The NYC Hot Dog King's $1.5 Million Empire: How Dan Rossi Built, Lost, then Re-Built NYC's Street Food Dynasty

Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

Vivian Tu

News, Business, Careers, Business News, Entrepreneurship

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on Networth and Chill, Vivian sits down with Dan Rossi, the legendary Hot Dog King of NYC, to unpack the remarkable financial journey behind one of New York's most iconic street food empires. From building a pushcart empire of nearly 500 permits across the city to losing it all through regulatory changes, Dan's story is a masterclass in entrepreneurial resilience and the brutal realities of small business ownership. Discover how this disabled Vietnam veteran went from controlling 16% of all pushcart permits in NYC to defending his single remaining cart outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art for over 16 years. Vivian explores the financial strategies that built Dan's multi-million dollar hot dog empire, the devastating impact of the 1995 law changes that stripped away his permits, and how he's maintained his prime real estate spot through sheer determination and unconventional tactics. Learn about the financial sacrifices behind his success, including sleeping in his cart and van for 11 years to protect his valuable location. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, curious about the economics of street food, or want to understand how regulatory changes can reshape entire industries, this episode delivers essential insights on building wealth, weathering financial storms, and the true cost of protecting your networth in America's most competitive market. Find Dan's hot dog's at 5th Ave & 82nd St in NYC and check him out on Instagram! Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok! Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Instead of doing all these crazy side jobs, I'm gonna just build a hot dog.
0:03.5	As soon as I built it, I sold it. They said, Dan, we gotta see 400 carts within six months. And I said, how to hell am I gonna do that? I remember that you could buy a permit out the back door to the Health Department. It was so corrupt. It was so, and I didn't know these things. Donald Trump. He kicked every vet out of Midtown Manhattan by buying off of all the politicians in Albany.
0:02.6	They passed the law saying no one could have more than know these things. Donald Trump. He kicked every vet out of Midtown Manhattan by buying off
0:20.9	all the politicians in Albany. They passed the law saying no one could have more than one permit.
0:25.4	They called it the Dan Rossi Law. So I get a call from the State Assembly. We went up there
0:29.7	and we walked into a trap. The people running this program, everything about it was a fraud,
0:34.4	they weren't helping nobody, money was missing, everything. I did it right and they took it was a fraud. They weren't helping nobody. Money was missing. Everything.
0:38.3	I did it right.
0:41.4	And they took it because they could.
0:50.8	What's up, Rich Friends?
0:55.2	Welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and Chill with me, your host, Vivian 2,
1:01.9	aka Your Rich BFF, and your favorite Wall Street Gurley. Now listen, I have had a love affair with New York City for almost 10 years now, and one of the best and most essential parts of living in this city is the food,
1:09.2	and in particular, the street food.
1:11.6	Whether it's a vanilla cone with sprinkles or a tray of chicken and rice off of a halal cart,
1:18.6	or even just soft pretzels outside of Central Park, the trucks, carts, and pop-ups are
1:23.6	a fan favorite, truly a VIV favorite, and among the 10,000 or so vendors out there in the
1:30.8	city, there is nothing more iconic than a New York City hot dog. And I love a hot dog as much as the
1:38.6	next gal, but I wanted to find out how these vendors actually make money, how much it costs to run these tiny but mighty operations, which is why I brought in today's special guest.
1:51.7	He's been featured in Netflix's Street Food USA, written a memoir, and been declared the hot dog king of New York.
1:59.6	Everyone, please welcome Dan Rossi.
2:01.6	Oh, thank you. I'm excited to be here.
2:04.6	Dan, I heard a little rumor that you actually sleep in your van every single night near your
	...

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