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Dan Rossi
Instead of doing all these crazy side jobs, I'm going to just build a hot dog. As soon as I built it, I sold it. They said, dan, we got to see 400 carts within six months. And I said, hot at home. We're going to do that. I remember you could buy a permit out the back door of the health department. It was so corrupt. It was so. And I didn't know these things. Donald Trump, he kicked every vet out of midtown Manhattan by buying off all the politicians in Albany. He passed a law saying no one could have more than one permit. They called it the Dan Rossi law. So I get a call from the state assembly, we went up there, and we walked into a trap. The police, people running this program, everything about it was a fraud. They weren't helping nobody. Money was missing. Everything. I did it right. And they took it because they could.
Vivian Tu
What's up, rich friends? Welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and Chill with me, your host, Vivian Tu, AKA Urich, bff and your favorite Wall street girly. Now, listen, I have had a love affair with New York city for almost 10 years now. And one of the best and most essential parts of living in this city is the food. And in particular, the street food. Whether it's a vanilla cone with sprinkles or a tray of chicken and rice off of a halal cart or even just soft pretzels outside of Central park, the trucks, carts, and pop ups are a fan, fan favorite, truly a Viv favorite. And among the 10,000 or so vendors out there in the city, there is nothing more iconic than a New York City hot dog. And I love a hot dog as much as the next gal. But I wanted to find out how these vendors actually make money. How much it costs to run these tiny but mighty operations. Which is why I brought in today's special guest. He's been featured in Netflix's Street Food usa, written a memoir, and been declared the hot dog king of New York. Everyone, please welcome Dan Rossi.
Dan Rossi
Oh, thank you.
Vivian Tu
Excited to be here, Dan. I heard a little rumor that you actually sleep in your van every single night near your hot dog cart to get the best spot. How long have you been doing this?
Dan Rossi
It's going on 13 years.
Vivian Tu
Why do you have to do this?
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Dan Rossi
Well, there was a time I didn't have to do it when they would, when they enforced the laws and things like that, but that's gone a long time ago. And I went ahead and actually opened the door for all the veterans, all the disabled veterans in the city to vent. They weren't allowing us to vent. And I just broke kick the door down. And by doing that, non veterans picked up on it. And what you have now, if you went in front of the Met now you have about 13 cots and I'm the only one, in fact, just not me, but my daughter too, who's a disabled vet. We're the only two legitimate people around the entire Central Park. So you can imagine what happens if I leave my spot.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And we did once and it took a while to get the guy out. And that was just 13 years ago. And after that day, I said, that's it. I camp out, you know. Does your back hurt? What?
Vivian Tu
Does your back not hurt?
Dan Rossi
You get used to it. You know, I wish it was a little wider so I could stretch it, but after a while you do what you have to do.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And that's what.
Vivian Tu
What time do you normally wake up in the morning?
Dan Rossi
I have to, I have to wake up by seven.
Vivian Tu
Okay.
Dan Rossi
Because if I'm not sitting up, they'll ticket me.
Vivian Tu
Oh, really?
Dan Rossi
Yeah, it's. Well, I park exactly across the street, so you get seven to seven, you can park.
Vivian Tu
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
But all the time they all know me. I mean, you know, they. Everyone knows me by now. They know what's going on.
Guest
Yeah.
Vivian Tu
You know, it's been decades.
Dan Rossi
No, it's ridiculous. Every morning I wake up, so what am I doing? And then I remember I have to do it.
Vivian Tu
What is the average day? Just walk me through like the timeline of like what is the average day of being the hot dog king of New York?
Dan Rossi
Well, what I do is I wait for my son in law to come with the truck to bring the food.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, so then we start to set up where she brings a second cart, my daughter's cart, and we help unload the truck. You know, we start, first thing we do is fire up the grill. It's the same thing. I mean, you could just write it down. It's the same thing. And we get it going and by 9:30 we're ready to go. And then for me, like I'm on a way to do shopping. Sometimes I have to get away from it. Yeah. So as much as I hate going shopping, it, it's almost a pleasure, you know, I go and we come back and then we sell hot dogs, you know, and then I always have someone with me. My daughter, you know, my son in law, you know, even my youngest daughter, Angela. Now I have my grandsons coming in, they want a day here or two. So now it's, now it's, it's something closer to me now because my family is starting to really embrace it, especially the boys, you know, they're coming in.
Vivian Tu
It'S a family affair.
Dan Rossi
It's family. The whole thing is family, you know.
Vivian Tu
Did you want that for your family or did you want your kids to do something else in terms of.
Dan Rossi
Well, no. Well, I never, I never told my children which direction to go in. I watched them to make sure they don't make mistakes. You know, you have to do that. But they have to have their own experiences and where they're gonna go. You know, I figured I have four daughters and they followed my wife. You get married and you have kids, that's, you know, but they all, they went to school, they did what they had to do and you know, and the husbands, well, we helped the husbands, you know, one husband went towards the finance. We knew people, we talked to them. Another one in construction, because I'm from the construction trade, you know, so you know, that, that's it. But they do their own thing. But it doesn't matter, they will come back. You know, if he's not working on construction, he comes working in the shop, we build a cart. You know, I still get my hands in that. That, that's my real strength is building the car. It's not selling hot dogs.
Vivian Tu
You mentioned a little bit earlier that sometimes by, you know, 11, you are itching to go and do that shopping because you just got to get away for a little bit. How much are you spending weekly on supplies and groceries and like the actual foods?
Dan Rossi
Let me give it a number. $2,000.
Vivian Tu
$2,000. Wow. So the cost of goods sold is actually quite expensive. You're spending a lot of money.
