Awards and Articles
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Willy Dog an International Success, wins award. It’s the hot dog cart franchise with… more (jpg format, 108,000KB). |
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Hot Dog Honcho On Roll Again Willy Dog Franchise Moves into China. more…. (pdf format) |
| Hot Dog Honcho On Roll Again Willy Dog Franchise Moves into China. more…. (pdf format) |
We decided to go for it and become first-time business owners and open a “Hot Dog Business” in the San Francisco Premium Outlet Mall! Willy’s built us a custom “Hummer Cart” specifically to our needs, and it is perfect! Lisa Harper at Willy’s was an absolute lifesaver all the way through the entire process! Not only did she teach us the hot dog business from miles away, but we made a life long friend in the process! If you want exceptional service, a beautiful product, and great customer service along the way… Willy’s is the ONLY way to go!
Steven and Andrea Doig
Doig’s Dogs
“We had a great second season and for our efforts, we received this award. We just want to say thank you for without this great cart we would have never received it. Thanks again.”
Thank you
Robert & Charon Visser
Tay dogs of Perth Ontario
“We have hickory sticks as a topping. It’s a huge thing on our dogs. We offer 25 different toppings to put on our dogs. We did an event this weekend at the Top Shelf distillery here in Perth. Even though it rained we did very well and we had a great time.
“I purchased my Willy Dog “Hummer” cart this summer and it exceeded my expectations. Lisa and all the staff at Willy Dog were very helpful and responsive. My new business has taken off very well and Willy Dog has been a big part of our success. Thank you!”
Thank You,
Gary B’s Hot Dog Haus
“Wow!
From start to finish Lisa and the folks at Willy dog were awesome. I wanted lots of custom features and they built my dream cart.
They kept me up to date on my build, delivery was seamless and my son and I were in business two days after receiving our cart.”
Thank You,
Eli
“Super people to deal with. All very professional. I do believe they had our best interests in mind. We were happy to BUY our cart from them, and are doing well!. (McWeenies Gourmet Hot Dogs)”
Warmest Regards,
Dwight
Hi Will!
“Sonya here. I have been operating my hot dog cart in downtown Oshawa for over a month now and the community has truly received me well! They love the quality of service and definitely the quality of my products. There have been several questions and discussions pertaining to my cart. People have asked me where it was purchased, and numerous discussions have occurred regarding its uniqueness and workmanship. Your ears should be ringing because I am always talking about you and your amazing staff who have served me well. One fellow took pictures of your tag on the cart as he stated his intentions to contact your company. I received nothing but love and support from you guys, and for that I am truly grateful!! I look forward to a long lasting relationship with your team.”
Pat yourselves on the back!!
Warmest Regards,
Sonya
Dear Lisa
“Thought you might like to see our cart all set up and running. Meeting lots of great people. We also have a FB page, just search Twiggy Dogs, for more pics and check out our mascot logo.”
Craig and Lynn Fudge
Dear Lisa
I want to thank you for your great customer service. We strive to do the same. I have been in current location for 16 years now and it gets very windy at times. If you are at Pittsburgh please stop by for lunch some times.
Best,
Chris Colanery
“Dave’s Dog House”
This is a particularly rewarding experience from a couple who started their hot dog cart business together. (You would almost think we paid them to write this! But it was unsolicited.) Thanks for the feedback and best wishes for continued success!
I will try to be brief here but wanted to share our story for those who may be thinking of this business but can’t make up their minds. David was working in the car business and had been since 1989, he was making somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70K a yr. He moved around some as most car business people will for various reasons mostly more money. Well I won’t go on & on but his job was basically eliminated .
I worked for a company was an Investigative Analyst making approx 30-35K when due to some health problems had to take a leave of absence and doctors were saying I probably would not be able to return.
So here we are with a mortgage and lots of other obligations now what? We started to talking about this business and years ago I had expressed to David I wished there was some place here in town to get a decent hot dog. I told him I wish we had the money to open a shop and sell nothing but good hot dogs. Rent and expenses for a shop was not anywhere in our budget.(It is almost like if you will build it, they will come) for lack of a better term.
We started checking out web sites and collecting information on how to get started and what it would cost us to get this going. So we raked and scraped borrowed enough to buy our first hot dog cart. OUR HUMMER FROM WILLY DOG. There are companies in the US that sell these carts & we have seen them and they way they are constructed and if you are thinking about buying one DON’T!!!!!!!!We got health inspected, business license, permits and Insurance and begin to look for locations.
It was a lot of work but believe you me that in the long run it will pay off because you will as we did run across people with out business license and insurance and they complain because they can’t get into the business districts. THIS IS WHY. They do not operate this like a business and if you want to succeed you must treat it like it is your living because it can be & should be & it is ours.
