Food Truck Spotlight

It's not just all about the dog at Hotdog Hideout

Adrienne Benedetto, owner of Hotdog Hideout, wanted to bring dirty water dogs to Maryland but her food truck menu offers much beyond that well-known and well-loved treat.

Photo provided.

December 13, 2021 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Food Truck Name: Hotdog Hideout

Owner: Adrienne Benedetto

Date Founded: Feb. 2020

Location: Gambrills, Maryland

How many trucks do you operate under this brand? 1

Do you operate brink-and-mortar locations under this brand as well? No

What prompted you to start a food truck?

We moved to Maryland almost nine years ago and the one thing you can't find on any street corner is a good hot dog truck. Being from New Jersey you miss dirty water dogs, and many other Jersey items.

When we decided to finally buy the trailer and start the process, just as we started COVID hit and by March my husband lost his job as he wasn't an essential worker. We had no other choice but to go full steam ahead and get this business moving quickly. We sunk everything into the business and started advertising about bringing our trailer to communities, booking parties rather than people having to come out and stand in crowds we came to them.

What's on your food truck menu? Why did you choose this cuisine?

We originally just going to be a hot dog truck, but summer came around and pools couldn't open their snack bars. I saw that as another opportunity to get our truck exposure and we created a kid friendly menu at great prices. I started reaching out to pools and from there we exploded and have been very busy ever since. Our menu is full and we have chicken tenders, Buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, French fries, mac and cheese wedges and so much more. If you know anything about college row food trucks and the sandwich they sell, we have it on our truck as well. It's called The Belly Buster Sandwich. On this dandwich you have chicken tenders, French fries, mozzarella sticks on a hoagie roll smothered in Marinara sauce. It's a Jersey classic sandwich.

Do you make all the food on the truck or do you use home-based kitchen or commissary space?

Everything is made right there on the truck as you order it. The only item made at our commissary kitchen is our homemade chili. It's got that little kick of spicy with your last bite.

What's the best part of being a food truck operator?

The best part of being a food truck operator is meeting all the wonderful people that come to the truck or hire us for their events. It's not easy being a female food truck owner, but it is fun.

What's the worst part of operating a food truck?

The worst part of operating a food truck is the long hours for me. I run every aspect of the business and my husband works the truck. I have 10 hours or more a day following up on phone calls,, emails and bookings dates.

I also am trying to get everyone to understand I am a business owner trying to make a name for myself and make this business something that can be passed down to my children after I am long gone.

What lessons have you learned since launching the truck?

I learned it's not easy running a truck. It is very time consuming and there's a lot to take into consideration when pricing items. I'm still learning a lot about being a food truck owner. But it is a great way to meet people and do things we never could before. We help communities, schools, churches and fundraising events so much more now than ever before.

Is there anything you would have done differently at the start?

Haha what would I do differently? There's a few things, but I might not be here doing this my way if I had done things differently.

Any tips/advice to others thinking of launching a food truck?

Research, research, research!!! It all starts with finding the right place to make your truck. It's not easy work, whether you are behind the scenes or on the truck, it's hard work. We are not a restaurant, we have limited space to work in and limited time to get things prepared, you can't control everything that goes on outside the truck when your working, so don't take it personally, you can only control what you are doing.

Do you have any anecdotes about running a food truck — any unique interactions or special events you've been booked at?

We have had the privilege of working many fabulous events from kids parties, fundraising events and the Big Bounce Event! We have had an amazing year full of fun and love from our followers. We are hoping 2022 will be bigger and better. There isn't any event we can not accommodate

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About Judy Mottl

Judy Mottl is editor of Retail Customer Experience and Digital Signage Today. She has decades of experience as a reporter, writer and editor covering technology and business for top media including AOL, InformationWeek, InternetNews and Food Truck Operator.

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