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If you have previously browsed the DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts website, you may have noticed that many of our hot dogs vending carts are now also available as NSF certified models. The availability of these models is getting especially important these days because there are so many more locations where the state, county or city health department regulations are now requiring a genuine NSF Certified vending cart. It’s becoming quite common these days for us to hear about new states or city municipalities that are updating their regulations to require this special Certification of Quality Achievement. At this point, you may be wondering what exactly is NSF Certification, and what does it mean in relation to a hot dog cart or other mobile food vending cart. Well, to answer that question I would like to discuss this in much more detail for you, and hopefully answer many of your questions. If you still have questions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this article, or for immediate assistance, call us now at:  1-800-408-1802.

NSF International is a privately owned company that was founded in 1944 and is tasked with writing public sanitation standards and creating scientific laboratory testing methods for these specific sanitation standards. “NSF international” is now a very large global company that serves the entire world, but was originally a company that served the United States. NSF International was previously known as the “National Sanitation Foundation”, thus the timeless and lasting moniker “NSF” is still used as the corporation’s primary brand today.

The specific NSF Standard that applies to hot dog carts and more generally speaking, mobile food vending carts is “Standard 59, Mobile Food Carts”. Obtaining the coveted NSF Certified status for five of our most popular models was certainly an involved process that took a tremendous amount of time and engineering to complete. And, although we knew it would be a large and involved undertaking, we can plainly see what the future holds in terms of what the states and health departments are now requiring. The writing was on the wall. More and more health departments and city municipalities do not want cheaply constructed or poorly designed vending carts on their streets and venues serving the public with the potential of food safety issues. DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts is 100% committed to building the very best and safest hot dog carts and mobile vending equipment available anywhere! In addition, we feel it imperative that our quality carts be available to anyone, anywhere! Our NSF Certified Hot Dog Cart models are available right now! Call us today to discuss your particular location or particular needs. Let us answer all your questions: 800.408.1802. We are here to assist you in any way that we can!

Two items titled “rethermalization” and “hot food holding” which are extremely important in the NSF “Standard 59″ have to do with the actual cooking equipment. These two items address food heating and prolonged hot food holding temperatures. “Rethermalization” is a set of testing standards which dictate that a specific piece of cooking equipment’s design, technology and components are capable of bringing food items up the proper mandated temperatures within a specific duration of time. “Hot Food Holding” is another set of testing standards which specifies that a piece of food service equipment can achieve and maintain over long-duration the proper temperatures under less than ideal circumstances (for example, outdoors during freezing temperatures). Proper minimum cooking temperatures are critical and are required to keep food safe for public consumption. NSF International’s laboratory testing is conducted under very strict environmentally controlled conditions that replicate some of the world’s worst outdoor climates, both hot and cold. Extremely hot climates are detrimental to proper refrigeration requirements.

In early 2011, after already completing the entire manufacturing facility audit with NSF inspectors, DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts completed the final phase of rigorous laboratory testing for 5 of our most popular models of hot dog carts at the NSF International testing laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The results, according to our NSF project manager were “unprecedented”. Our carts passed the grueling laboratory certification phase of the testing on the very first attempt. We have been told that this has never been done before with a hot dog cart, or for that matter most any “rethermalization equipment”. NSF International has awarded their prestigious NSF 59 Certification to DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts for all 5 of the models submitted.

As you should know, food must be cooked to specific minimum temperatures to make sure that any bacteria, microorganism or other potential food-borne pathogens are properly killed and sterilized before human consumption. The strict scientific testing that has been conducted on five of our hot dog carts at the NSF International Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan specifically certifies that DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts manufactures food vending carts that are capable of proper rethermalization and “hot holding” of potentially hazardous foods at the proper safe temperatures required by all health departments across the United States and the world over.