Dan Rossi
It's worse. You know, to be honest with you. If you just go by the cart, we probably gross more 10 years ago than we do now. Or let's say we made the same money at the end and we grossed the same amount. Food costs are higher and what the city has done, like I said before, we open the door and we gross more and we sold less. I mean, we sold at a lower price, where a hot dog was $2 and water was $1. Now a hot dog is $4 and a water is $2, and we're making the same money. And then the food costs are just higher, and the competition keeps coming. The city is completely caved in on enforcement, and that's our biggest problem right now, is enforcing.
Vivian Tu
Who actually has the right to have those trucks?
Dan Rossi
Well, you know, if you go ahead and you look at the laws and they say, well, you have disabled veterans to have a business here. And then you go ahead and find out you're the only one out of all these. I mean, you go around, there's got to be 60, 70 carts around Central Park.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You find out you're the only one.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And then when the enforcement comes, where do you think they go? They go to me.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, when they shut down, they shut me. It's like an annual event to shut me down, you know, but that's because who I am, you know?
Vivian Tu
How did you decide that you wanted your food cart to specifically be outside of the Met?
Dan Rossi
Ah, that's a. A nice, simple story.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
I get a call. This is when everything went bad for us. You know, I wasn't actually doing much. And I get a call and there's a disabled Vietnam vet who set up his little table selling T shirts and stuff in front of the Met. And they went ahead and they put one of those Cushman vehicles in the spot, which isn't the worst thing in the world. Cause you're gonna move. But this particular vet suffered PTSD to the extreme. I mean, he was in the hospital four years. You don't wanna look at his body. He really got banged up. And I went over and I said to him, you know, steve, what is it? He says, you know, they won't make me work. And I said, well, let's move you over here. And he says to me, no, you don't get it. They don't want me to work. This is my spot. They put. They illegally did it. They have no right to do that. And I got it. I got it that the whole point of this was to keep the vets down. And I had my youngest daughter, Angela, want me to support them. And when he wouldn't move, you know, he just left. I said, you know what? The city took away everything I had, except for one permit. Yeah, I'm trying to hustle little Jobs to keep a roof over our heads. I said, you know what? I'm going to start go back and go in at the hot dogs. So I had to actually borrow a cart that I had made for somebody. And when I pulled up in front of the Met, I said, you know what? I can't do this. If I come here, I'm gonna. There's gonna be a war. So I went down to 79th street, and as soon as I did, there was a war. The cops came. They were trying to chase me. I said, look, guys, I know I'm legal. You can write all the tickets you want. And they were coming persistent two, three times a day to harass me. And I finally said, you know what? Here's what we're gonna do. The next time you come, I move 10ft closer to the middle. As they're riding the ticket. I'm pushing the cart until I was in the front. I says, okay, now what are you gonna do? And me. And that's how I got in front of the Met.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And the next day, I came right back, and nobody came near me. I knew I was right. That was it. That and that. That was a good day.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, it was hard for me to do it because from. From what I built up in the industry, I would. There was no one even came close to me. And I lost it all because of. Of my nature, I lost it. It was my fault. I lost my company, you know, and to go down from having almost 500 carts on the street to having one, and here I am selling hot dogs, you know, it was. And then I just sucked it up. I said, what's wrong with this? There's nothing wrong with this. This is an honest way to make a living.
Vivian Tu
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I did it. And there you go. And now I'm not talking.
Vivian Tu
Yeah. Your book is titled the New York Hot Dog King From Rags to Riches to Less Than Rags. Can you kind of just give me, like, the origin story? You mentioned earlier? You had a background in construction. How did you even get into the food service business?
Dan Rossi
Well, when I'm again helping somebody.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
One of the mechanics that he was actually in the shop, he was actually a family friend of Navy vet. He had a heart attack. And he said to me, dan, you know, I was. I was what you call a layout man. I would take a blueprint and I would. Yeah, make everything. And I says, a hot dog. You know, I never even looked at a hot dog cart.
Vivian Tu
So he comes to you and he's like, yeah.
Dan Rossi
He says, you know, I had a heart attack. Then I'm going to get out of the business, you know, I'm going to just. So hot dogs going, you know, so. Okay, I says, but. So I went and looked at one. This is nothing, you know, this is nothing to make. So it. It took time because I don't have any tools. I would make pieces in the shop, take them home, and me, my wife would assemble this little hot dog cart. So it took a few weeks and we finally got it. I found out where you buy the wheels. I found out, you know, and he felt better. You know how you feel better? And he's now, no, I don't want anyone. I says, oh, my God. I went ahead and spent this money to buy this stuff. So I told my wife, what are we gonna do with this thing? You know? So we. There was. They used to have a newspaper called Byline. So it's like, today you have Craig, Craigslist. Same thing.
Vivian Tu
Like Facebook, Marketplace.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And the next day, a guy comes over, you know, I was looking to double my money. I said, maybe I could do that. He looks at, he says, I'm going to get the money. Don't show it to nobody. My wife called me up and says, this is a crazy guy. He don't want me. We sold it in a minute.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And. And I said to my wife, I said, you know what? This, there might be a market for this. So I went up, there were like five other manufacturers. I called them up, I said, look, I like a hot dog cart. How long would it take to get one? They were saying three months, every one of them. Because when I did it, it was at the height of the season when everybody's busy. And I said, you know something? Instead of doing all these crazy side jobs, you know, I'm going to just build a hot dog cart. And as soon as I built it, I sold it. I sold it. I sold it. And I said, and what happened was the guy I used to buy the supplies from, he was moving into a bigger place. And he says, you got to come in with us. We'll rent your space.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I did. And that was it. That was how much.
Vivian Tu
How much did it cost to build the car and how much were you selling them for?
