Why are Toronto’s street hot dogs so pricey? The city’s hot dog economy has shifted to see some vendors charging $6 or more for street meat. Are Torontonians still buying it?
Why are Toronto’s street hot dogs so pricey? The city’s hot dog economy has shifted to see some vendors charging $6 or more for street meat. Are Torontonians still buying it?
by theleverage
25 Comments
SleeperCertified
I stopped buying when it went 3-4$
littlepino34
I sure am not. Just not worth the price. You can get a better meal for a bit more at many places.
oralprophylaxis
Crazy that a chicken shawarma wrap can cost about the same as a hotdog
Grantasuarus48
Biggest issue is that most only take cash. I would but I don’t carry cash.
Quinocco
I already eat more hot dogs than I should at Costco.
-KFBR392
It must be the rent because the actual ingredients are still not that expensive. Buying in bulk sausages are less than $1 per, hotdogs would probably be closer to 25 cents per dog if bought in bulk.
jmajeremy
It varies a lot by location, you can find them as little as $3 in less touristy areas. Part of it is justifiable since inflation affects everyone and I’m sure the price of the raw hotdogs and maintaining their stall and paying for permits have all gone up; part of it is just that they’ll charge whatever people are willing to pay, and particularly in areas with a lot of tourists, people are willing to pay a lot.
Altruistic-Sky-6736
I want to hate on these prices but I don’t blame them considering everything else is so expensive these days. No chance their business + livelihood would survive off $3 hot dogs. If landlords and corporations can shill us to shreds, the hot dog stand owner deserves to earn a living too imo lol.
Advanced-Way-2362
They are so expensive but I’m hooked. Nothing beats a street hotdog besides maybe a Costco dog.
bonerb0ys
The vendors have to pay insane prices to permit squatters. Its a bad system.
CupidStunt13
Use to be a good thing to grab in a hurry on the way to class or to a game. Cheap and easy.
Now its just not worth it. On the plus side I consume fewer nitrates and preservatives these days.
-just-be-nice-
Haven’t bought one in over a decade, $6 for a hotdog is fucking stupid. Can grab a shawarma for about the same in my neighborhood
rofloctopuss
IKEA still has super cheap hotdogs with pretty tasty veggie options. There’s one at Yonge+Gerrard, but I think that’s the only one downtown.
reeferqueefer
I remember when they were $3.75. Those were good times. I bought two sausages from street meat vendors in the last three months, mostly for nostalgia. One pro of these vendors is you can really deck out your dog. I go pretty crazy with the toppings. My go to is relish, mustard, heavy, heavy on the banana peppers, onion and BBQ sauce **OR** ketchup. Never both.
thistreestands
There’s a whole supply chain that has to adjust for inflation and wages. The businesses that supply the hot dogs, buns, condiments, etc. everything has probably gone up 20-30% since the $3 hot dog. Whomever owns the cart license – figures they need to sell x dogs at $6 to make it work. There are instances where there is some gouging like outside of Budweiser Stage after a concert but for the most part – we don’t see nearly as many stands like there used to be because it isn’t a viable business anymore – especially at $3 per
LongMom
Tourists.
When I moved here from Montréal they were a big deal for me.
CDNChaoZ
I went from 8 a year to maybe 2 a year. I also notice the quality seemed to go down, and forget stranger condiments like corn. Gone since the pandemic.
Suitable-Ratio
In the 90’s the guy at Yonge and Gerrard charged $2.50 but most carts were typically $3.00. If you calculate inflation from 1994 on $3.00 it should now cost $5.60. Since governments juke the inflation stats its not surprising to think the current actual cost would be $6.00.
SaintSamuel
I always use the price of banh mi @ galaxy or the one on spadina as a gauge for our country’s economy. never thought about street meat
PlatonisSapientia
I think it was 8$ outside of the Roger’s centre, last I checked. It gets cheaper the further you are from the Roger’s centre, but the cheapest I’ve seen is $4 and that was like 3-4 years ago.
EdSheeransucksass
Why are we singling out street dogs in particular? Everyfuckingthing has doubled in price in the past 5-6 years. A bowl of pho nowadays is $16-19 for God’s sake.
Zingman15
This is why i just go to the place where they buy their products. Same hotdogs/sausages and yellow buns in bulk for much cheaper
Gakusei_Eh
If I want something at that price point, I’m either buying two patties from Bathurst station or banh mi. Only reason I ever bought street meat was because it was cheap.
Personal-Heart-1227
Shop at Costco for your weenies…
There’s also Soloway’s Outlet that’s actually open to the Public, too.
I never used them, but many Redditors have claiming they’re good?
Go grab your discounted weenies & weenies supplies from them!