Another of the major concerns that is addressed in the NSF Standard for mobile food carts is, of course, cleaning and sanitization. When you’re cooking food in a kitchen, occasionally you might drip or spill food ingredients onto your counter or your stove top. Obviously, in the kitchen it is also very easy to quickly use a sponge and just wipe things up. Your counter top and your appliances were designed to be very easy to clean. This topic is certainly among the messages that your health department is concerned with… How easily can the exterior, interior, ice bin, storage compartments and other areas of your mobile food cart be properly cleaned? Further, how easy is it to get it 100% perfectly clean, every single time? The answer is… Quite easily with an NSF certified cart. Here is why. The NSF Standard mandates criteria for a food vending cart that include specifications which denote very specific tolerances, techniques and materials that can utilized for filling all cracks and crevices. It is in these potential crevices that food can get stuck and cannot be properly cleaned and sanitized. Small bits of old spilled food buildup that cannot be readily cleaned will deteriorate and rot. In a very short time mold and bacteria can form. And that is certainly an issue that health departments are concerned about. DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts uses a special food grade silicone material to fill and seal all of the cracks and crevices that are in “food splash zones”, where food drippings and crumbs could potentially get trapped. We eliminate this completely and create a professional hot dog vending cart that can be easily and properly sanitized to help ensure public safety and help eliminate the potential for creating food-borne illness.

On the subject of cleaning and sanitizing, another very important rule of NSF certification is that all door or hatch hinges be capable of being completely disassembled for proper and thorough cleaning and sanitization. As you may know, a standard piano style, continuous hinge cannot be disassembled. This means that if food items such as grease, ketchup, sauce, pickle relish or some other semi-liquid type food item were to be spilled onto a piano type hinge, it would be extremely difficult to properly clean. Within a very short time, bacteria could begin to grow inside the hinge where it would be nearly impossible to properly sanitize. As previously mentioned, this is just another one of the areas that the health department is concerned about when they talk about requiring NSF certification. It mandates a cart must be specially designed, manufactured and tested to be able to be more easily and properly sanitized during and after use. Also, it has been designed to eliminate problem areas where food particles can be trapped and could promote bacterial growth. It is for this reason that all standard type “piano hinges” are specifically forbidden by the NSF rules. DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts utilizes a very specialized (and somewhat expensive) solid stainless steel hinge that is extremely durable and can be completely disassembled. These special NSF approved hinges are used on every single door on the certified hot dog cart models. They are extremely easy to disassemble. Simply remove one small retainer screw and lift off your doors and cleaning is now a breeze. A quick and easy spray and wipe and you are all done. This one item alone will really make your health inspector smile… And making your health inspector smile is golden!

DreamMaker takes great care to make sure that our NSF International certified hot dog cart models are properly inspected, labeled and identified to the strict NSF specifications.  Our NSF certified vending carts will come complete with the proper documentation, identification and specification “data plate” and, of course, the special tamper resistant seal properly affixed to the cart (the blue NSF circle logo with ID number). Be sure to address these items with any manufacturers and discuss these important features that are required for a “genuine” and complete NSF certification.

The special features that I detailed above are just a few of the important reasons that make a DreamMaker NSF Certified Hot Dog Cart really special, and a truly amazing piece of equipment. It is a very small investment for all of the fantastic additions that are incorporated into these models. Also, the NSF Cart will hold its value and consumer demand considerably longer. Our vast experience has shown us that an NSF Certified vending cart can be licensed and approved for use, nearly anywhere. We have been told repeatedly that our vending carts are highly praised by health inspectors everywhere.

In my next installment discussing “NSF Certified Hot Dog Carts”, I will address even more of the specific details and features that make the NSF Certified models by DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts so desirable and more valuable. If you can afford the slight price difference, I would highly recommend going with an NSF model. They have many great advantages that will reap benefits long into the future. Go NSF and “future proof” your hot dog cart investment!

If you have any questions at all, we would be glad to answer them for you. Leave a comment below, or call us today 1-800-408-1802.

 You can find more information regarding NSF International and Hot Dog Carts on our website.

The Ventura Hot Dog Cart

The Ventura Hot Dog Cart is one of DreamMaker Hot Dog Cart’s® most popular models. The Ventura, along with its little sister, The Malibu, were the first two carts of the many great models that DreamMaker manufactures today. They were both designed to be similar to the original, traditional “New York Style” street vendor hot dog cart. This original “stand-behind” street vending “hot dog push cart” design all started way back in the early 1900s. We took that original design and had DreamMaker’s talented engineering team augment it with an amazing treatment of modern technology. The Ventura has many great features that are extremely well designed. This model has evolved over the years into what you might say is the perfect hot dog cart! We continue advancing our vending cart technology to build even better food vending carts and concession trailers.

