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Q. Why would I need some hot dogs if we normally order taco people for any kind of celebration?
 
A. Hot dogs are not “better” or “worse” than tacos, it’s just another way to enjoy life through the consumption of a tasty food.
 
Almost 40 percent of California population is Hispanics and logically tacos are an important part of California cuisine. Other 60 percent of population derive from other than Hispanic roots though and therefore tacos can not be the only acceptable celebratory choice of food in this state.
 
And, let’s be realistic, everybody loves hot dogs by default.
It’s just what we do.
 You see a hot dog stand on the street - you buy a hot dog.
Not because you are hungry, not because it’s the lunch time, no.
 There is a hot dog stand within your field of vision - therefore you go there and buy a hot dog.
 That’s a comfort food of sorts.
 That’s an entertainment of some kind.
 Guilty pleasure, if you will.
 
Also, did you notice that kids usually don’t eat tacos?
 A lot of our gigs are kids birthday parties. Wouldn’t you want your kids to enjoy the food as well?
 They do swallow hot dogs without chewing, there is no doubt about that!
Q. Do you serve any kind of reputable brands of hot dogs or one of those bottom shelf kinds of “unique mix of turkey, pork and beef” hot dogs?
 
A. We serve HOFFY Premium All-Beef Franks.
 Hoffy is a California's well known hot dog brand that has been around for years.
When you taste Hoffy you will be impressed with an all-beef taste and excellent density of the hot dog!
 You will enjoy what you would normally expect from a premium hot dog: no after-taste, no additional hints of plastic, cardboard and paper, only the original taste of an all-beef hot dog from your childhood.
  We have a lot of people ordering plain hot dogs and all of them are impressed with the "beefy" taste of our product.
Q. I bet your buns are dry and chewy …
 
A. We actually have a separate steamer for the buns.
 Yes, we do steam them!
 We don't just leave them in a plastic bag on the top of the hot dog cart hoping that they would get warmer because of the sun!
 No!
 We have a dedicated steamer for the buns only!
 They are soft, tender, moist and STEAMED the way they are supposed to be on a premium hot dog!
Q. How far do you travel?
 
 A. We cover pretty much the entire area from San Diego up to Los Angeles and all the way East to Palm Springs, including San Bernardino, Orange County and Riverside County. 
Q. Here is a thing… I know this homeless guy, he usually sits on the corner of Whatever Ave. and That Other Street, so he told me once, he can boil the hot dogs for me in a huge pot that he can borrow from some guy and if I give him a month notice he can “acquire” enough ketchup and mustard packets from burger joints in the area to serve a party up to 50 people. And he would charge me only 20 bucks if I buy the hot dogs and the buns. So, why would I need to spend extra money to order your “service”?
 
A. First of all, you do not “boil” hot dogs.  
 You “reheat” them. The temperature requirements for serving pre-cooked hot dogs are very specific and exceeding the required temperature will lead to a shrunk flavorless tasteless gray wiener that you can get anywhere nowadays.
 
Second, it’s not about one’s ability to figure out how to serve hot dogs.
 It’s about the idea of delegating the entire food-related aspect of the party to a professional, it’s about having an impressively clean and, again, professional presentation, it’s about entertaining your guests, it’s about being able to spend next to nothing compared to one of those “fancy” caterers and still have a memorable event!
 
Bonus - none of your guests will have a food poisoning derived from improper food handling by the caterer.
Q. I don’t know… I mean I’ve had hot dogs on the street and in that [chain fast food place]. They are pretty lame… I doubt that “good” hot dogs even exist anymore…
 
A. We have been told multiple times by our customers “This was the best hot dog I’ve ever had!”
  And some of those customers were in their 50-th and 60-th. So, they had enough time to do their research.
 Actually, it’s not that difficult to serve a memorable hot dog - use an all-beef wiener, do not over-heat it for 2 hours so it doesn‘t shrink and lose all it‘s flavor, take your time to steam the bun to allow the steam to penetrate the subject, not just to moisten the outside, use fresh ingredients for the toppings, put a piece of your soul in there - that’s it.
 Apparently, it’s too complecated of a recipe for most vendors to follow.
 So far we have not had a single complaint about our hot dogs. Only “Thumbs Up!”, “Outstanding!”, “Amazing!” and similar comments.

Q. How far in advance should we contact you in order to schedule a party?
 
 A. A lot of customers contact us a few weeks prior to the event to ensure our availability. You have probably done your research by now - we are rather sought after and the earlier you call us - the better. But, again, if we are available tomorrow and that's when you need us - we will help you out.
Q. Would a simple phone conversation be enough to reserve the date?
 
 A. In order to reserve the date we will need you to sign a Catering Agreement and to pay a deposit. 
All this can and usually is handled via e-mail.
Q. Do you just hand out a “naked” hot dog and our guests have to put all the condiments on it themselves or you actually serve a completed hot dog?
 
 A. We do not believe in this idea of allowing the guests to apply the condiments. 
 
First of all, we are intelligent enough to follow simple commands like “mustard”,“ketchup” and “relish”.
 
Second, it will please your guests not to have to participate in food preparation and to accept a completed hot dog.
 
Third, even though you might have only 50 guests, it’s not a good food safety practice to allow so many people touch all the ingredients, all the utensils on the cart, predictably spill some of the condiments on the cart and on the floor, use the same spoon to load multiple condiments, etc.

(There is even a sign on the condiments that reads NO SELF-SERVICE! One lady spilled the relish right on this sign while trying to add it to her hot dog! It's like everybody all of a sudden loses any ability to handle spoons when they get to the hot dog cart!)
 
We are trying to create a clean and professional presentation, we are trying to impress you and your guests, that’s why when your guests order a particular hot dog they get a completed product with all the condiments already on it.
Q. What is the hot dog served on? Do you provide a plate or a napkin or a piece of foil?
 
 A. After all the research we had to do, we ended up serving our hot dogs in hoagies - foamy closable containers.  
 
It is clean, it allows a guest to close the container and to carry it to a chair or a bench without the hot dog getting cold, it has a flat bottom so a guest can place the container on the table without the hot dog rolling over and spilling the toppings, it allows a guest to accept multiple hot dogs and carry them without damaging them.  LEGITIMATE BEEF HOT DOGS!

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Riverside Hot Dog Company offers mobile hot dog cart catering  all over Southern California. We have been everywhere from San Diego to Los Angeles and from Malibu to Palm Springs. We cater Riverside County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County and San Bernardino County.
We offer mobile hot dog cart catering for all kinds of occasions - weddings, birthdays, family reunions, corporate events, school fundraisers and charity events. Please go to CONTACT US page to schedule your event.