Food cart a downtown treat

What sounds better on a chilly spring day than a hot dog – topped with cheese and, of course, chili. And, what’s even better? A flat price of $3.

Dustin Callaway first began selling hot dogs and nachos about one month ago from “Dustin’s Dogs” – the food vending cart he operates in downtown Farmington.

He first started selling on weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He noticed the lunchtime crowd on Sunday was a little lighter with families dining out after Sunday services, so he moved his Sunday times to 2-5 p.m.

“I very quickly found out on Sundays at 11 to two doesn’t work,” he said, “so I switched to 2 to 5 (p.m.).”

Tuesday was the third weekday Callaway opened up for the lunchtime crowd along Liberty Street between the St. Francois County Courthouse and Courthouse Annex. He plans to start opening every other day at some time.

“I also plan to be at the fairs and events (this summer),” he said.

He was looking at purchasing a food truck, which he found could be quite pricey. Instead, he was able to locate the cart he wanted from a vendor in Georgia.

“I did two months of searching on Google and I eventually found this one at Canton, Georgia,” he said, “and I got it. There is a website called ‘Ben’s Carts’ that I’ve been looking at for a long time and – I didn’t know this when I bought (the cart) – but it looked similar to the one he had” when he would later find out it was the same type of cart.

“It worked out in my favor,” he said.

There’s no cost for extra toppings at Dustin’s Dogs – a food cart ran by Dustin Callaway in downtown Farmington. Callaway recently started opening the cart from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the week. He’s open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m.

Working in food services is nothing new for Callaway.

“When I was younger, I worked at pretty close to every restaurant we had at the time,” he said.

Callaway said he has all the required licensing and health department inspections necessary for his cart.

He noted the chillier-than-normal springtime temperatures don’t have many people outside, but believes business will definitely pick up when the weather gets warmer.

In the meantime, a hot dog with chili can do the trick.

Dustin Callaway serves up hot dogs to customers on a chilly spring afternoon. Callaway opened his food cart “Dustin’s Dogs” about one month ago, serving customers in downtown Farmington. 

Shawnna Robinson is the managing editor of the Farmington Press and can be reached at 573-518-3628 or srobinson@farmingtonpressonline.com