Dan Rossi
Oh, it was costing. And material wise, it was costing no more than 200. Then this is. Yeah, this is then. And I was selling them for 6, 700.
Vivian Tu
Nice.
Dan Rossi
But I was doing something, you know, I was enjoying it. Yeah. You know, it was like a little project for you, you know, it was compared to what I was building. I mean, you look at these. I was in a skylight place, and acres of sky. The whole Met is covered in skylights. Well, I help build them. So you go from building these tremendous things to this little thing, and you get a little sense of, you know, it's yours. You're not part of something. You're the whole thing now, you know, I liked it. I liked it.
Vivian Tu
So how did you go from selling carts to having, you know, a bunch of your own?
Dan Rossi
Well, what happened was I started, like, in 7. 1979. 1980. And we started to build.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, and. And we got a name. And by the second year, we had the name. We were. We were pumping out, and it was basically hot dog and ice cream. It wasn't on these monster cars that you see today. So we were pumping like 200 carts out. I said, holy moly, we're getting there. In 1983, they put a cap on the permits. Ah, that was, you know, And I went to the city, my first time in city hall, and I said, this is crazy. I said, the politicians don't understand the industry, you know.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I said, look, you're already gonna do it. We know you're gonna do it. I said, but let me teach you something about our industry. And it's very seasonal. And the ice cream guys, a lot of ice cream guys would hire extra help, the college kids and stuff. So they listened to me and they. They capped it. But then they created a whole new permit, like a temporary permit for a thousand permits. And I said, well, maybe that's gonna save me. It didn't happen. We couldn't. We couldn't sell a car. There was. There were. The streets were flooded with carts because the number of permits were going down. So one of my. One customer walks in, and he was a very, very smart guy, and he went ahead and opened two companies with almost 400 permits, except you had to have a push cart to go with the permit to get inspected. So he comes in to me and he says, dan, I'm going to need 200 carts. And I looked at Holy Moly. And it dwindled down to like 40 car, you know, and he was getting. He was picking up any. Anything he could find just to get.
Vivian Tu
A stick on, anything that even looked.
Dan Rossi
Like a car he was doing. I mean, it was. It was really something. So I made it to 40 cars, and he got it, and he remembered me. Good night. They were good guys, but unfortunately, he. He con. He couldn't. He had cancer. Found out he had cancer. So I get a call from his brother, and he says, you know, Dan, my brother's, you know, would you like to buy the companies? I said, oh, man, I didn't have 10 cents in my pocket. I said, but I'm going to sit down with these guys, you know. And I went ahead and we met with them, but he was going through the treatments, and, you know, the treatments were really making him angry and stuff, so we couldn't talk. And I didn't hear anything for months. And then the brother calls me and says, you know, my brother passed away. Are you still interested? So I went and I said, you know, maybe I can. I can finagle one of the companies, but the boat company.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
So we went and we negotiated a price, and then I said, you know, what. What would you want for the second company? And, I mean, why? You know, I'm here if I'm going to go and strangle myself, you know? And that was okay. He worked with me. We did notes for years and all that. But I had to come up with almost 400 carts because what he was showing, people are going to accept, you know, whatever he did, he got through. So I sat down with the health department's legal team, and they said, dan, we got to see 400 cots within six months. And I said, how to home? I'm going to do that. It was just me and one other guy in my shop. So I said, first of all, I refinanced the house. I had no money in the bank. Now where do I buy the material? But I was so good with my suppliers. I always paid in 10 days. They all knew me, Dan, you know, and I told them it was a company. They're not around. They said, can you help me? They said, whatever you need, we're going to give you as long as you could pay us something a month.
Guest
Okay?
Dan Rossi
And they did it. I mean, I went like 60,000 into materials, and they just did it. And then slowly but surely, I put ads in the paper. We leased push carts.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And for $5 a day, I would lease you a push cart with a permit on it, and you're in business. Wow. And that was it. And that's. That didn't really do it. It was able to. To get me stabilized. But at the time, there was so much corruption going on. If you wanted a permit. What.
Vivian Tu
What era was this? Like, what this is?
Dan Rossi
This is the 80s. This is 83, 84, 85.
Vivian Tu
I mean, when New York was still New York.
Dan Rossi
No I mean, this was. You know, and I remember you could buy a permit out the back door to health department. It was so corrupt. It was so. And I didn't know these things.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Because I'm in my own little world. I'm focused on one thing. You're a rule follower. You know? That's right. I'm a rule follower. So you tell. You know, there's one thing about the military. When you're told something, you actually believe that you're supposed to do what they say. Even if they're lying to you, you believe they're lies. Yeah, but. But I. When I did it, I sat down with the lawyers. I wanted to make sure. Yeah, you do A, B or C. Okay. And I made sure I did that. So we, you know, we went through it, and what happened was two things happened that really made me explode as a businessman. One is the person in the health department who was running the scheme died. That ended that connection. And then I was bringing a card for inspection.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And it was in Queens. And I. And I knew the place. And there's a lot of talk going on, a lot of, you know, and. And one guy. Daniel, do you hear what happened? I said, nah, you know, look, I don't want to know what happened. You know, I'm just. With what happened the previous day. Is that a new inspector? Brand new. Inspector didn't know where the place was, so he saw push cars going down the street. He followed them, and they went into a. Into a warehouse, and it was a black market scheme where they were. They. They acted like they were inspectors. And then for so much money, they would put a permit on your cart. So he saw it. He called his bosses. They had the cops down there. They. They killed the scheme.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
So now the vendors had no way of getting permits, legitimate permits. Well, guess who had come to you, had 400 cards. But I still. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't take advantage of anybody.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
This is the price. This is it.
Vivian Tu
You're a good man. I would have been like, the price is now higher.
