Downtown bustles with street vendor ventures

Grimm was referring to Hollywood pictures set in bustling Chicago or New York, where characters saunter up to stainless steel carts and order hot dogs on the go.

New York Style Dogs and City Dogs, separate companies that both opened for business the last week of July, are offering hot dogs, chips, soda and cookies to sidewalk clientele after Springfield City Council passed a resolution June 13 allowing a six-month trial period for the sidewalk vendors.

According to New York Style Dogs co-owner James Hoffman, the reception has been positive in the first week from both customers and existing restaurateurs.

“Everybody I’ve talked to thinks it’s a good idea,” Hoffman said. “As for business owners, I haven’t heard anything bad. They’ve all been supportive.”

Under Springfield Ordinance 5477, portable vendors can set up shop in a defined area of center city until 1 a.m., as long it’s not in front of an open restaurant. The competing street vendors also can’t locate within 150 feet of each other.

Meanwhile, another new venture is hitting the streets. Trolley’s bar manager Dusty Wunderlich is general manager for Springfield Pedicab, offering rickshaw rides to patrons of downtown businesses.

Springfield Pedicab operates bicycles connected to ornamental rickshaws that buzz around downtown, from Chestnut Expressway to Grand and Kansas Expressway to National.

Four manpowered cabs operate on tips from 9 p.m.–2 a.m., every night, except Sunday, hauling 40 to 60 people on an average Saturday night, Wunderlich said.

“There’s a lot more culture and a lot more life downtown,” Wunderlich said. “It’s drawing more people downtown, and I think it’s great.”

Dog days of summer

Hoffman and three partners – New York Style Dogs co-owner Randy Gildehaus and silent partners Paul Sundy and Mike Heslin – invested around $35,000 in their initial three food carts and other startup capital. More hot dog carts are on order, Hoffman said.

Hoffman didn’t have exact sales figures for the first week but said he was happy with the return, citing about 250 daily transactions between all three carts.

“We made enough to make it worth our time,” he said.

New York Style Dogs’ entrepreneurs, just like City Dogs’ founders Jeff Bear and Cory Bonner, hope to emulate the success food carts have had in bigger downtowns. Hoffman said his inspiration came after a late-night snack in a St. Louis bar district.

Nick Russo, who owns St. Michael’s Sports Bar and Grille on the corner of McDaniel and South Streets, said the hot dog salesmen have helped his business.

“If they’ve had an impact on our business, it’s been positive,” Russo said. “Our business has been good this summer.”

Russo thinks the food carts are so good for downtown that he’s considering getting his own license to sell on the sidewalk.

Trolley’s kitchen manager Adam Morris said the cart vendors compete for a different market share due to menu and accommodation differences.

“It’s a totally different niche,” Morris said. “If someone wants to get a hot dog, they’re probably in a hurry and don’t want to come in to sit down anyway.”

Customer Linda Beason did her part to make Hoffman and company a success. Beason, a children and family coordinator for Burrell Behavioral Health, was downtown for a meeting at the Springfield State Office Complex. She spent $6 for a bratwurst, chips and soda – more than she expected, but she was still happy to have something new to try.

“I was excited about seeing them here.”