veteran's Day celebration weekend. That should bring tons of people downtown. Hopefully we don't have 20 hot dog vendors show up. Won't really matter in the long run because I will be here everyday and they are only here for special events. I think people will remember that.

After the Grand Opening, we have the Festival of Trees event on November 21st. Should be a good time. Getting excited about this one because of what we are serving....won't be hot dogs!

Once that is done, we are going to try and relax a little and make plans for 2010. That is already shaping up to be a great year for the business....already have another event lined up.....will post more once it is 100% official.

Sent a proposal to the City of Austin for a really great site for a cart. Will hopefully hear a "Yes" sometime this coming week. I really want this spot and think that it could not only benefit thousands of people, but also help us build the business into something spectacular!

If it does happen, we won't start until after the first of the year. Not going to run that cart myself, will have to hire people to run it for me. If it doesn't happen, then we start contacting city council people and the mayor to get them on our side. I will also get as many people as possible to sign a petition to allow the cart in this most sacred of spots. This spot has never been occupied by any food vendor or anyone else for that matter. It pretty much is the most perfect spot in Austin. Stay tuned for this one.

Very tired from all the work on the building. I feel that all this work will pay off in the long run.....it better pay off!