Under the best of circumstances, earning a living $3 and $4 a pop selling hot dogs and sausages from a cart isn't easy.
The ongoing recession, stiff competition from nearby restaurants and a proverbial mile of government red tape that comes with sidewalk vending makes a dog-eat-dog world even more voracious.
Rico Greenberg, a fixture downtown this summer, knows all that, but continues to push his cart to the corner of Fourth and Cherry streets most weekday mornings in hopes of landing a few dozen hungry customers.
"Everything depends on the location and the flow of people," Greenberg said as he went through his familiar setting-up routine. "It can be good sometimes, and not so good sometimes."
Days like the ones we have enjoyed recently help, too.
The sun shining, a slight breeze blowing and temperatures maxing out about 80 degrees combine to make people yearn to be outside -- a boon to the bottom line.
"A lot of times people want to sit down in the air conditioning or the heat," Greenberg said. "I'm down here in the middle of all these restaurants, so it can be rough."
Setting a schedule
Greenberg, 51, didn't set out to be a hot-dog guy in downtown Winston-Salem. He describes himself as a just a guy who's just looking to get by and pay a few bills.
"I've done many things," he said. "I've managed other people's businesses and sold real estate. I'm an artist and a musician, but I'm not making money doing those things."
He said he has been in the hot-dog business off and on for 20 years. Longtime downtown denizens might recognize him: He used to run a stand near the bus station.
In those days, Greenberg and a few friends would play their drums while business was being conducted. He was a member of a three-man percussionist group called Imani that played West African and Caribbean rhythms -- a fixture of sorts in the downtown scene.
"We do it so Rico can make money off of us from the crowd we draw," group member Eddie Rouse said for a 1999 story. "Seriously, we're glad people and children get something from our drumming."
These days, the musical ambiance outside his hot-dog stand is provided by the small boom box Greenberg sometimes keeps next to his portable chair. The constant from then to now is the freedom Greenberg enjoys setting his own hours.
"I just got tired of working for other people, and I thought I'd try this out," he said of a career path that's clearly not for everyone. "This is where I'm at now."
Regulations, rewards
Striking out on your own as a sidewalk vendor is not as simple as boiling a few hot dogs and stuffing them in buns.
If you've never run a small business, you might be surprised to learn that there are pages upon pages of state and local regulations that Greenberg must comply with.
For openers, he's got to pay $75 and fill out a long application for a "pushcart/mobile food unit permit." Attached to it -- on the online version, anyway -- are five pages of city codes related to operating such a business.
Then there is an inspection by the county health department and complying with additional state regulations set by the N.C. Division of Environment Health. Oh, and the city also requires vendors to carry insurance -- "minimum limits of $100,000 per person policy for bodily injury, $300,000 per occurrence bodily injury, and $25,000 per occurrence property damage," to quote city code.
"A lot of the things they require of us are the same things they require of bigger establishments," Greenberg said. "It's just the way it goes operating a small business."
Those requirements are for day-to-day operations. If Greenberg wanted to operate during the events such as Rock the Block on Friday, he would have a whole new round of paperwork and fees.
"The permit plus the investment in product would run about $400," he said. "I just don't see where it would be profitable."
The good news is that despite the hurdles -- the red tape, the recession and the vagaries of weather -- Greenberg is his own boss.
"I'm like a chameleon," he said. "I can change, blend in anywhere, and I like it that way."
ssexton@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7481
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