• "Your Life, Your Community, Your Way"

Email To A Friend

  • submit
  • community
  • news
  • weather
  • photos
  • video
  • classifieds
  • events
  • text alerts

Wake County Story



Couple Uses Construction Layoffs To Build Careers

Credit: AP Online

Tweet This! http://mync.com/site/44810/
RALEIGH, N.C. -


One married couple used the bad economy as a recipe to light a fire under their careers.

After Darren and Lori West were laid off from their construction jobs, they immediately began looking for other sources of income.

"We were sitting around looking for work and discovered this hot dog cart making business on the Food Network channel," Lori said.

Lori is from 40 miles outside Chicago and she wanted to bring the Midwest taste to the South.

Now on the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett streets, starting at $2.50 you can get a fully-loaded, Chicago style hot dog complete with mustard, onions, relish, a pickle, tomatoes, and a pepper.

They even take credit cards

"We tried to include everybody because we feel not a lot of people are walking around with cash these days," Darren said.

The dogs are hit with transplants from the windy city and first-time Chicago dog eaters alike.

"To get right here it's 112 miles from my house and i come down here three or four times a week," Customer Ricky Conner said after trying a hot dog. "I'm gonna stop down here and get me one of these bad boys every time i come."

The West's have only been operating the hot dog stand for about a week, but they said business is going so well that they are already looking at buying another cart.

 

Comments

  • By Mark Reitman on 11/21 02:30 PM

    Darren & Lori, Congratulations of the grand opening of Penalty Box Dogs. I'm so very proud of you becoming the out of town ambassadors of an authentic Chicago style hot dog in the heart of downtown Raleigh. Keep up the great work. Darren graduated magna cum laude from Hot Dog University in Chicago. Mark Reitman, PhD Professor of Hot Dogs

  • By Robert Williams on 11/20 09:08 PM

    The couple that is looking for another Hot Dog cart I live in Henderson NC, IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN ANOTHER ONE I HAVE ONE THAT I AM SELLING THAT IS ONE OF THE TOP OF THE LINE CARTS, I WOULD LOVE FOR THEM TO VIEW IT,I CAN EMAIL PICTURES IF I CAN GET AN EMAIL ADDRESS, MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS RWILLIAMS111@NC.RR.COM PHONE # 252-767-8167.

Post A Comment

Commenting is not available in this section entry.
Deal of the Day Coming Soon!
Follow Us!
MyNC Twitter
MyNC Facebook