With its six large, deep steam pans, The Ventura has terrific capacity to serve hot dogs, sausages, brats and lots of other great street food items. There is even plenty of room for hot condiment items such as sauerkraut, chili or cheese (always check with your health department for local rules). The Ventura Hot Dog Cart is powered with LP Gas (liquid propane fuel) that is inexpensive and burns quite efficiently. The hot dog cart is designed to utilize the most common, standard style 20 pound propane tank. The tank is readily available for purchase. This is the exact same tank that most backyard propane barbecue grills use. You can either get your propane tank “refilled” at special locations that sell propane fuel, or you can simply trade your empty tank in for an already refilled tank. This program of exchanging tanks is very common and is available at most home improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. I believe that this method is more popular because it is faster, more convenient, and the cost is very reasonable. The actual propane tank is not included with the hot dog cart purchase, as freight regulations prevent shipment of flammable gas tanks. They can be purchased at most home improvement locations. If you will be picking up your hot dog vending cart at our showroom located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida, we sell them as well.

Speaking of propane tanks, the standard Ventura model holds one standard tank, but it can be optionally outfitted with Double Tank Mounting Baskets if you would like to have greater capacity readily available on-board. And, you will not have to exchange your tanks as often. In addition, you can have an optional “auto-change-over” propane regulator system installed. This special regulator system can automatically switch over to the second reserve propane tank when the first is empty.  You’ll never skip a beat or lose sales while having to shut down just to change a tank. After the regulator automatically switches tanks, it will indicate to you that the first tank is empty. This allows you to exchange the empty tank at a much more convenient time. The tremendous value with this dual tank automatic system is that you will not be interrupted during your prime selling hours to change a propane tank when it runs out of fuel. It’s a really great option for those busy locations and special events. When you are busy, time is money!

The Ventura has a very large “bread box” dry storage compartment that places all of your buns and chips within close and convenient reach to help maintain a very efficient workflow. The back wall of the upper storage compartment can optionally be fitted with a clear Lexan window if you would like to utilize these shelves as a display case. This can be a very nice option if you would like to have buns, chips, candy or other hard goods on display there. The back of the breadbox can also be fitted with smooth steel Powder Coated Bread Box Back if you would like to be able to have magnets stick there (magnets do not stick to stainless steel or aluminum). Refrigerator magnets always sell very well in touristy type locations and they are quite inexpensive. They are a nice upsell add-on item. The smooth flat steel is protected with special process called “powder coat” that is exceptionally durable, more so than regular “paint”. The smooth panel is powder coated in the color of your choice. This option is also popular because you can have inexpensive vinyl lettering applied to it easily. Some owners like to have their company name or logo placed there on the front of their cart. It always looks great with the nice rich color.

There is even more storage in another large compartment on the rear of the cart that can hold dry goods, extra condiments, soda, water and so on. All of the storage compartment access doors on the body of our hot dog vending carts utilize very high quality, “solid stainless steel” door hinges and latches. Our latches are lockable for security as well. This first class hardware is very important on a professional mobile food vending cart. These doors, hinges and latches are periodically exposed to the elements and are in use continually. If the hardware quality is not “extremely high”, these hinges and latches will corrode, rust, wear out and break. The cart would not be functional for very long. To get the quality that is required, we literally use some of the most expensive hinges and latches available. Some of our competitors utilize only standard steel (think rust) or zinc plated latches that only mildly resist corrosion. One hot dog cart manufacturer even uses household window sash latches that are intended for interior use! We want you to be aware that the hardware on a mobile food cart is an important concern. If you are shopping around, ask a lot of very specific questions… You will be glad that you did!

The Ventura Hot Dog Cart has a very large integrated internal “ice bin” cooler that can hold an impressive supply of food product to keep you selling and serving all day! The high-tech insulation materials that are used in the manufacturing of our coolers and the thick insulated hatch door will keep your product ice-cold. Our ice bin coolers are all plumbed with a bottom drain valve that permits draining off the melted ice water as needed. The exterior drain connection is complete with a hose fitting so that it can be attached to a standard garden hose and drained away from the cart or into a bucket or jug if required. This can be particularly helpful if you are working a special event or festival where draining water onto the pavement, sidewalk or ground would not be permitted or may not be safe.

