Andrew Coppolino takes a frank look at resilience of local hot dog carts

Often called "street meat," the classic grilled and scored hot dog or sausage-on-a-bun from the silver cart at the curb has seen declining numbers in Waterloo Region over the last several years.

Currently, 12 hot dog carts are licensed in Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, but during the "golden years" there were many more, says Les Halat, who owns a cart at K-W Surplus on Victoria Street in Kitchener and in Waterloo's Frobisher business area.

Halat has been grilling "tube steaks" for 27 years and says the golden age was 2000-2012. As it did for many businesses, the pandemic has further slowed down slinging dogs, according to Halat.

"It's probably 40 per cent slower this year," he says.

In the parking lot at Swanson's Home Hardware on Park Street, Halat's daughter Anna has worked her cart (which she calls "K-W's Best Sausage Carts" on Instagram) since 2018, although she took some time away during the pandemic.

She says carts she once knew were working are now nowhere to be found, adding that she can count the decline from when she was a kid.

"I remember when my mom and stepfather started this business. They used to be set up in uptown Waterloo and there were about five hot dog carts fairly close to one another. They were all making pretty good money. Over time, they had to close for lack of business," she says.

While they follow similar city licensing and fire department and health-unit regulations as food trucks, hot dog carts don't have the reach into big festivals and crowded events that the trucks do: they rely on being part of the surrounding urban geography.

I just love their urban quality. The carts grill simple, grab-and-go fare in which people indulge between shopping errands: you spy a cart in a retail plaza and munch down a dog before you head to your next stop. They're quick, inexpensive and delicious.

Despite the slump, there are new local stands and a cart that have opened eager to refresh the small sector and add offer a few unique foods. 

This past week, Geoff Nash opened Super Street Meat in the Caroline Street area of uptown Waterloo. Calling it a side gig to his real job, Nash says he just loves food and loves the classic hot dog cart.

"They were missing from the scene, drastically and everywhere. They've really disappeared," Nash says.

He adds that it's difficult to get permission to operate on private property: "You need to swing a deal," he says.

Licensing regulations are partly responsible too, he adds, as is human nature: the carts have traditionally only taken cash — "And people don't carry cash with them as much," he says.