Dan Rossi
Well, that. That. That's not me.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, that's not me, everybody. And the other thing is that once I knew you and you brought somebody. Take the card. When you have money, give it to me.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And that was it, you know, and to me, when you're in a position like that, you're supposed to do the right thing. That's the right thing to me. The people that we deal with just come into this country. They have Nothing. They can't even speak the language.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
So a little bit I could do to help them. And they were good. In the course of two years, maybe I lose 10 carts a year. They would steal it. So that's acceptable. You know, I'm building the cart. So I did the right thing from the beginning, right to the end. And it worked. And we made money. And we made money.
Vivian Tu
You are so old school, New York. Like your word is bond. Like, I love that. That's how you run business. Run business in a good way.
Dan Rossi
What good is paper?
Vivian Tu
Right.
Dan Rossi
If you're not going to live up to what you write on that paper, go ahead. Where are you going? You're going to suit them. And what is that? Yeah, you're not doing business anymore. Now you're playing games, you know, so.
Vivian Tu
This company ends up being called Precision Carts.
Dan Rossi
Actually, I had to keep the same. This is a very dangerous thing in business. You never buy a corporation.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Never buy a car. I said, well, what do I got to lose? And I knew that they were brand new corporations, so how much trouble could they gotten into? And it worked. It worked.
Guest
Yeah.
Vivian Tu
So you had all of these pushcart permits and then, you know, something happens, something scary happens. But before we get there, my question is, how much revenue were you generating at your peak leasing these push carts?
Dan Rossi
About 1.5 million a year. And this is 30. Oh, my God, 30 years ago. But you have to remember, we're building carts.
Guest
Yeah.
Vivian Tu
And that cost money.
Dan Rossi
And I had a full crew. And a good thing about my men, you know, when I started, all my men were Vietnam vets. No one would hire these guys.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I. And to me, I thought it was a success story that ended up in a bad way. But I went ahead and, you know, they were working. I used to work right next to them in the shop. Then one day I walked in and they looked at me and they said, get out, get out. Don't throw me out of my own shop. We know what we're doing now. I taught them, they never cut a piece of metal in their life. We know what we're doing. If we have a problem, we'll call you. You made it. Go downstairs and talk to the people. You know, customers, you know, go talk. And that was something, you know, that. Look at these guys, you know, So I made a deal with them. I said, okay, I leave here. What are you going to give me at the end of the week? And we were making those coffee carts that you see now we're talking about a Four or five man crew. They said, we'll give you three carts at the end of the end of the week. Do you know how much work that is? I said, I'll tell you what, if you can give me three carts by the end of Thursday, you take off Friday. I think they would be killer.
Vivian Tu
Yeah, we don't work Friday.
Dan Rossi
And the other part was that I depended on myself. I didn't depend on a customer. It wasn't like I was hustling anymore to get customers. I had the permits, I had the cards, and I was doing it for almost nothing. I mean, who goes into business of $5? Who. Yeah, that's, you know.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
So wouldn't advise.
Vivian Tu
Everything worked, but, you know, we got to get to the. From rags to riches. The riches. Now we're at the riches part. What ends up happening?
Dan Rossi
Okay, what happened was they took all the disabled vets that were selling merchandise. You know, see the guys with the hats and stuff, and they kicked them out of midtown Manhattan.
Vivian Tu
Why?
Dan Rossi
You want me to name politics? Donald Trump, he kicked every vet out of midtown Manhattan by buying off all the politicians in Albany. And that was in 1990. 91. By 1993. Now, can you look at it this way?
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
The only people who couldn't vend in midtown Manhattan were veteran disabled vets. Anybody else could vend but them.
Vivian Tu
Why is that?
Dan Rossi
He got in a confrontation with a veteran in front of his building. He actually went to the guy and says, what are you doing here? And the guy says, I'm a Vietnam vet. And he started to say something, and the Vietnam vet told him where to go. And we're Vietnam vets. I mean, we're in Vietnam. You think you're talking to me is going to shake me up? I mean, come on. So. So that's what started. But that didn't get me involved in. Yeah, because these were general vendors.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And they were very. If.
Vivian Tu
If they were selling merch, not food. Okay.
Dan Rossi
So what they did was the state wasn't that stupid. They. They made this. This organization called the. The big. The Fifth Avenue association, which is the most powerful group in the city. And they said, look, we'll do what you want, but you have to do something for these men and women. So they, they said, okay, we'll put together a training program. And all this was all nonsense. If, If. If I'm the one who kicks them out, you think I'm going to help them come back, you know. So what happened was they went ahead and we're going to convert them from General vendors to food vendors.
Vivian Tu
Okay?
Dan Rossi
That's where I come in. I'm a food vendor right now. Nobody knew I was a disabled vet. Nobody knew I was even a vet, but. Except my guys, you know, my world. So I get a call from the state assembly and they say, dan, we, you know, we understand you want to, that you want to help these guys. You know, what could you do? I said, I don't know. I said, you know, why don't you come up? So there were two other veterans who owned companies in the whole city that we were it. We were the veteran end of the business. So we went up there and we walked into a trap. The people running this program, complete fraud. Everything about it was a fraud. They weren't helping nobody. Money was missing, everything. And I walked in there thinking that I was coming up there to save their program.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And they attacked me. I mean, you couldn't imagine the things they were saying to me. Why are you against vets and all this stuff? And I went, I just got up, I said, everybody sit down. Everybody sit down. I'm a Vietnam vet. I'm a former marine sergeant. To even suggest that I would do something against the vet. All my men are vets. Who told you this? And they all looked at this bum that was running the show. And I said, this guy, I found out that he's cheated these guys out of money and everything else. And he's. I came here to help him to put this together. He was so petrified of what was going to happen that he turned it around. You know how you do? You make, you make the good guy, the bad guy. And that's what he was doing. It didn't work because you can't do that to me. You know, I remember after that happened, they sat me down with one of the deputy mayors and they said, dan, you back away from the vets, we leave you alone. If you don't, we bankrupt you. And I said, you do what you got to do. You ever carry a dead marine? I did. You can't talk to me like that. You can't even, you know. So that two weeks later, after that meeting, that was it. They came in after me. The press just demonized me.
