Hot Diggity

Central Park Hot-Dog Vendors Pay $200K in Annual Fees

Expensive business.
Expensive business.

A street-side hot dog runs maybe two bucks, but the right to sell said dog is an honor that comes with a hefty price tag. Vendors pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to nab choice spots. Costs all depend on a cart’s proximity to desirable attractions, the Times points out in this handy sausage real-estate map. Turns out the location of all locations is Fifth Avenue and East 62nd Street by the zoo, which would have to bring in an estimated $425,000 to offset operating costs. The permit alone runs that vendor $289,500, or just about the cost of one shelf in a walk-in closet of his neighbors over on CPW. Beyond peanuts and dogs, cart proprietors make the bulk of their profit with bottled-water sales, if they make it out of the red at all. Now you know why you feel like you’re being robbed paying a fortune for water on the street. [NYT]

Central Park Hot-Dog Vendors Pay $200K in Annual Fees