KINGSVILLE, Tx — Chances are if you’ve driven down 6th street in Kingsville, you’ve probably seen The Hot Dog Cart. It’s an old classic selling an American classic, but the origin story might not be what you expect.
After Sean Studer surprised his wife with his retirement announcement in 2020, she surprised him right back with a gift.
“The hot dog cart was my retirement gift. My wife decided that I needed to do something and this was her idea, a good idea,” Mr. Studer said.
With years of experience in manufacturing and none with selling hot dogs, the new and unknown didn’t scare Studer and his wife Cathleen. They decided to pack their lives up in Indiana and head South.
“I finally said to him we aren’t tied to this area and I’ve followed you around for twenty years I think you should go where I want to go," Mrs. Studer said. "So he says where do you want to go? I said near a beach. We visited Kingsville one weekend, absolutely loved it and loved the people. We have the college here, the Naval Air Station, we’re less than an hour from the beach, it’s warm all the time… it hit all the markers.”
The Studers moved to Kingsville in September of 2023 and opened up for business in November, trying out their luck with the cart in a new town.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” Mrs.Studer said.
Mrs.Studer said they knew they needed a hook to reel customers in.
“Sean said I will only do a hot dog cart if we use the hot dogs I found at the Philadelphia airport. It took me 6 months…tracking down the hot dog wasn’t hard but finding a distributor took me four months. Our hot dogs are different. You cannot buy them at the store. These are a specialty meat and they are all beef,” Mrs.Studer said.
Regular customers like Jack Lutenbacher, who stops by twice a week, said that extra time and care had his taste buds dancing.
“These things are so good. They are absolutely the most spectacular hot dog I’ve had in my life. You can taste the difference, you can feel the difference, it has a different texture to it. It’s as much an experience as a meal,” Lutenbacher said.
And although the spot may be small, they aren’t planning on going anywhere.
"The whole reason we like it over here is because it’s working class," Mr. Studer said. "There are mechanic places along this road, tire shops, a custom wood working shop, even a clinic. Over on 14th street you have a lot of stuff and I have people tell me I need to be over there, but I tell them I don’t want to be over there. I want to be here where people only have a half hour for lunch and can get a good hot dog all beef hot dog and go back to work. Sometimes I feel like a bartender you get to hear different things and interact with so many new and familiar faces, it’s amazing,”
But The Hot Dog Cart does plan on expanding its location. Mrs. Studer wants to start “Quick Meals.”
“We have the college kids close by and sometimes they don’t eat well so I want to put rice or potatoes or literally any vegetable I can throw in there and I can either add meat or leave the meat out. But it’s something people can drop by and get,” Mrs. Studer said.
They hope to start expanding in the summer.
The Hot Dog Cart is open Monday-Friday from 11-1 and sometimes from 4-6 pm on Fridays.
The business is available for catering services as well. If interested, contact 812-767-6771.
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