Guest
Yeah.
Vivian Tu
You know, and what did they do exactly to shut down your business?
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Dan Rossi
No one could have more than one permit. They called it the Dan Marcy law. Ah, it was, it was the phoniest thing. And they look, it didn't, it didn't happen really quick because they had to buy off the council members. You know, they pressured them, whatever did they do, and slowly but surely they got their numbers. And guess who was the mayor at the time? Rudy Giuliani. I mean, that's like having your little puppy dog. You're telling him what to do when he jumps and does it. I hate to say it, you know, but you know, I never would say anything bad about you because somebody told me you did something bad or made it up. I'm just a demon. But you see their history. If you read it, you know what kind of people I was dealing with.
Vivian Tu
We are in the business of naming and shaming these people.
Dan Rossi
These people, they deserve it. Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump are probably two of the most anti veterans I've ever met. Because when this was going on, we had one assemblyman who was helping us, Aran Tochi. And I get a call from him and Giuliani's got guys cursing out the vets, the, the lobbyists and stuff. What are you talking about? Why are you cursing these guys? It was just to do anything they could to overpower the politicians and wolverine, you know, but it didn't work. I got them back. I got them back. And they said the price for getting them back was your company. Former speaker of the assembly told me that you have to be punished for what you did, going to Albany. And I said, because you embarrassed them, I embarrassed them, you know, and that was it. But they took everything. And then you end up in a court system. I mean, forget that. Unless you can get the greatest lawyers in the world, forget it. You can't win. And, you know, it doesn't take long. I mean, I only was up there for a few years, you know, and so you don't accumulate. Well, you get there. You're at that point where you're starting to accumulate, but where's it go? And that was it. And then my wife had a stroke and that was the end of me. That kind of took all the strength out of me, you know, of course.
Vivian Tu
And ultimately you were able to I don't want to say, you know, overcome, but really navigate that massive downturn in your life, which had to have been incredibly challenging.
Dan Rossi
What I was doing is, I remember, you know, we got to the point where we lost our home and I had a bottle of. I didn't even own a car. We sold our cars.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I had a bottle of van. And me. And my. My wife is coming out from a stroke and she's in the seat and. And we had nowhere to go. We were in the van.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I. I said to her, I said, she says, so what? We got each other. Imagine a sick girl saying that. I said, if she only knew how bad things were. We ended up living with my aunt, my 90 year old aunt who passed now, God bless her for. And. And then we get the word friends. Dan, I need a bathroom. I need a kitchen.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And I know how to do everything, you know, And. And I was so depressed. But as soon as I picked up that hammer.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Everything came back. And in the beginning, I was taking it with me. And I saw her sitting in the chair. Well. And it was just, it took. You can't. I can't explain the words.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Of what I did to this poor girl, you know, but she loved you. Well, she's a tough girl, you know. And then we did it, you know, and then a little bit at a time, got an apartment.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And then we started to balance. Find work here, if my. You know, and then that's when the vet called me. And that changed everything. To go back in that direction.
Vivian Tu
That vet called you. And then I actually want you to explain a little bit about the legislation that you tapped into to get your very coveted spot outside of the Met? Because apparently, like, getting that one permit is very challenging these days. Can you explain to me how you were able to get the one and get the spot and have your current hot car hot dog?
Dan Rossi
This is what I did for the vets. They. I had. What they did was. And they took the 498 permits away. They left me one.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
So my permit is still one permit. Okay.
Vivian Tu
So you got to keep the one.
Dan Rossi
You got to keep the one. But what I did, they weren't giving vets permits. What they did is they're really sneaky. And I got to say, it's just. It's just not the politicians, it's the city lawyers. What they do is whoever they're talking to in the big end, you know, the real world. Who runs this city is real estate. They run this city. Whether you Want to believe it or not?
Vivian Tu
No, I believe it.
Dan Rossi
Texas is oil over New York, it's real estate. And they tell people, they tell the mayor what to do. And all they have to do is tell the lawyers from the city what to do because the politicians rely on the lawyers. So you get the lawyers. So what they did was when they put that cap in 1983, they said it included veterans. Impossible. We go by state. We got a state license that says I could sell food. And if I need a permit to sell food, you got to give it to me. If you, if there's a. There's a freeze on general vending license. There's a freeze on permits. If you're a veteran, they. They lift the freeze and they give you a license. Well, why aren't you lifting the freeze for the vets on the. And that's what I. My daughter. Now here's how it happens. My daughter, she. She. She graduated college and she's getting involved with, with, you know, education and stuff. And she sees me when I'm doing. She's a dad. I'm going to come and help you. She's a former marine sergeant, too. So I said, well, if you're going to come and help me, we got to get you a permit. Knocked on the city door. They said, no. I said, I've had it with lawyers. We're going to write it ourselves. So we voted a lawsuit. Can I get a phone call? Dan, you know we're going to give you the permit. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What are you telling me that you're scared of. Veterans are entitled to permits now? Is that what you're telling me? You mean all the concessions around the park are actually vending in veteran locations? Is that what you're telling me? That you've been cheating the veterans for 20 years out of their right to vend and making money off of it? Oh, no, we're going to give them permits. But then, then they stopped it. They wouldn't let us go. What they did was they're so shady. Is that when they wrote the permit, they said you can only use it outside the park now. The veterans have no strength. I'm the veteran's strength. These guys, they could never do what I've done. And fighting them, they're down. If you ever go to a veteran hospital, you don't want to go again. It's very depressing what these men are going through, and they don't have the fight. And before what I told you about, in the military, you get told what to do. And you believe it? Well, that's what they do. They lied to them. Okay. I can't get a permit. Yeah. So the big thing was not only did I get the veterans permits, but now they got locations, you know, and, and it makes me public enemy number one because I don't know, maybe 30, 40 concessions around the park that equals million dollars that the city just lost. Because Dan Morris, he said, give them, you know, and just the locations in front of the Met. Yeah, there was a concession there with four cards paying maybe four or five hundred thousand a year. It goes by the contract. People say it's that, but it really goes by the contract. So if it's a three year contract, it's so much money.