The Ventura vending cart comes standard with undeniably the best “water system” in the industry. The water system that I am referring to is for the hand washing sink that is required by all health departments that license hot dog carts. Sometimes you will need more than one sink depending upon your state or local health department’s rules. If you are to be serving food to the public, you must be able to wash and sanitize your hands regularly. In order to wash your hands properly (and quickly) you will need a faucet that can deliver water with plenty of flow with real pressure, just like in your home. A slow drizzle with no pressure will not do a good job and you certainly will not be able to do it quickly. Some of our competitors use small inexpensive pumps that are not designed for a faucet type application. They are not designed to handle the back-pressure when the faucet is turned on and off and they end up in trouble. We utilize a special style ShurFlo® brand water pump that addresses the issue of “back-pressure” with an integrated by-pass valve and back-flow prevention that keeps the pump in good working order. Those simple little “aquarium” pumps that some other manufacturers use are not designed to deliver water for a hand faucet. Some manufacturers use no pump at all. They use “gravity” to drain water from a little water tank up inside the bread box area that basically drizzles slowly downhill to the faucet. There is no pressure at all since it is just draining from a tank about 6 inches above the sink. Since the tank has to be higher than the faucet (Newton’s Law of gravity), it consumes most of the storage space needed for buns, chips and condiments.

DreamMaker has researched and designed a powerful water system that solves all of these problems in a big way. We set out to do it right, and we have done exactly that. At the heart of our water system is a special high quality ShurFlo® brand water pump that is powered by a rechargeable 12 volt battery. This is not any ordinary water pump either. It is designed for commercial food service use. It has NSF certification and it is UL Listed. The water pump itself is protected with a separate resettable circuit breaker. This special pump is an “on-demand” pressure sensing style pump. What this means is that you do not need to turn on a switch every time you need to use the faucet. You simply turn on the water faucet knob (as in a house) and the water flows with pressure automatically. The water pump turns itself on and off automatically when you use the faucet. This saves you time and makes hand washing quick and easy!

Rounding out our awesome water system is high pressure, reinforced Goodyear® brand water hoses that are designed for food service (yes, NSF certified again). We use genuine polypropylene water tanks that are also approved for food service (5 gallons for the fresh “potable” water and 7.5 gallons for the waste “grey” water). Hot water is provided by an internal passive heating system that is powered by the propane burner. It has a capacity of approximately ½ gallon of reserve hot water in the heating reservoir. Finally, the water exits through a beautiful chrome ProFlo® brand mixing faucet that was chosen because of its reputation for quality and reliability. When we set out to design our water system, we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve which was, perfect water flow, water pressure and reliability. Mission accomplished!

The body and chassis of the Ventura Hot Dog Cart is extremely durable and solid. Let me tell you a little more about this important aspect of our food vending carts. First off and very importantly, our vending cart body sits atop a custom-built steel box tube chassis which is then precision welded together. We do not utilize the red Chinese “bolt together” angle iron frames that are quite common in the hot dog cart industry. They certainly are cheap, but they’re never square and they are held together with dozens of nuts and bolts that require constant maintenance. The heavy gauge steel box tubing material for our chassis frames are cut and precision mig welded on our high-tech, custom-built frame jigs by DreamMaker’s talented craftsmen! The frame jig is a special custom-built piece of equipment that permits the precise alignment of all of the components that comprise the entire chassis frame while it is being welded together. It is very important for a trailer chassis, such as under a hot dog cart, to be properly designed, properly welded, perfectly square and properly assembled to ensure that your cart will always tow very easily and perfectly straight. I know from experience how hard it is to tow a trailer that simply will not track correctly. It takes far too much concentration and more importantly, it can be dangerous. After construction, each of our frames is individually hand checked for quality welds, proper bracket alignment, and trueness (properly square). Finally, the frame gets coated with a heavy-duty corrosion and rust inhibitor. Once the frame is treated it moves on to final chassis assembly. The frame is mated to the other high quality chassis components such as the leaf springs, axles, hubs and tires, towing connector, tail lights and electrical system. In many respects this precision process is exactly how high-performance race car chassis are designed and constructed. And just like with a race car, our chassis are designed to perform perfectly, be incredibly solid, be perfectly square and hold up under the most demanding environments for many, many years. I suppose that it might not be a coincidence that our shop foreman actually does design and build race cars! Starting with a high quality frame and chassis is obviously an extremely important part of building our popular Ventura Hot Dog Cart.

