Plain Dog
Get on the map.
Freeforever
- Business name and general area
- A pin on the map
- Phone number and website
Hot dog cart guides · all 50 states
Find your state.Start your cart right.
Every state guide links straight to the official health department and licensing pages, with the date we checked each link. Listed carts show up right on the map.
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Guide live
Guide in progress
50 States + DCOne guide for each
Official linksStraight to the agency
Every link datedYou see when we checked
$0 to listPut your cart on the map
Start a cart
Six steps to first sale.
Branding comes first, because it ends up on everything else: the cart, the menu, the website. Where the rules come in, we send you to the agency.
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Plan your brand
Your name, logo, colors and menu end up printed on everything: the cart wrap, the umbrella, the menu board, cups, shirts, your website and your Google profile.
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Get permitted
Every state does it differently, and many cities add their own rules.
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Choose your cart
Buy the cart your health department will approve and your brand can live on.
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Stock up
Pick the hot dogs your customers will ask for, the buns and condiments that go with them, and the packaging that carries your brand home in their hands.
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Launch your look
This is where the brand and media plan from step 1 pays off.
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Get found
Your next customer probably isn't searching your name.
Hot Dog 101
Every region dresses it different.
The styles your customers will ask for, the sizes you'll order, and the brands behind them.
Chicago Dog
Yellow mustard, onion, bright green relish, tomato, pickle spear, sport peppers, celery salt, poppy seed bun.
New York Dog
Spicy brown mustard with sauerkraut, or onions in a sweet tomato sauce. Straight off the street cart.
Coney Dog
Beef chili, yellow mustard and chopped onion. A Michigan diner classic.
Sonoran Dog
Bacon-wrapped, with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, mayo, mustard and jalapeño salsa on a bolillo roll.
Seattle Dog
Cream cheese and grilled onions. Late-night stadium favorite.
Carolina Slaw Dog
Chili, coleslaw, onions and mustard. "All the way," as they say.
Sizes, explained
What "8-to-1" means
Hot dogs are sold by how many make a pound. Fewer per pound, bigger dog.
10:11.6 oz each
8:12 oz each
6:12.7 oz each
4:14 oz each
History
From sausage to street icon
How a European sausage became America's cart food, and the vendors who made it famous.
Meet the brands, oldest first →The brands
Who makes what
Brand histories, product lines and the sizes they sell, so you can pick the dog that fits your menu.
Brand guidesCasing vs skinlessAll-beef vs blends
The Stamp Test
A cool drawing isn't a logo.
Drag the slider. Your logo has to read on a 2-inch sticker, a napkin and a profile icon, not just on the side of the cart.
The illustration
Great art for a cart wrap. Watch what happens to it at sticker size.
The stamp-ready mark
Our own logo, in golden yellow and in black and white. Both still read when they're tiny.
Full size: both look fine.
For brands
Get on every cart in America.
Hot dog makers, condiment brands, bakeries, packaging and cart builders: sponsor a state, a guide or the whole map.
List your cart
Pick your toppings.
Every cart gets on the map free, starting now. Upgrades are on the way.
Loaded
Look like the real deal.
Soonprice coming
- Everything in Plain Dog, plus
- Your logo
- 2 photos, your menu and social links
- Hours and "Open now"
- Real Google and Facebook review bars
- Monthly stats: views, calls and clicks
The Works
Get booked.
Soonprice coming
- Everything in Loaded, plus
- Booking: customers request your cart for a date, and you confirm
- Up to 10 photos and a short video
- Event calendar
- "Where I am today" live pin
- Open catering requests in your area
- Featured spot on your state page
- Permit on file badge
- Cart QR sign kit
- Free listings are open now. Email us your cart and we add your pin after a quick review.
- All 50 states. One listing covers every county and state you sell in.
Free listing
Put your cart on the map.
Tell us where you sell, when you're out, and whether you cater. We review each listing and add your pin.
Signs · sites · media
Look like the real deal online.
Ready-made websites, logos that pass the Stamp Test, menus and signs, built for carts by telegraph IQ and letmebefrankDESIGN.