Our first day we sold 2 hot dogs LOL and a few drinks. David come home saying I sure hope things pick up LOL. Next day a few more dogs and on & on & on. Sales have continued to build and our business is going so well if we had more carts they all would be busy.
An example of our menu: Hot Dogs (all beef) $2.00 Smokey Dogs (all meat) $3.00. Can Drinks $1.00, Chips $1.00, Large Kosher Pickles $1.00. We carry a special soda JONES SODA (made in your part of the country I think) $2.00, on occasion we will sell brownies $1.00 & yes even Gummy Bears $1.00 usually when there will be children but hey you would be surprised adults like Gummy Bears.
One big thing is only buy small quanity until you see how it moves. Sometimes things move faster than others depending on the crowd.
One other thing is keep it as simple as possible do not try to sell too many things. We plan to add coffee & cocoa this cold season and see how it moves. Our story is probably like many others, do what works for you but remember. WINNERS NEVER QUIT & QUITTERS NEVER WIN.
Will at Willy Dog is the only guy we will buy from. He has always answered our questions and always been honest and is professional and does what he says he will do. Our cart got wrecked and we just ordered a replacement from Will and when we get things rolling we plan to buy others. ONLY A WILLY CART!!!
David & Brenda Forsythe
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the quality”
Here’s a letter we received from some happy customers who purchased a WillyDog hot dog cart , picked it up at our New York facility and drove it back home to Chicago.
Dear Will,
My wife and I purchased a cart from your company last month. I searched the Internet for a cart that I would enjoy using, and your cart caught my attention immediately. I had never met you, nor have I ever seen one of your food carts in person. After speaking with you and Ron in your office on numerous occasions, my wife and I both felt confident that we made the right decision to purchase a Willy Dog Cart.
As we had plans to start our business the day after Thanksgiving in one of Chicago’s south suburban malls, my wife and I decided to travel up through Canada to pick up our new custom made cart. Both Rick and Cory at your distribution site in Alexandria Bay, New York made sure that the cart and trailer were well secured to our vehicle for the return trip. We were a long way from home, didn’t know anyone, and couldn’t be happier with the way Rick and Cory helped us. They went overboard to assist us in making the long trip home safely. Both men are great representatives of your company’s support staff and you should be very proud of them. Thankfully, we arrived back in Chicago after numerous snow storms and high winds without any damage to the cart.
We couldn’t be more pleased with the quality and it has everything we need to sell our product efficiently. The cart attracts customers of all ages and business has been brisk. Thank you so much for making this the cart of an enjoyable new venture. I have enclosed a picture of our new Willy Dog cart with my wife and me proudly standing behind it.
Very truly yours,
Joe Recendez
“The best financial decision we ever made”
Here’s a letter we received from some friends in British Columbia on Canada’s west coast:
Mr. Willy:
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for giving us the chance to become Willydog franchise owners, and to become the first Willydog franchise in British Columbia.
What a great summer we’ve had! Met lots of people. Enjoyed the outdoors, had fun and earned a good living at the same time!
My husband and I are so pleased with our decision to become Willydog franchise owners. Our only disappointment was that the business is seasonal. However, we’re hoping to change that. If things work out we may be able to “Willydog” all year long by moving inside the Canadian Tire store for the winter. Plans are in the making. If it is a go ahead, you’ll be the first to know as we’ll be ordering a 2nd cart (modified with a roller grill for indoors of course).
Thanks again for giving us this opportunity – it was the best financial decision we ever made. I quit my day job (in a Doctor’s office) within 3 weeks of starting our business.
You know what people in Fort St. John are saying? “Willydog rocks!”, “The hot dogs are willy willy good”, “Your cart is so eye catching and cute”.
We’ve had a very positive response to our business and you have been very helpful along the way and we appreciate you returning our phone calls so promptly.
Thanks.
EM’s Cart,Ft St. John, B.C. Canada
“A most enjoyable and rewarding experience”
Here’s an experience from the Martin family. It brings us great pride to hear of a family success story.
Will:
Just thought I’d drop you a line to let you know how much my wife and I have enjoyed doing business with you.
When Angela and I decided to try something on the side, we looked high and low for something we both could enjoy. When I came across your ad in one of the local newspapers we knew we had to get in touch with you. After meeting with you and discussing the opportunities and details, we were more than anxious to get going. Willydog had everything we were looking for: the ability to be our own boss, the ability to dictate our own hours, involvement in the community, and most importantly, being able to spend time together in a fun, relaxed environment.
In closing, I would like to say that being a part of the Willydog team has been a most enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Sincerely,
R, A, and B M.