When Tim Nally goes to work each day, he brings his entire business and a crossword puzzle with him.
The 66-year-old Nally, perhaps better known to the campus community as the “hot dog guy” across the street from the University Bookstore, has a more personal than strictly financial outlook on his business, he said.
The owner and operator of the “One Bad Dawg” hot dog stand at the corner of East 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street since 1994, Nally said the key to success in his type of business is his relationship and interaction with the community he serves, not necessarily the product he sells.
“It’s a PR job, is what it is,” Nally said, adding that “you’re not going to sell anything” with a negative personality.
Nally said he still values product quality and price. He has only needed to raise the price of his hot dogs once since he started running the stand, increasing it from $2.50 to $2.75 per dog this summer, he said. A can of soda has cost $1.00 since the beginning.
“It’s cheap, it’s fast and he’s a cool guy,” said University student Kiernan White, who said he has visited Nally’s stand four times.
Nally’s personal approach to selling hot dogs has worked well for him. He estimated that throughout the year, he averages selling roughly 90 hot dogs daily, although sales do fluctuate during the year.
“I’ve broken 200 a few times,” Nally said. “Anything over 125 I consider a good day.”
Nally said the weather plays a key role in the amount of sales he makes. During fall and spring terms each year, he said, business is best because of the combination of the weather and full student enrollment. In winter, when the weather is cold and wet, sales lag.
The personal aspect of Nally’s job is also his favorite part. His customers have always been his main focus, Nally said.
“Once I get set up, I don’t think about making hot dogs,” Nally said. “If I thought about making hot dogs, I’d shoot myself.”
Nally has several regular customers who have been visiting him for years.
“If you look at his customer base, they have an affiliation with him,” said Randy Swangard, managing director of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship. “The reason you go there is that it’s Tim. It’s like going to somebody you know.”
Swangard said Nally brings in some of the same customer loyalty that major companies like Starbucks often do.
“We’re loyal to establishments where we feel we have a connection,” Swangard said. “I think he provides that.”
After 12 years of running his stand, Nally has a very set way of doing things. He buys most of his supplies from Costco, requiring at least three shopping trips weekly and about $400 to $500 in production costs to keep his business running.
“They know me very well at Costco,” Nally said.
Nally sets up during weekdays from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when school is in session. He usually takes vacations with the students during winter and spring breaks, he said, because students and faculty represent approximately 99 percent of his sales.
As for deciding how many hot dogs and buns to bring at the start of each day, he said, he often just looks at the weather outside his window.
“I just kind of have a gut feeling about things,” Nally said. “I’ve been doing it so long, it’s almost second nature.”
Nally said he still faces some ongoing challenges to maintain the quality of his product, especially keeping things fresh and minimizing waste. Major mishaps, he said, are few and far between.
“I’ve run out of propane a few times, which is the cardinal sin of street vendors,” Nally said.
Since last spring, Nally has also received help for the first time. Eugene resident and University graduate Mark Malos, ’81, typically works the last hour of the day and pushes the cart into its overnight resting place in the Caspian Mediterranean Cafe on 13th Avenue. Malos said he was first introduced to Nally through a mutual friend 10 years ago, and the two have been friends since.
“I met him right here at the hot dog cart,” Malos said.
Malos started helping the Nally as a favor to lift the burden of pushing the heavy cart at the end of the day. He said he is grateful for the opportunity to interact with people as Nally does on a daily basis.
“I enjoy it,” Malos said. “It’s kind of like the world comes to you. You meet people from all over the world every day.”
Nally said he would like to continue selling hot dogs as long as he is able to, but he said he isn’t likely to change much at this point. He said he has considered adding chili to the selection with both chili dogs and bowls, but he likes things the way they are now.
“I’ve done it for so long, there’s no sense changing,” Nally said.
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