Vegan hot dog business getting upgrade that will improve comfort, allow menu expansion
.jpg "The new bus acquired by Wheat Street Dogs owners Pat and Judy Handley will soon become a mobile kitchen on wheels.")
Pat and Judy Handley opened their vegan hot dog cart, Wheat Street Dogs, in the spring of 2018, and since then, much has changed.
Their business, which specializes in creatively topped hot dogs made using wheat gluten and soy, has become the talk of the vegan community, and they’ve watched their popularity grow and grow. Their truck even made a national list of “Top 10 Vegan Hot Dogs” in the country in 2019.
Another thing that’s changed: the Handleys’ tolerance of serving from a cart. Not only are the winter and summer extremes brutal on their bodies and souls, but a windy day blows out the fire on the grill every time.
So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the Handleys shut down the cart for a year, only reopening in June, they used the time to plot some improvements. And the biggest one just recently rolled into town.
The Handleys recently purchased a small yellow school bus from the Manhattan school district, and they’re working on converting it into a hot dog bus that they hope to debut in December.
Not only will the bus get them out of the elements and allow them to be out serving more often, but it will also give them the ability to expand the Wheat Street Dogs menu, Pat said. Though their focus will continue to be vegan hot dogs, they’ll be able to offer more varieties of dogs and also will expand the menu to include things like vegan tacos, vegan burgers and vegan paninis.
The couple has been working on transforming the bus into a mobile kitchen and plan to have it painted a tangerine color.
The new bus, Pat said, will help the Handleys better serve their fan base, which seems to grow all the time. When they reopened in June, fans who missed the cart’s food overwhelmed the business and caused the Handleys to have to scale back the number of days they were open.
“We’ve been really surprised by the amount of people who have responded to us and missed us,” Pat said.
One other fun tidbit: On Saturdays, Wheat Streets Dogs usually parks at the West Douglas Park, 3201 W. Douglas, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and they’ve just added a new feature: carhops on skates.
Handley said that some of his customers who are proficient on four wheels have offered to roll food out to customers who are waiting in their cars, and it’s been a fun addition. They offered the car hop service last Saturday, though this Saturday, Wheat Street Dogs will be set up at Woofstock at Sedgwick County Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The cart is also frequently set up at the Wichita State Food Truck Park.
The Handleys have been vegetarians since 2000 and went vegan in 2011. Cooking became a necessity, and Pat had experience. When he was in his 20s and 30s, he spent 15 years working in restaurants. His friends, even his non-vegetarian friends, loved his vegan hot dogs and encouraged him to sell them.
Wheat Street Dogs offers several varieties, including a ball park hot dog topped with mustard, ketchup, onions, jalapenos, sweet relish and kraut, and a banh mi dog, topped with pickled daikon and carrots, Sriracha mayo, hoisin, cucumber, jalapeno slices and cilantro.
To keep up with the Wheat Street Dogs schedule, check out its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/wheatstreetdogs
Wheat Street Dogs menu
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