The body of The Ventura Hot Dog Cart is designed with function and durability in mind. It is primarily manufactured with two different types of high quality sheet-metal and quality stainless steel rivets. All of the surface areas, the breadbox storage compartment and the corner trim moldings, are manufactured with genuine 18 gauge, #304 food grade stainless steel. Real, genuine 18 gauge stainless steel is a very thick, heavy gauge metal. We use this heavy gauge material because it is extremely durable and holds up over time. It creates a countertop and shelves that are solid and sturdy. While some hot dog cart manufacturers have given in to the temptation of saving money on inferior, much thinner materials, such as 20 or 22 gauge metal. DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts will not sacrifice quality for profits! Remember, when it comes to the thickness of sheet-metal, the smaller the number the thicker the material. The term “18 Gauge” has become a common “buzz word” of sorts in the food vending cart industry, but we want you to be assured that we will never sacrifice our product quality or reputation to save money on inferior quality sheet-metal. Quality in, quality out! As a side note, being one of the largest manufacturers of hot dog and food vending carts, we purchase hundreds of thousands of pounds of stainless steel sheet-metal from our vendors every year. This massive “buying power” allows us to purchase the best, top quality, genuine “18 gauge” metal for a lower cost than our smaller competitors pay for thinner, lesser quality.

The side body panels on the Ventura Hot Dog Cart are precision “punched” from heavy gauge polished diamond plate aluminum sheet-metal. As you may know, and surely you’ve seen plenty of it out on the roadways, some of the most rugged professional and industrial parts on vehicles and trailers are manufactured from textured “diamond plate” material. You quite often see it on custom truck bumpers, pickup truck boxes and many other places where durability is extremely important. It has a beautiful texture that sparkles in the sunlight and attracts attention from passersby. I can promise you, that is a VERY important feature. You want to be seen and noticed by as many people as possible! The business is foot traffic… Lots of foot traffic and visibility! You definitely don’t want to blend into the landscape! And, because of its rugged exterior texture, it resists almost all bumps and scratches. With simple care and maintenance, your cart will continue to gleam in the sunlight and draw compliments. It is truly a professional quality material that is perfect for the durability that a mobile vending hot dog cart requires.

As another body panel option, if you like the “beautifully colored” powder coated concept that we discussed previously on the bread box back, we can apply that color treatment to your entire Ventura hot dog cart with our Powder Coated Color Body Upgrade. As I have seen many, in nearly every possible color, I can attest to the fact that it creates a truly amazing hot dog cart experience. This is an especially good option if you are considering a “branded”, multiple cart operation. The branding possibilities are endless with simple vinyl graphics from a small sign shop. Add a color coordinated custom printed umbrella and you will have created a complete branded operation that nobody will soon forget! Add some good quality hot dogs, nice soft buns, some fresh condiments and you will have everything that you need to create a steady flow of repeat customers with your beautifully branded, colorful Ventura Hot Dog Cart. DreamMaker can customize the Ventura of your dreams today!

The Ventura Hot Dog Cart is a fantastic piece of professional vending equipment that can really get the job done. Call us today to discuss how we can help make YOUR dream come true! 1-800-408-1802

We at DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts pride ourselves on building the highest quality equipment in the food vending cart industry. And, we can assure you that it is not because of luck. We work very hard to be sure that every hot dog cart and piece of equipment that we manufacture is of very high quality, constructed properly for safe operation and will last for many years of professional service. DreamMaker’s designers, engineers and skilled craftsmen are experts at creating amazing mobile hot dog carts, food vending carts and mobile concession trailers.

Our units are built extremely sturdy and for good reason! They’re engineered to be used on a daily basis with dependability you can count on. From components like: the thicker gauges of stainless steel we incorporate, custom welded frames, optional tankless hot water systems and optional refrigeration systems. The quality continues on, in to even the smaller, less obvious parts we have carefully selected to complete each and every model. Even right down to the high-end ShurFlo brand water pumps we use!

From a manufacturing standpoint, we research extensively and only incorporate the very finest parts in to our many vending cart designs. I’m honored to be a part of an organization who genuinely understands the importance of high quality components. Starting with only top quality ingredients is the very first step in what continues on to become highly functional, extremely dependable, professional products.

Quality control is another aspect that one must consider, and is absolutely ‘key’ in our assembly process. We realize our units must be properly designed and assembled in a well thought out design format, that just makes sense. DreamMaker strives for exactly that excellence. We regularly employ routine testing and inspections of our equipment to insure the quality of each unit before shipping. We thoroughly check each and every independent system within the unit until we’re completely confident that when you’re DreamMaker hot dog cart arrives, you’ll be ready for business!

