New York's 'hotdog king' is back in action after the shutdown, but business isn't good

Read Story Transcript

Pandemic or not, New York City hotdog vendor Danny Rossi isn't giving up his highly coveted and hard-earned spot in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The 70-year-old Marine vet, known locally as the "hotdog king," has been selling street meat to the throngs of tourists outside the Met for 13 years. 

According to a profile in the New York Times, Rossi fought in court for his right to sling dogs at the premium location without forking over $650,000 US in annual rent to the city, a requirement that's since been tossed aside. He sleeps there most nights to protect the spot from being stolen or his carts from getting vandalized — a reasonable concern in a city with a long and turbulent food truck turf war.

He even managed to hold onto his business during the five months the Met was closed because of COVID-19.

On Saturday, the Met finally re-opened to the public, albeit with reduced hours and limited crowds. Rossi spoke to As It Happens guest host Helen Mann on Tuesday about how it feels to be back in business, however meagre. Here's part of their conversation.

Danny, after five months being closed, how does it feel to finally reopen your cart outside the Met?

To be able to go back to work and start seeing some activity outside the Met was great.

Give us some numbers. How many hotdogs did you sell yesterday?

Oh, nothing. Nothing.

Nothing?

Not really anything. What they did was they opened up the first two days to just members, and then Saturday, Sunday, Monday to the general public. So Saturday was OK. Sunday fell. And yesterday was almost nobody.

How many hotdogs do you normally sell?

If this was last year at the time, I would say maybe at least 40 pounds, maybe more. 

How many dogs is that?

Oh 400, 500 hotdogs.

I don't see it getting better between now and maybe March. But if it doesn't get worse, we're gonna be OK.- Danny Rossi, Hotdog King 

How how has it been? I mean, to go through all those months of lost sales?

How's it been? I'm a working guy. 

We tried opening a few times and it just wasn't there.... The city was dead. So now what?

And the Met was going to open in July, and then they pushed it back to the end of August. So that was like another hit that we took.

And then when it finally did open, even though a few people that came, it was just something that I said was great because there was action going on. And when you're in business, any kind of cash flow helps.

And if you have something to work with, then you can build. I don't see it getting better between now and maybe March. But if it doesn't get worse, we're gonna be OK.

What kind of expectations did you have? Because I can imagine all the time you've been anticipating that reopening.

Yeah, but we understand our business. Our businesses is tourists. And without any flights coming in, we didn't expect a mob of people. All I was hoping for was, "Let's pay the bills."

So how have you survived all these months?

We went through the savings. We did manage to get a small loan from the city, from the government, when they had that. And my wife and I are on Social Security, so those cheques, we just pooled everything together.

That's what we're doing today, getting ready to pay the rent. We're pulling our resources together and we'll get by. 

And I understand you're a former service member, so you have military pension, too.

Yes, it's a small pension. I was in the Marines, yeah.

Have you ever considered over the last few months packing it in and quitting the hotdog business?

Every day. [laughs] Every day.

Why didn't you?

I'll tell you the truth. There was a time in my life where I put everything in place. I had an annuity plan set aside. We owned a house. 

We lost all that. And when I lost it, I never was able to rebuild it. And I said, you know what? I'm the type of guy that retirement is ridiculous. I don't believe in my whole life I had more than two vacations. So I'm just going to keep working. That's what I am. I just work. So, you know, if it's not this, I'll find something else.

But as far as leaving the hotdog business, I mean ... there was no other opportunities. So that's what we're going to do. That's what I'm going to do until it's over.

Do you have, like, regular locals that aren't just tourists that you usually see?

Sure, but they don't even buy. They just come by to chat.

It's funny. Where we are, across from the Met, you have all these beautiful buildings. Now when I sleep there at night, there's only one or two lights in each building, meaning that nobody is in these buildings. These are all very, very wealthy people. And these apartments that they buy are just investment properties. So you get all these beautiful buildings, but you don't know people who live there.

You said when you sleep there?

I sleep there at night.

In the cart?

They won't let me sleep in a cart anymore. I sleep in my van.

Why?

Because I have to hold the location.

Was it different sleeping in the [van] during the pandemic when there weren't so many people around?

Quieter. [Laughs].

You slept better?

I slept better. [Laughs]

I'm wondering about the nature of a hotdog cart, though, you know, whether that maybe gives people pause? Because normally you'd hand me a hotdog and then I would use the little spoons to put whatever I wanted on — relish, banana peppers, whatever— that communal thing.

I put everything on. We've always done the right thing. We wear masks and we sanitize the cart constantly, you know, and we have the gloves on and everything. 

They're New Yorkers, you know? New Yorkers don't worry too much. If you're the type of person who worries too much, you wouldn't buy a hotdog even if there wasn't a pandemic. 

What makes you so passionate about selling hotdogs?

I got into it actually trying to help another veteran out. Because they were giving him trouble and he caved in. And I said, you know, I got nothing going for me right now. I said, why not give it shot?

I said, why not the Met? And that was it.

I mean, we had a battle. I mean, I battled in court for five years just to keep the location. So it wasn't an easy fight, and once you once you fight that much, you just don't give it up.

Are you the most famous hotdog seller in New York?

Oh probably, sure. That goes beyond just selling hotdogs.

You know, if you went back in years and looked at my name, you see that I fought all the mayors. I beat them. I led demonstrations. I guess I'm hard-wired into the hotdog business

So I imagine you'll see me outside the Met 10 years from now.

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Chris Harbord. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.