Vivian Tu
I think I just finally understood because I didn't realize that they were paying consistently for these permits. But veterans were supposed to get them for free.
Dan Rossi
That's right. And every one of those criminal. Absolutely beyond criminal. Why do you think there's those? Why do you think they annually shut me down? I have to be punished for everything I've done. I, I had a, a guy, a health department. I was in my little shop cleaning up of making something and an inspector comes in and I said, oh, you know, I'm usually, I usually know when an inspection is going to happen. He said, no, I didn't come to inspect, I just came to meet you. I said, you came to meet me? He says, yeah, I says, he says to me, I'm, I've, I'm, I'm shipping over to the police department. I'm leaving the health department. You know, he, to pass whatever he did. He says, and I wanted to meet the worst vendor in New York. And I said, what? And he said, yeah, your name, you're infamous. Your name goes in there. And, and I said, what are you talking about? I says, I never even met these people, you know, but that's what they've done. They've demonized me still because look how much, what I've done to them. Yeah, I'm exposing it all right now. They still will not give a non disabled veteran a permit. Why? It's the same, same state law, it covers both of us. It doesn't just cover disabled vets, it covers. And that's what they're so petrified of me for. And that's why they keep punishing me.
Vivian Tu
They're afraid of losing that money.
Dan Rossi
Yeah, that's where they're gonna.
Vivian Tu
How much, how much is like if, if I'm not a veteran, like how much does it Cost to like get a hot dog car permit. 200 thou a year.
Dan Rossi
$200.
Vivian Tu
Oh, oh, 200.
Dan Rossi
What? What? Hundred times 200.
Vivian Tu
$200. Okay, but wait for two years. For two years, but then what? Like you have to pay for the certain locations.
Dan Rossi
No, there's no price tag on a location. You go, go.
Vivian Tu
Got it. So just the frustration from the government was because they were losing out on those money, on those permit costs.
Dan Rossi
Well, here's what you're looking at two different things. If you're on the street, it's just a finding a location and setting up. There's no but on parks property.
Vivian Tu
Parks property.
Dan Rossi
That's where their scheme came in. What they said was, you know what, we could bid out these locations. I'm going back a long time, so I know what happened from the beginning. In the beginning, guys were set up. There was no concessions, but they saw a value in it. And the value is only there if you keep the people who are entitled to be there, not there. Meaning the vet can go there. But if we don't give them that permit to go, they won't go. They can't go. And you're. And there isn't the number right now in New York City vending food. If I could find five disabled veterans running their business, that's a lot. They can't do it. The ones that I got permits for, they lease them out. You know, they, they went to the black market. They leased them out because to them they're making a score, if you know what, that they're making a few bucks and they really don't care. You know, but the, those of us who, who are doing it right, you know, it's, it's. There's no, it's a lot of work and there's no numbers. You know, right now my card should be generating 600,000 a year. It's doing half of that because I'm. How do I compete? The guy next to me is selling $30 hot dogs, you know, because he. Where we are as tourists. And they, they, they price you on how you speak and look. So if you're a tourist, you're buying a $20 hot dog. No question about it. Well, we have our price list up there. You know, hot dog was $4 and this and that. None of them were the only ones in the whole place that, that tell people how much things cost.
Vivian Tu
What gives you the energy to keep fighting?
Dan Rossi
Well, you know, when, when, for one thing, I guess my nature, you know, when. If I'm wrong, I don't Fight. But when I'm right, you got to prove a point. What are you going to do? Not. It's not even that, but what are you doing? You know, the cops know. The cops used to come when they. They didn't want to. They used to leave the tickets before I got there. Yeah, give this to Dan, because we don't want to hear Dan. And it got. We already got to it. I am who I am, you know, and then the bad part about it is that I could have early on joined the city and abused the vets. I could have did that. And I probably still be in business right now, because I would have been one of them now.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And, you know, and I. I remember telling my wife, I said, you know, they're going to come at us, they're going to take our shoes. I mean, we can't win. You know, we're not dealing. You know, this is not a fair fight. You know, they've got the politicians, they got the judges, they got everybody. And she says, let them take our shoes. She says, I know you. You're not going to let nobody do this to you. So what are you even asking people?
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, and then the worst happened to her. You know, I was. I was able to handle the fight, but, you know, she saw what was happening to the family, and I would, you know, the kids were being affected. Everybody is affected.
Vivian Tu
Did that ever scare you? Like, having had no money, made a good amount of money back to no money? Like, what was the calculus in the back of your mind about your personal life?