High on the list of things to consider is undeniably the service we provide. The DreamMaker organization simply speaks for itself. DreamMaker is unquestionably the finest team I’ve personally ever been a part of. I’m quite proud of that fact. I can assure you that every member of our team is here to aid in your success. Our service continues long after your initial purchase. Our well-rounded team includes knowledgeable experts in each of their respective fields and is always available to answer any and all of your questions, address your concerns, and quickly resolve issues, if ever needed.

Finally, our warranty program is absolutely the best in the industry. At DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts, we stand behind our products. It’s quite seldom that we have to address a warranty issue, but as with manufacturing any product there can be issues that occur from time to time. And when it does, “nobody steps up like DreamMaker“. We are all so proud of our products that we design and manufacture, when there is a problem, I can promise you that our whole team is ready to tackle the issue immediately! Please take a moment to read our no frills warranty policy.

We most certainly encourage you to do the research. Please, shop and compare. We’re confident that you will recognize – we really are the very best in the industry and we welcome your ideas and suggestions. At DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts, our aim is to constantly keep improving every aspect of our organization, so that we can help our clients be as successful as possible! Be sure to check us out on Facebook.com!

If we can answer any questions for you, please call us anytime! 1-800-408-1802

Properly licensing your Hot Dog Cart is vital to a good business operation. Call us today and we can answer any questions you might have.

DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts has been working in the industry for over 20 years, and we  have assisted hundreds of people in getting their own Hot Dog Cart or other food vending concession trailer licensed. We specialize in doing complete licensing packages including commissary documents for our Florida clients.

Now comes the fun part – rules, regulations & licensing. Well, maybe not the most fun part, but taking the proper steps to get your mobile food vending business on the road properly is crucial to your success. You definitely do not want to purchase a hot dog cart or mobile kitchen that you won’t be able to legally use in your intended location. You will need to research what will be required to operate a hot dog cart or mobile food concession trailer in your city. Your very first step should be to print the drawings and specifications of the cart or trailer that you like. Take them to your local health department for a preliminary review and approval before you purchase your cart and submit an application for your permit.

There are a few things that you should specifically check on. Some places mandate that only one hand wash sink be present, while others may require up to three additional sinks for ware-washing purposes. This can vary from state to state, and county to county. Make sure you ask how many sinks are required. Many times this will depend upon the local policies regarding commissary. We will discuss commissaries more below. Also be sure to discover any special plumbing requirements there might be such as special plumbing size, or water holding tank size requirements. Some municipalities will have specific requirements regarding the dimensions of the hot dog cart itself, particularly in urban areas. Cities often have designated spots downtown which they assign to mobile food cart vendors. When these locations are on public city sidewalks, a width or length restriction for your hot dog cart may be present. Also be sure to ask whether mechanical refrigeration is required and whether the cart must carry NSF certification. Once you have obtained satisfactory approval from your health department, you can order your cart and then begin the actual licensing process.

Most places will require that you be a member of a commissary. A commissary is a place where you visit to obtain fresh “potable” water, dispose of “grey” waste water, store dry goods, and do any food preparation that you may need to. The requirements for visitation will vary based on what type of vending unit you have and what the local regulations are.

The licenses and permits you will need will also vary depending on your location. Some states will issue a food service license that covers your mobile food vending business throughout the whole state. Even in these states, municipalities typically have their own permitting process. More often, licensing is at the municipal level and will require a food service license, a city business license and a sales tax certificate. It is highly recommended that you take the time to visit your city or county government offices to learn the process for your location. Typically (but not always) the licensing process is completed in two stages. You will first submit your hot dog cart plans along with your proposed menu. This step is usually called something like “plan review”. Once your “plan” is approved, you will submit your actual application for your food service license. There are usually fees associated with each step.

The process of acquiring your proper licensing is usually quite painless and can be completed in a fairly short period of time. Doing your initial research and properly planning your new business will start you off in the right direction toward amazing success.

Stay tuned for more! If you need assistance with Florida Licensing, email or call me anytime at 727-735-2412. DreamMaker Hot Dog Carts does full service, Florida State food service licensing for a very reasonable fee. We can usually have you fully licensed in about two weeks!