RWR-033: How Zombie Dogz Built a Cult Following Around Their Food Truck

If you're like me, you love good food. Even better when it's something unique and local, right? Zombie Dogz is a super popular food truck here in Dayton, Ohio, and I sat down with the creators this week on the podcast. Hot dogs have been an American classic for decades, and in most cases, they've been boring the whole time. Not anymore.

David and Lee Ann VanArtsdalen have created a culinary experience like no other with their gourmet hot dogs and the amazing toppings they add to each one. But don't just take my word for it, check out their Facebook page. A quick glance and you'll see tens of thousands of fans—and I'm talking diehard/raving fans—that spread the Zombie Dogz brand like wildfire. I hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the podcast here!

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Connect with Zombie Dogz

Facebook: facebook.com/zombiedogzdayton
Instagram: @zombiedogzdayton

Everything we mentioned

HorrorHound
Oktoberfest
Americana Festival
Cyclops Fest
Yellow Springs Street Fair
Bell, Book and Comic
Bighorn Pretzel Company

Best quotes from this episode Planning on paper is very different than implementing it in real life. We're a caring business. It's important to be socially-responsible and we're not just in it for the money. People really respected the fact that we admitted when we were wrong and just made it right. And that's all you can do. We aren't perfect, we're still human beings. It's our business, it's our livelihood. We have to make it work, and you have to make adjustments. Location is the most important thing. Just because you have a concept and a good idea, you're not gonna put it in the worst spot in town. Obviously you want a lot of people in your line, but you want to see the other people succeeding also. I think if I knew everything we know now before we started, I don't know if I would have done it. We work 90-100 hours a week for 8-9 months straight. A lot of people don't implement their ideas because they're fearful. We don't want to disappoint anybody, and we take that very seriously. You can't teach people experience. You just have to do it. I can't tell you how your business is going to run, but here's the basics. And it's up to you now to implement it and work hard and make it work on your own. Your heart has to be in it, you have to want it. You can't just think about the money, because that didn't come to us for a long time. You need to give first, then receive later. It's in our blood, but I never saw myself running my own business. Take your time and do it right the first time. We could have just done it one or two days a week on the weekends and it would have been fine, but you have to do it full-time. It's a big leap and it's scary but you just gotta do it. You gotta commit, just like anything in life.

Thanks again for listening and reading the show notes. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast here and I can't wait to share the next episode with you soon! And feel free to leave a comment below with your feedback and any questions you have.