Dan Rossi
Well, what happened was I was trying to hang on to things, and when my wife got sick, I just made a decision that either. Well, we had no money, and I was talking to, like, a social, and they said, they'll put him in a hospital. That ain't happening. That ain't happening. So I dedicated the next two years of just staying with her. Yeah, I. You know, and things just started to crumble. I mean, I didn't have 50 cents in my pocket to buy a newspaper. It was just crumbled. And it got to that point where, you know, even when I was taking a therapy and all this, you know, physical therapy and stuff, I told him, I says, you know, you keep her so doped up that you can make a walk, you're teaching, she forgets what you're doing as soon as, you know. And then they changed her medication. I saw she was getting a little better, and. And then I started to say, you know, we got to eat. I mean, we When. When they put that foreclosure sign on in front of our house, I mean, my kids were crying, and I just said, it's just wood.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
We didn't have it before. Okay. We don't. We'll have it. Don't worry about it, you know? But I had to start to get strength back inside of me. I completely lost that. That push because I said I did it right. I did it right. And they took it because they could, you understand? They were in a position to hurt people just because they felt like hurting people.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, and. But I got back.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, as soon as. Like I said, as soon as I pick up the hammer, I start.
Vivian Tu
This is a story with a happy ending.
Dan Rossi
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think. I think this is nothing. We haven't stopped there.
Vivian Tu
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know, we're going.
Vivian Tu
I mean, you're talking about not stopping, but, like, what does retirement for Dan Rossi look like?
Dan Rossi
I've never considered retirement my whole life. I think that if. If a person is doing something and it's accumulating all this knowledge, you have to pass it on, you know? That's why I remember if my grandchildren, when they were my grandsons or even my granddaughters were small and they see me hammering something, grandpa, could I help? I would start the nail, do it. I never chased the kid away. Never. And I give them all the time in the world, do it. Because what I know. I don't want you to start at the beginning, you know, I had one of my grandsons. He was my oldest daughter, lives in Texas. So they came up for a couple weeks, and I had my grandson, and his friend came and they took a welding course. I said, is that right? Come with me. We. I cut the pieces to a chassis, and I made them weld the chassis. And as they were doing it, and I saw something wrong. I said, now I want you to do it this way. Now. I went teaching him, and after a while, I didn't have to look at them. And then when I checked it later, I start yelling at them. But that's what. That's me.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
I have to buy. I have to pass it on. I have to pass it on. And so what's this with retirement? What am I going to do, Watch tv?
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Come on.
Guest
No.
Vivian Tu
Okay.
Dan Rossi
Golf.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
I haven't picked a golf club in my life. What is. You know, Come on. Yeah, you got to pass it on. You owe it to them. You owe it to him to do it.
Vivian Tu
What does it mean to you to be the New York Hot dog king.
Dan Rossi
Well, it's helped me a lot with the media, you know, the social media, because they hesitate to come at me now a little bit the city, even though they did last year, they shut me down for another month, you know, but it feels good. I mean, you know, I'm there and I'll be just, you know, if I have my son in law working, I'll be sitting in the van or sitting on the steps and people come back and we take a picture, you know, I mean, from countries. I never even heard the name of these countries. It's really nice because they're coming with a warmth and you know, it's a good thing they're happy. A lot of them like the idea that I stood up against all these odds and I beat the city and I beat everybody. You know, I beat two Mays, you know, not only Giuliani did I beat, but I beat Bloomberg too. So they like that, you know, little guy beating one of the David versus Goliath.
Vivian Tu
We all like an underdog story.
Dan Rossi
Yeah.
Vivian Tu
Let's do a quick lightning round. These are just gonna be fun filled questions. Answer as quickly right off the dome.
Dan Rossi
Okay.
Vivian Tu
Best hot dog topping combination.
Dan Rossi
Oh, that would be spicy mustard.
Guest
Okay.
Dan Rossi
Sauerkraut, Just a little bit of onions. That's. That's a New York hot dog.
Vivian Tu
Okay. Biggest business mistake you've ever made?
Dan Rossi
Oh, boy. Oh. The biggest business mistake I ever made, I think was when things got bad and we'd taken things and we had to hire lawyers that I actually went along with the other. Like the companies grew up and I knew they were going the wrong direction. I knew the lawyer was the wrong guy and I had no choice. So what I should have did was get up and walked.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Me, I do things my own, you know. And in this time I got bad advice from one lawyer and that my biggest, that was it to be involved in a lawsuit because I could have did it better myself, to be honest with you. And they just sold us down the tubes. Just that was the end of it.
Vivian Tu
If you weren't the hot dog king, what would you be doing?
Dan Rossi
What would I be doing? Maybe I'd be the carpenter king. Yeah. Machine, metal worker. You know, I would ended up, you know, doing well, you know. You know, when I started to realize, you know, that I had to do things, you know. Woman needed a kitchen.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
So I went and gave him put in a kitchen. Another woman needed a bathroom. Another one wanted their basement. I. I would probably having a construction outfit right now. That's what it would have went, you know, but vending is where I belong.
Vivian Tu
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
You know that. You got to remember when. When they. They took my company. And after they took my company, what they were doing was systematically closing all these streets here, all around. So I battled them and we went into court. And they owned the court right away. The city owned the court. So I said, the only way to do this is by people. And I organized a tremendous rally right on William street here. And we shut down their program, closing streets. In fact, they came to me, the city came to me and said, dan, please don't mention Giuliani's name, please. I said, this bum over here started this trouble.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
This whole thing. And now he's whimpering away. I mean, and that I didn't leave the industry, even though they took everything from me. I saved the industry. These streets are open because of me.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And that's it. And, and, and it. I. I remember all the news stations. It was every station in England and France. They were all interviewing me and stuff. What the hell is going on here? But that amount of pressure, that city caved. You know, politicians cave in a second. So things are. So I was able to save the industry.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
And my mind. I know I did. In fact, all the old timers know.
