Cody Yancey spent 8 years in the Army, and then one day when he was visiting his brother near the Duke University campus he literally saw his future outside a bar. Sounds like a joke, a man walks out of a bar and sees his future. But this is no joke, Cody Yancey owns a hot dog stand.
Sounds simple, all you need to do is buy the cart, buy some dogs and you're in business.
"I thought it would be real easy, I'd just tell the city I was gonna set up and start doing it. Turns out you have to have an ordinance in place before you can start setting up these types of operations," said Cody.
The process took 13 months, Cody was running out of money but he didn't want to give up on his dream. Now for four and a half years, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, you can count on Cody and his hot dog cart.
"He is always, always here. When it snows, when it rains, he’s constantly here,” said customer Kelly Simkins.
Cody serves his customers with a smile ‘til 3 AM and business is good.
"I've grown every year by more and more, it keeps getting better and better. I've added a second cart with a little but different food items and customers keep coming back, keep coming back," said Cody.
It's not just a hot dog cart, it's his business and Cody cares for his customers. "I only have 30 seconds to a minute with each customer but in that 30 seconds to a minute I do try to establish a relationship with them and they come back and I remember their face," said Cody.
Faces aren't the only thing this Hot Dog King remembers, "I remember a lot of people's orders. I probably have over a thousand orders in my head. I may not know the customer’s name but as soon as I see their face I know exactly what they order."