a seattle original

About Dante's Inferno Dogs

Privately catered hosted events are our main focus. People love the novelty of one of our beautiful carts wheeling into their backyard, driveway, or place of business. We can accommodate from 50 to 1500 people, and we are very affordable too!

History

  • An Idea

    At age 19, Dante read ‘A Confederacy Of Dunces’, the novel for which John Kennedy Toole was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize and whose obnoxious main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, fails miserably as a hot-dog vendor. Nevertheless, Dante thought the enterprise had a certain charm.

  • A Change in Scenery

    Dante's travels brought him to the Pacific Northwest in the fall of ’95.

  • A New Business

    After tending tables and toying with a non-profitable business (or two)… at the age of 30, he again turned to the novel idea of slingin’ dogs, and Dante's Inferno Dogs was born.

  • A New Cart

    After five years running just a single cart, Dante and his dog Josie added a second cart.

  • Cream Cheese Gun

    Other methods of applying cream cheese were not efficient and ... MESSY! After a few months of business, Dante's Inferno Dogs introduced the cream cheese gun, a custom fabricated commercial caulk gun made with NSF stainless.

  • A Change for the Better

    Dante began giving a portion of his proceeds to charity after he got sober with help and wished to return the favor.

  • Indoor Mini Carts

    Introduced in 2008, Dante's mini carts brought catered hot dog experience indoors.

  • More Carts

    By the end of 2010, Dante's Inferno Dogs had expanded to ten carts.

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