That lady at St George / Bloor saves me most nights when I work late. Quick stop, grab polish sausage and sit on the flower pot and have a moment’s peace and just have my dog. Barely anybody around, so quiet. I enjoy getting a dog every now and again. It keeps me going for a while and like most people have said, a single measly smash burger is upwards of $10 these days if you’re lucky. Then I have to lock my bike, go inside, wait etc. The hot dog cart wins for me every time. Plus she takes card when I haven’t got cash.
$6 may seem expensive but I’ll be sad if these ever leave for good. Give me a dog before an overpriced smash burger any day
25 Comments
I stopped buying when it went 3-4$
I sure am not. Just not worth the price. You can get a better meal for a bit more at many places.
Crazy that a chicken shawarma wrap can cost about the same as a hotdog
Biggest issue is that most only take cash. I would but I don’t carry cash.
I already eat more hot dogs than I should at Costco.
It must be the rent because the actual ingredients are still not that expensive. Buying in bulk sausages are less than $1 per, hotdogs would probably be closer to 25 cents per dog if bought in bulk.
It varies a lot by location, you can find them as little as $3 in less touristy areas. Part of it is justifiable since inflation affects everyone and I’m sure the price of the raw hotdogs and maintaining their stall and paying for permits have all gone up; part of it is just that they’ll charge whatever people are willing to pay, and particularly in areas with a lot of tourists, people are willing to pay a lot.
I want to hate on these prices but I don’t blame them considering everything else is so expensive these days. No chance their business + livelihood would survive off $3 hot dogs. If landlords and corporations can shill us to shreds, the hot dog stand owner deserves to earn a living too imo lol.
They are so expensive but I’m hooked. Nothing beats a street hotdog besides maybe a Costco dog.
The vendors have to pay insane prices to permit squatters. Its a bad system.
Use to be a good thing to grab in a hurry on the way to class or to a game. Cheap and easy.
Now its just not worth it. On the plus side I consume fewer nitrates and preservatives these days.
Haven’t bought one in over a decade, $6 for a hotdog is fucking stupid. Can grab a shawarma for about the same in my neighborhood
IKEA still has super cheap hotdogs with pretty tasty veggie options. There’s one at Yonge+Gerrard, but I think that’s the only one downtown.
I remember when they were $3.75. Those were good times. I bought two sausages from street meat vendors in the last three months, mostly for nostalgia. One pro of these vendors is you can really deck out your dog. I go pretty crazy with the toppings. My go to is relish, mustard, heavy, heavy on the banana peppers, onion and BBQ sauce **OR** ketchup. Never both.
There’s a whole supply chain that has to adjust for inflation and wages. The businesses that supply the hot dogs, buns, condiments, etc. everything has probably gone up 20-30% since the $3 hot dog. Whomever owns the cart license – figures they need to sell x dogs at $6 to make it work. There are instances where there is some gouging like outside of Budweiser Stage after a concert but for the most part – we don’t see nearly as many stands like there used to be because it isn’t a viable business anymore – especially at $3 per
Tourists.
When I moved here from Montréal they were a big deal for me.
I went from 8 a year to maybe 2 a year.
I also notice the quality seemed to go down, and forget stranger condiments like corn. Gone since the pandemic.
In the 90’s the guy at Yonge and Gerrard charged $2.50 but most carts were typically $3.00. If you calculate inflation from 1994 on $3.00 it should now cost $5.60. Since governments juke the inflation stats its not surprising to think the current actual cost would be $6.00.
I always use the price of banh mi @ galaxy or the one on spadina as a gauge for our country’s economy. never thought about street meat
I think it was 8$ outside of the Roger’s centre, last I checked. It gets cheaper the further you are from the Roger’s centre, but the cheapest I’ve seen is $4 and that was like 3-4 years ago.
Why are we singling out street dogs in particular? Everyfuckingthing has doubled in price in the past 5-6 years. A bowl of pho nowadays is $16-19 for God’s sake.
This is why i just go to the place where they buy their products. Same hotdogs/sausages and yellow buns in bulk for much cheaper
If I want something at that price point, I’m either buying two patties from Bathurst station or banh mi. Only reason I ever bought street meat was because it was cheap.
Shop at Costco for your weenies…
There’s also Soloway’s Outlet that’s actually open to the Public, too.
I never used them, but many Redditors have claiming they’re good?
Go grab your discounted weenies & weenies supplies from them!
# [https://streetmeattoronto.com/](https://streetmeattoronto.com/)
That lady at St George / Bloor saves me most nights when I work late. Quick stop, grab polish sausage and sit on the flower pot and have a moment’s peace and just have my dog. Barely anybody around, so quiet. I enjoy getting a dog every now and again. It keeps me going for a while and like most people have said, a single measly smash burger is upwards of $10 these days if you’re lucky. Then I have to lock my bike, go inside, wait etc. The hot dog cart wins for me every time. Plus she takes card when I haven’t got cash.
$6 may seem expensive but I’ll be sad if these ever leave for good. Give me a dog before an overpriced smash burger any day