CLEVELAND — Fewer people out and about during the pandemic means fewer customers for hot dog vendors.
That has Jack Haoui, the owner of Lucky Dogs in Cleveland, hoping to catch up on sales this summer as most state COVID-19 restrictions lift.
Haoui wants his business to be a cut above the rest.
“I do all of our cooking, the onions and chili,” he said. “All of the stuff that’s on our cart.”
He has a hunger for changing people’s perceptions of street food.
“It doesn’t have to be gross and dirty-water dogs,” Haoui said. “Our stuff is fresh and really a very good product.”
In the mornings, the kitchen at the business’s home base is buzzing with activity. Haoui and his team pre-cook some items to make sure the fleet of carts are ready to start serving as soon as they arrive at their locations.
“We try to keep everything nice and hot and clean,” he said. “And ready for when we get there.”
He gave the cart a quick polish to ensure it sparkled in the sunlight, before attaching it to a trailer hitch on the back of his truck.
“Stainless steel is beautiful; it shines if you just keep it clean,” Haoui said. “This is like a mobile restaurant, so you want your restaurant to be clean at all times.”
He’s been hauling hot dog carts to various selling sites for about 10 years, relishing the opportunity to be in the business after quitting his desk job.
“I had second thoughts after I did it, and I got made fun of by some of my ex-coworkers,” Haoui said. “Like, ‘You’re out here selling hot dogs? You quit your day job to do this?’ But, honestly, there’s bad days, but I love coming to work every day.”
He said the pandemic made the business more of a challenge.
“More than just business, it’s affected my personal mental health because it just kinda changed my whole life in a matter of a snap of a finger,” he said. “March 14, last year.”
Pre-COVID, he’d have carts scattered throughout downtown.
“I hear it every day. People when they used to drive through downtown they’re like, ‘Man, I see your stands everywhere. We look for your logo,’” said Haoui. “And it was awesome, made me feel good, you know? I get calls every day now: ‘Are you guys out of business? I don’t see your stands anywhere.’”
Now the giant umbrella that serves as a beacon, a universal “now open” sign for hot dog carts, sets up outside Cleveland Clinic, and customers line up for the food.
“A lot of people that come here are lower income, and some people don’t have the money to spend $11 on a chicken wrap,” Haoui said.
He said the affordable price point has earned him many regular customers, like Ernest. He’s been buying hot dogs there for years.
“Every chance I get,” Ernest said. “I mean, they have good food here, so why not try it? Better than going home and cooking.”
The long line at lunch time adds a little heat for employees like Nate Hudson.
“I don’t want to miss out on money,” Hudson said. “And, I don’t want nobody to be, like, having a bad word about me. Like, ‘He takes so long.’”
With more than 40 locations available to him, Haoui is used to the fast pace. But lately, because of no staffing or foot traffic due to people still working from home, he’s down to three or four on a “good day.”
“I can’t carry all these licenses another year without working,” he said. “Our licensing is about $10,000 a year, and we’re literally having no stands out.”
He said his business dropped about 90% since the start of the pandemic. That drastic decline may mean some tough decisions in the future, if they don’t start serving more customers soon.
But, as pandemic restrictions continue to lift, Haoui said he’s hopeful things will start to turn around.
“Traffic is at least 50% heavier coming into downtown than it was two weeks ago, even, so it’s a good sign,” he said.