Vivian Tu
I did, you know, saved vending. Three words to describe your relationship with New York City.
Dan Rossi
Love and hate.
Vivian Tu
Oh, my God. I guess. Love and hate. Okay. All right. What is your final piece of money advice for our listener, for. For our listeners who are building their own empires.
Dan Rossi
Well, you don't know what's going to happen to mama. You got to put something aside.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
I always had a cushion, you know.
Vivian Tu
You always had a cushion.
Dan Rossi
Always keep a cushion. Don't. Don't throw it all into the pot, you know, and take it. And. And the one thing that I did when I started, I, you know, I come from pretty large Italian. I would speak to my uncles. They went through life. And one of my uncles, you know, gave me good business advice. Seek out that advice.
Guest
Yeah.
Dan Rossi
Don't think that's an old timer sitting in a chair. He don't know anything. They know a lot. You know, you gotta seek out the advice of the old timers. They know it. Because you're gonna make the same mistakes they made, you know?
Vivian Tu
On that note, tell everybody where we can find you and your delicious hot dogs.
Dan Rossi
Oh, right. 82nd and 5th. Right. Dead smack in front of the Metropolitan Museum.
Vivian Tu
Perfect. Thank you so much for coming on. Tell us, is there any other last word of wisdom you'd like to leave.
Dan Rossi
Oh, never give up, Never give up.
Vivian Tu
What a perfect way to end. And cheers. Cheers our dogs.
Dan Rossi
There you go.
Vivian Tu
Cheers. Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Net Worth and Chill, part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. If you liked the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Got a burning financial question that you want covered in a future episode? Write to us via podcastourrichbff.com follow Net Worth and Chillpod on Instagram to stay up to date on all podcast related news and you can follow me at your rich BFF for even more financial know how. See you next week. Bye.
Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF: Episode Summary
Episode Title: The NYC Hot Dog King's $1.5 Million Empire: How Dan Rossi Built, Lost, then Re-Built NYC's Street Food Dynasty
Host: Vivian Tu
Release Date: July 23, 2025
Vivian Tu, affectionately known as Your Rich BFF, dives deep into the tumultuous journey of Dan Rossi, the self-proclaimed "Hot Dog King" of New York City. This episode uncovers the highs and lows of building a street food empire amidst corruption, personal struggles, and relentless perseverance.
Dan Rossi begins his story with humble beginnings. Transitioning from construction, he decided to pursue his passion for street food by building his own hot dog cart. As Dan explains:
Dan Rossi [00:00]: "Instead of doing all these crazy side jobs, I'm going to just build a hot dog. As soon as I built it, I sold it."
This entrepreneurial spirit quickly bore fruit, leading him to produce and sell numerous carts. By the early 1980s, Dan's venture had expanded significantly, grossing up to $1.5 million annually at its peak. His dedication was unmatched, with Dan even sleeping in his van to secure the best spots near iconic locations like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Dan's rapid growth attracted not only loyal customers but also the scrutiny of city officials. He recounts the pervasive corruption within the New York City health department:
Dan Rossi [18:16]: "I remember you could buy a permit out the back door of the health department. It was so corrupt."
In the early '80s, when Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump exerted influence over permit allocations, Dan found himself at the center of pivotal legislative changes. The infamous "Dan Rossi Law" restricted vendors to a single permit, drastically reducing his operations from nearly 500 carts to just one. This legislative maneuver was a direct attack on Dan's empire, orchestrated to stifle veteran vendors like himself.
The collapse of Dan's business coincided with profound personal hardships. Amidst legal battles and mounting debts, Dan's wife suffered a debilitating stroke. This period marked the lowest point in his life, forcing the family to live out of a van and rely on the support of relatives.
Dan Rossi [29:29]: "I was so depressed. But as soon as I picked up that hammer, everything came back."
Dan's resilience shone through as he used his skills in construction as a therapeutic outlet, slowly rebuilding his life and business from the ground up.
Despite the setbacks, Dan's unwavering commitment led him to reclaim a portion of his former glory. A pivotal moment came when a fellow veteran reached out for help, reigniting Dan's determination to support his community. This collaboration allowed him to secure one remaining permit outside the Met, symbolizing both a personal victory and a stand against systemic corruption.
Vivian Tu [31:24]: "What does retirement for Dan Rossi look like?"
Dan Rossi [43:12]: "I've never considered retirement my whole life. I think that if a person is doing something and it's accumulating all this knowledge, you have to pass it on."
Dan emphasizes the importance of legacy and mentorship, ensuring that his experiences benefit the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Today, Dan operates a single hot dog cart but remains a significant figure in NYC's street food scene. His family plays an integral role in managing the business, with his son-in-law and daughters assisting in daily operations. This familial collaboration not only sustains the business but also preserves Dan's legacy.
Throughout the episode, Dan imparts invaluable financial wisdom to listeners:
Dan Rossi [47:17]: "Always keep a cushion. Don't throw it all into the pot, you know, and take it."
He underscores the importance of emergency funds and seeking guidance from seasoned professionals to avoid common business pitfalls.
In a light-hearted segment, Dan shares personal preferences and lessons learned:
Dan concludes the episode with a powerful message of resilience:
Dan Rossi [48:11]: "Never give up."
His story is a testament to the indomitable human spirit, showcasing how integrity and determination can triumph over adversity.
For those eager to taste his legendary hot dogs, visit Dan Rossi at 82nd and 5th, right in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Quote Highlights:
Dan Rossi's journey from building a $1.5 million hot dog empire to facing near-total ruin and then rebuilding once more encapsulates the essence of perseverance. His story not only sheds light on the challenges of running a street food business in a bustling metropolis but also serves as an inspiring narrative for anyone striving to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.