There was a time not long ago when Mehran Bermah was selling freshly cooked hot dogs for $1.50 at his long-standing food cart behind Old City Hall.
Bermah’s customers once greeted him by asking, ‘What’s up, dog?’ But lately, many cost-conscious street meat consumers have been wondering, ‘Why are dogs up?’
That’s because the current price for a sidewalk weiner is three times more expensive than what it cost five years ago.
Today, a chicken or beef dog from Bermah’s James Street cart would put you out $5. Sausages, meanwhile, are $6 a pop.
Bermah, like virtually all food cart operators in the city, said he has been forced to up his prices dramatically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inflation, Bermah said, has made it impossible to purchase hot dogs and fixings for the same once-low prices.
This rise in supply costs, along with a dip in demand, made the price hike unavoidable, Bermah explained.
“I remember ketchup and mustard for example cost me $3.50 — now it’s $15,” he told TorontoToday.
Passion for the street meat lifestyle
Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Monday — a window that should peak for lunchtime — Bermah made just $33 in sales. He said the winter months are especially tough, as foot traffic in the area drops substantially.
Despite working ten-hour days in the cold, Bermah said he isn’t coming away with a profit during the winter months. However, having served hot dogs at the same location for 30 years, he isn’t too worried about the financial hit.
“I don’t make enough to cover my gas right now,” he said. “But this is my passion. I’m retired with a pension and I have a rich life because I have lots of friends and family. I love my job very much and the customers are like my family. I have an amazing life.”
Over at the University of Toronto campus near St. George Street and Bloor Street West, Amir operates his own hotdog stand.
Like Bermah, the young vendor is feeling the pinch of rising supply costs.
He said he remembers when a single hot dog wiener cost two to three cents wholesale in the 2010s. Now, they cost a dollar each.
Amir said a dozen buns before 2020 used to cost $1.25. Today, he said 12 buns will run him $5, and that doesn’t seem to be improving.
“It’s even the condiments, like a jar of sauerkraut, that are just out of control,” he lamented. “Every time you go, the prices are higher.”
“When we were selling them for two dollars, a hot dog used to cost me maybe 50 cents maximum — if you loaded it up with everything,” he described. ”But since just the hot dog itself costs a dollar now, I have to charge more so I can breathe too. It’s a snowball effect.”
The hot dog game can be profitable
Soloways Outlet — Toronto’s main supplier for street vendors and food trucks — has their prices on buns, hot dogs, sausages and condiments listed publicly on their website.
Jumbo beef hot dogs are listed for $18 per pack of 16 ($1.12 per weiner) while a dozen buns are priced at $5.50 ($0.46 each).
If a hot dog is sold at $5, a food cart operator ordering from Soloways Outlet would profit $3.42 per unit, before factoring in the cost for condiments, which vary in prices.
Five dollar hot dogs and $6 sausages are the going rate at most of the downtown food stands, including ones located at King Street West and John Street, Dundas Square and Nathan Phillips Square.
The stand located outside Union Station at Front Street West, meanwhile, charges $6 for dogs and $7 for sausages.
As expected, sales depend highly on a cart’s location.
Amir’s cart on the University of Toronto campus can sustain itself since there are plenty of students around looking for a quick, cheap bite. He sells about a combined 75 hot dogs and sausages on an average day, which means he’s able to take home a reasonable profit after operational and licensing costs.
“We have ups and downs, but it’s been OK,” he said.
“Last summer was surprisingly tough because we didn’t have enough going on here — tourism was low," Amir said of foot traffic around his cart. "But I can make a living off this.”
The cost of running a hot dog stand in Toronto
Under the city’s licensing bylaw, a non-motorized refreshment vehicle owner licence is needed to operate a food cart or hot dog stand in Toronto.
Operators also need to obtain a sidewalk vending permit, under the street vending bylaw, if they want to sell food on the public right of way.
The permit costs $481.81, including a general application fee. The annual renewal fee for the permit is $337.03.
Vendors must also pay a $3,680.41 fee for a cart on a minor arterial road, or $6,766.42 on a major arterial road.
In 2002, city council introduced a moratorium on new sidewalk vending permits for the downtown core in an effort to space out food options across the area.
Since then, the city has not issued such permits in Ward 10 (Spadina-Fort York), Ward 11 (University-Rosedale) or Ward 13 (Toronto Centre). New sidewalk vending permits can be issued for other parts of the city.
As of Feb. 3, the city had 51 active sidewalk vending permits, 22 of which are grandfathered permits located in Ward 10.
The number of licensed, non-motorized refreshment vehicles in Toronto is the highest it’s been in six years, totalling 170. There is no cap on the number of licenses issued per year, according to the city.
To operate legally, food carts must be at least 25 metres from a restaurant and at least 30 metres from a school or place of worship. Carts must also leave 2.5 metres of space on the sidewalk for pedestrians.
