#677 What happens when a 25-year hospitality veteran gets furloughed during COVID and finally goes all-in on the dream he’s been talking about for years? You get Catalyst Hot Dogs — a Jersey-style hot dog joint taking the DMV by storm! In this episode, host Brien Gearin sits down with founder Chris Van Jura, who shares how he launched during the pandemic with a GoFundMe, a beat-up cart discovered in a church parking lot, and an all-beef hot dog so good, it became the heart of his brand. Chris breaks down how he scaled from one cart outside a Home Depot to multiple trailers, a staff, university partnerships, and a soon-to-open brick-and-mortar location. From sourcing premium franks to mastering social media marketing (and settling whether a hot dog is a sandwich), this is the real, gritty journey of turning a simple idea into a thriving business — one dog at a time!
What we discuss with Chris:
+ Launching Catalyst during COVID
+ Finding the first hot dog cart
+ Using GoFundMe to raise capital
+ Choosing high-quality, all-beef dogs
+ Scaling from one cart to multiple trailers
+ University of Maryland partnership
+ Social media as the main marketing engine
+ The “hot dog is a sandwich” debate
+ Plans for a brick-and-mortar location
+ Advice for aspiring food cart entrepreneurs
Thank you, Chris!
Check out Catalyst Hot Dogs at CatalystHotDogs.com.
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